ECAC Hockey

ECAC Hockey
Established 1961
Association NCAA
Division Division I
Members 12
Sports fielded Ice Hockey (men's: 12 teams; women's: 12 teams)
Region Northeastern United States
Former names Eastern College Athletic Conference (1962–2004)
ECAC Hockey League (2004–2007)
Headquarters Albany, New York
Commissioner Steve Hagwell
Website www.ecachockey.com
Locations
Locations of current ECAC Hockey member institutions.

ECAC Hockey is one of the six conferences that compete in NCAA Division I ice hockey. The conference used to be affiliated with the Eastern College Athletic Conference, a consortium of over 300 colleges in the eastern United States. This relationship ended in 2004; however the ECAC abbreviation was retained in the name of the hockey conference.[1] ECAC Hockey is the only ice hockey conference with identical memberships in both its women's and men's divisions.

History

ECAC Hockey was founded in 1961 as a loose association of college hockey teams in the Northeast.[2] In June 1983, concerns that the Ivy League schools were potentially leaving the conference and disagreements over schedule length versus academics caused Boston University, Boston College, Providence, Northeastern and New Hampshire to decide to leave the ECAC to form what would become Hockey East, which began play in the 1984–85 season.[1] By that fall, Maine also departed the ECAC for the new conference.[3] This left the ECAC with twelve teams (Army, Brown, Clarkson, Colgate, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Princeton, RPI, St. Lawrence, Vermont, and Yale). Army would stay in the conference until the end of the 1990–91 season, at which point they became independent (they now play in Atlantic Hockey) and were replaced by Union College. Vermont left the ECAC for Hockey East at the end of the 2004–05 season, and were replaced in the conference by Quinnipiac.[1]

The ECAC began sponsoring an invitational women's tournament in 1985. ECAC teams began playing an informal regular season schedule in the 1988–89 season, with the conference officially sponsoring women's hockey beginning in the 1993–94 season.[4] ECAC teams won two of the three pre-NCAA American Women's College Hockey Alliance national championships, New Hampshire winning in 1998 and Harvard in 1999.

The ECAC was the only Division I men's hockey conference that neither gained nor lost members during the major conference realignment in 2011 and 2012 that followed the Big Ten Conference's announcement that it would launch a men's hockey league in the 2013–14 season.

Membership

There are 12 member schools in the ECAC. Since the 2006-07 season, all schools have participated with men's and women's teams, making ECAC Hockey the only Division I hockey conference with a full complement of teams for both sexes.[1]

Ivy League teams

The six Ivy League universities with Division I ice hockey programs are all members of ECAC Hockey. Neither the University of Pennsylvania nor Columbia University has a varsity intercollegiate ice hockey program. Penn supported an intercollegiate varsity hockey program in the past and was an ECAC Hockey member from 1966 to 1978 before the team was disbanded. The Ivy school that has the best record against other Ivy opponents in regular season ECAC games is crowned the Ivy League ice hockey champion. The Ivy League schools require their teams to play seasons that are about three weeks shorter than those of the other schools in the league.[5] Thus, they enter the league schedule with fewer non-conference warm-up games. Harvard competes in the annual Beanpot Tournament and Cornell hosts a holiday tournament in Estero, Florida.

Members

Institution Location Nickname Founded Historical Affiliation Enrollment Primary Conference
Brown University Providence, Rhode Island Bears 1764 Nonsectarian, founded by Baptists, but founding charter promises "no religious tests" and "full liberty of conscience"[6] 7,744[7] Ivy League
Clarkson University Potsdam, New York Golden Knights 1896 Private/Non-sectarian 3,100 Liberty League (D-III)
Colgate University Hamilton, New York Raiders 1819 Private/Non-sectarian, founded by Baptists[8] 2,800 Patriot League
Cornell University Ithaca, New York Big Red 1865 Private/Non-sectarian 20,400[9] Ivy League
Dartmouth College Hanover, New Hampshire Big Green 1769 Private/Congregationalist 5,753[10] Ivy League
Harvard University Cambridge, Massachusetts Crimson 1636 Private/Unitarian 20,042[11] Ivy League
Princeton University Princeton, New Jersey Tigers 1746 Nonsectarian, but founded by Presbyterians[12] 6,677 [13] Ivy League
Quinnipiac University Hamden, Connecticut Bobcats 1929 Private/Non-sectarian 7,700 MAAC
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Troy, New York Engineers 1824 Private/Non-sectarian 6,376 Liberty League (D-III)
St. Lawrence University Canton, New York Saints 1856 Non-denominational, founded by Universalist Church of America 2,100 Liberty League (D-III)
Union College Schenectady, New York Dutchmen 1795 Private/Non-sectarian 2,100 Liberty League (D-III)
Yale University New Haven, Connecticut Bulldogs 1701 Private/Congregationalist 11,483[14] Ivy League

