Northeastern University playing hockey against the University of Massachusetts Amherst
Hockey East is a group of Americancolleges and universities who play NCAA Division I hockey against one another every season. Before the Notre Dame men's hockey team (in Indiana) joined in 2013, all of the members were in New England. The champions are automatically invited to the NCAA Division I men's and women's hockey tournaments.
In all, 12 schools are members of Hockey East. Seven of these have men's and women's teams that both play in the conference. Four do not have a women's team playing at the NCAA level, although one of these four will move its women's club team to the NCAA level in 2015. One school has its women's team only in Hockey East, with its men's team in another conference.
The current members are listed below. Unless otherwise noted, these schools have both men's and women's teams in the conference.
Merrimack College (men only; women will join in 2015–16)
University of New Hampshire
Northeastern University
University of Notre Dame (men only)
Providence College
University of Massachusetts at Lowell (often called "UMass Lowell") (men only)
University of Vermont
In July 2014, Connecticut, now a member only for women's hockey, will move its men's team into Hockey East. One year later, Merrimack, a member in men's hockey only, will upgrade its women's team from club to full varsity status and move that team into the conference.
