NEWS

There has been little to no debate over the last 22 seasons, since the Super East Collegiate Hockey League was founded, of what league featured the strongest competition each year in the Northeast Region. For the 7th time in the last 8 seasons, the SECHL is sending 3 or more teams to the national tournament in Columbus, Ohio in two weeks. William Paterson University and New York University earned their path to Columbus by receiving the automatic bid after incredible regular seasons ranked #1 and #2 respectively. The University of New Hampshire and Rensselear Polytechnic Institute each had the opportunity to play their way through the regional tournament over the weekend to try to earn one or both remaining spots that were up for grabs.

UNH opened the regional tournament against #11 ranked Sacred Heart. In blowout fashion, the Wildcats cruised to an 8-2 victory and would have to wait to see game results from the remaining games on Saturday to figure out who they would face on Sunday. RPI squared off against #6 ranked UMass Amherst. In a tightly contested game, RPI shut out the Minutemen 3-0 and set the stage for a UNH versus RPU matchup with the winner headed to Columbus.

Early on the Wildcats looked to be on their heels from the physical play of the Engineers. RPI struck first on a contested goal which could have been ruled goaltender interference, but the officials conferred and the call on the ice stood as a good goal. UNH would continue to press and outshoot RPI throughout the contest, but the Engineers battled for every inch of ice and hung onto the lead throughout the game. The Engineers would take a 2-0 lead into the first intermission. The Wildcats would strike in the second period to close the gap to 1 goal heading into the third period. RPI would score early in the third period to take a 3-1 lead and then again with just about 5 minutes remaining to take a 4-1 lead. UNH would pull the goaltender in a last ditch effort, but RPI would also hit the empty cage to seal the game 5-1. The Engineers have earned their first ever trip to the national tournament.

What is most impressive about the amount of teams headed to the tournament from the SECHL is the frequency in which the league has been represented over the last decade. Out of a possible 40 Northeast Region representatives in the last 10 years, the SECHL has accounted for 27. The league in general accounts for about half of the top 12 teams annually. With NYU moving up to the DI level next season there will surely be a void in the league. However, Sacred Heart will be coming in next season to replace the vacancy which will add another top team to the fold for years to come.

We wish nothing but the best to all three SECHL teams competing at Nationals. We will have updates published after each game as they come in.