Membership timeline

Quinnipiac University University of Connecticut Niagara University Rochester Institute of Technology Union College University of Maine University of Pennsylvania University of Vermont Yale University St. Lawrence University Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Princeton University Harvard University Dartmouth College Cornell University Colgate University Clarkson University Brown University Providence College Northeastern University University of New Hampshire Boston University Boston College United States Military Academy Williams College Norwich University Massachusetts Institute of Technology Middlebury College Merrimack College University of Massachusetts Amherst Hamilton College Connecticut College Colby College Bowdoin College Amherst College American International College

  Men     Women     Both  

Men's ECAC championship games

A men's game between Dartmouth and Princeton at Thompson Arena in Hanover

The ECAC Championship Game has been held at the following sites:

The winner of the game is awarded the Whitelaw Cup and receives an automatic bid to the NCAA Men's Division I Hockey Tournament.

  • 1962 St. Lawrence def. Clarkson 5–2
  • 1963 Harvard def. Boston College 4–3 (ot)
  • 1964 Providence def. St. Lawrence 3–1
  • 1965 Boston College def. Brown 6–2
  • 1966 Clarkson def. Cornell 6–2
  • 1967 Cornell def. Boston University 4–3
  • 1968 Cornell def. Boston College 6–3
  • 1969 Cornell def. Harvard 4–2
  • 1970 Cornell def. Clarkson 3–2
  • 1971 Harvard def. Clarkson 7–4
  • 1972 Boston University def. Cornell 4–1
  • 1973 Cornell def. Boston College 3–2
  • 1974 Boston University def. Harvard 4–2
  • 1975 Boston University def. Harvard 7–3
  • 1976 Boston University def. Brown 9–2
  • 1977 Boston University def. New Hampshire 8–6
  • 1978 Boston College def. Providence 4–2
  • 1979 New Hampshire def. Dartmouth 3–2
  • 1980 Cornell def. Dartmouth 5–1
  • 1981 Providence def. Cornell 8–4
  • 1982 Northeastern def. Harvard 5–2
  • 1983 Harvard def. Providence 4–1
  • 1984 Rensselaer def. Boston University 5–2
  • 1985 Rensselaer def. Harvard 3–1
  • 1986 Cornell def. Clarkson 3–2 (ot)
  • 1987 Harvard def. St. Lawrence 6–3
  • 1988 St. Lawrence def. Clarkson 3–0
  • 1989 St. Lawrence def. Vermont 4–1
  • 1990 Colgate def. Rensselaer 5–4
  • 1991 Clarkson def. St. Lawrence 5–4
  • 1992 St. Lawrence def. Cornell 4–2
  • 1993 Clarkson def. Brown 3–1
  • 1994 Harvard def. Rensselaer 3–0
  • 1995 Rensselaer def. Princeton 5–1
  • 1996 Cornell def. Harvard 2–1
  • 1997 Cornell def. Clarkson 2–1
  • 1998 Princeton def. Clarkson 5–4 (2ot)
  • 1999 Clarkson def. St. Lawrence 3–2
  • 2000 St. Lawrence def. Rensselaer 2–0
  • 2001 St. Lawrence def. Cornell 3–1
  • 2002 Harvard def. Cornell 4–3 (2ot)
  • 2003 Cornell def. Harvard 3–2 (ot)
  • 2004 Harvard def. Clarkson 4–2
  • 2005 Cornell def. Harvard 3–1
  • 2006 Harvard def. Cornell 6–2
  • 2007 Clarkson def. Quinnipiac 4–2
  • 2008 Princeton def. Harvard 4–1
  • 2009 Yale def. Cornell 5–0
  • 2010 Cornell def. Union 3–0
  • 2011 Yale def. Cornell 6–0
  • 2012 Union def. Harvard 3–1
  • 2013 Union def. Brown 3–1
  • 2014 Union def. Colgate 4–2
  • 2015 Harvard def. Colgate 4–2

Cleary Cup

The Cleary Cup, named for former Harvard player and coach Bill Cleary, is awarded to the team with the best record in league games at the end of the regular–season. There is no tie–breaking procedure should two or more teams end the season with the same record and the trophy is shared. A tie breaking procedure is applied to determine the top seed in the ECAC conference tournament. The Cleary Cup winner is not given any special consideration in the NCAA tournament as the ECAC awards its automatic bid to the winner of the ECAC tournament.

  • 1984–85 Rensselaer
  • 1985–86 Harvard
  • 1986–87 Harvard
  • 1987–88 Harvard and St. Lawrence
  • 1988–89 Harvard
  • 1989–90 Colgate
  • 1990–91 Clarkson
  • 1991–92 Harvard
  • 1992–93 Harvard
  • 1993–94 Harvard
  • 1994–95 Clarkson
  • 1995–96 Vermont
  • 1996–87 Clarkson
  • 1997–88 Yale
  • 1998–89 Clarkson
  • 1999–00 St. Lawrence
  • 2000–01 Clarkson
  • 2001–02 Cornell
  • 2002–03 Cornell
  • 2003–04 Colgate
  • 2004–05 Cornell
  • 2005–06 Dartmouth and Colgate
  • 2006–07 St. Lawrence
  • 2007–08 Clarkson
  • 2008–09 Yale
  • 2009–10 Yale
  • 2010–11 Union
  • 2011–12 Union
  • 2012–13 Quinnipiac
  • 2013–14 Union
  • 2014–15 Quinnipiac

Women's ECAC championship games

  • 1985 Providence def. New Hampshire
  • 1986 New Hampshire def. Northeastern
  • 1987 New Hampshire def. Northeastern
  • 1988 Northeastern def. Providence
  • 1989 Northeastern def. Providence
  • 1990 New Hampshire def. Providence (in Durham, New Hampshire)
  • 1991 New Hampshire def. Northeastern (Durham)
  • 1992 Providence def. New Hampshire (in Providence, Rhode Island)
  • 1993 Providence def. New Hampshire (in Boston)
  • 1994 Providence def. Northeastern (Providence)
  • 1995 Providence def. New Hampshire (Providence)
  • 1996 New Hampshire def. Providence (Durham)
  • 1997 Northeastern def. New Hampshire (Boston)
  • 1998 Brown def. New Hampshire (Boston)
  • 1999 Harvard def. New Hampshire (Providence)
  • 2000 Brown def. Dartmouth (Providence)
  • 2001 Dartmouth def. Harvard (in Hanover, New Hampshire)
  • 2002 Brown def. Dartmouth (Hanover)
  • 2003 Dartmouth def. Harvard (Providence)
  • 2004 Harvard def. St. Lawrence (in Schenectady, New York)
  • 2005 Harvard def. Dartmouth (Schenectady)
  • 2006 Harvard def. Brown (in Canton, New York)
  • 2007 Dartmouth def. St. Lawrence (Hanover)
  • 2008 Harvard def. St. Lawrence (Boston)
  • 2009 Dartmouth def. Rensselaer (Boston)
  • 2010 Cornell def. Clarkson (in Ithaca, New York)
  • 2011 Cornell def. Dartmouth (Ithaca)
  • 2012 St. Lawrence def. Cornell (Ithaca)
  • 2013 Cornell def. Harvard (Ithaca)
  • 2014 Cornell def. Clarkson (in Potsdam, New York)
  • 2015 Harvard def. Cornell (Potsdam)

Conference arenas

A Men's game between Dartmouth and Quinnipiac at the TD Bank Sports Center
School Hockey arena (built) Capacity
Brown Meehan Auditorium (1962) 3,100
Clarkson Cheel Arena (1991) 3,000
Colgate Starr Rink (1959) 2,246
Cornell Lynah Rink (1957) 4,267
Dartmouth Thompson Arena (1975) 4,500
Harvard Bright Hockey Center (1956/1979) 2,850
Princeton Hobey Baker Memorial Rink (1923) 2,092
Quinnipiac TD Bank Sports Center (2007) 3,386
Rensselaer Houston Field House (1949) 4,780
St. Lawrence Appleton Arena (1951) 3,000
Union Frank L. Messa Rink at Achilles Center (1975) 2,225
Yale Ingalls Rink (1958) 3,500

Awards

At the conclusion of each regular season schedule the coaches of each ECAC team vote which players they choose to be on the two to four All-Conference Teams:[15] first team and second team (rookie team starting in 1987–88 and third team beginning in 2005–06). Additionally they vote to award up to 7 individual trophies to an eligible player at the same time. ECAC Hockey also awards a Conference Tournament Most Outstanding Player as well as an All-Tournament Team, which are voted on at the conclusion of the conference tournament. Three awards have been bestowed every year that ECAC has been in operation while the 'Best Defensive Defenseman' was retired from 1967–68 thru 1991–92[16] and the All-Tournament team was discontinued from 1973 thru 1988.[17]

All-Conference Teams

Award Inaugural Year
First Team 1961–62
Second Team 1961–62
Third Team 2005–06
Rookie Team 1987–88
All-Tournament Team 1962*

Individual Awards

Award Inaugural Year
Player of the Year 1961–62
Rookie of the Year 1961–62
Tim Taylor Award 1986–87
Best Defensive Defenseman 1961–62*
Best Defensive Forward 1992–93
Ken Dryden Award 1995–96
Student-Athlete of the Year 2006–07
Most Outstanding Player in Tournament 1962

NCAA Records

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 timeline of ECACH history, ECACHockey.com
  2. ↑ "History of ECAC Hockey". College Hockey Historical Archives. Archived from the original on January 29, 2013. Retrieved January 29, 2013.
  3. ↑ About Hockey East
  4. ↑ "Women's Season Summaries" (PDF). ECAC Hockey. Archived from the original on January 27, 2013. Retrieved January 27, 2013.
  5. ↑
  6. ↑ Brown's website characterizes it as "the Baptist answer to Congregationalist Yale and Harvard; Presbyterian Princeton; and Episcopalian Penn and Columbia," but adds that at the time it was "the only one that welcomed students of all religious persuasions." Brown's charter stated that "into this liberal and catholic institution shall never be admitted any religious tests, but on the contrary, all the members hereof shall forever enjoy full, free, absolute, and uninterrupted liberty of conscience." The charter called for twenty-two of the thirty-six trustees to be Baptists, but required that the remainder be "five Friends, four Congregationalists, and five Episcopalians"
  7. ↑ facts about Brown University
  8. ↑ Colgate University: History & Traditions accessed 04-22-2008
  9. ↑ Cornell facts sheet
  10. ↑ Dartmouth enrollment data sheet
  11. ↑ Harvard at a glance
  12. ↑ http://www.princeton.edu/~oktour/virtualtour/Stop05.htm Princeton online campus tour
  13. ↑ Princeton University profile
  14. ↑ Yale University factsheet
  15. ↑ "Gostisbehere, Bodie, Carr earn spots on ECAC Hockey All-League Teams". Union Athletics. 2013-03-21. Retrieved 2013-08-01.
  16. ↑ "ECAC Hockey Awards". College hockey Historical Archive. Retrieved 2013-08-01.
  17. ↑ "All-Tournament Honors" (PDF). ECAC Hockey. Retrieved 2014-05-12.
  18. ↑ St. Lawrence University: Men's Hockey
  19. ↑ College Hockey News :: Longest Games
  20. ↑ :: Game is longest ever in college hockey
  21. ↑ http://www.uscho.com/stats/longest-games/
  22. ↑ NCAA Men's Division I Ice Hockey History

External links

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