Stonehill to Add Women’s Ice Hockey; Accepts Invitation to Join NEWHA

EASTON, Mass. (December 9, 2019) – Stonehill College will add women's ice hockey as its 23rd varsity athletic program and has accepted an invitation to compete in the New England Women's Hockey Alliance (NEWHA) when it commences competition for the 2021-22 academic year. The announcement was made today by Stonehill president Fr. John Denning, CSC, NEWHA commissioner Robert M. DeGregorio, Jr., Stonehill director of athletics Dean O'Keefe, '94 and vice president for student affairs Pauline Dobrowski inside the Sally Blair Ames Sports Complex.

"The addition of women's ice hockey will provide another compelling opportunity for student-athletes to pursue their passion through athletics and scholarship at the College," said Denning, who serves on the NCAA Division II Presidents' Council. "We are pleased to join the NEWHA and look forward to introducing Stonehill and our mission to a new audience."

With the announcement, Stonehill has also accepted an invitation to compete as a member of the NCAA National Collegiate New England Women's Hockey Alliance that is comprised of NCAA Division I and II institutions in the Northeast. Stonehill will become the seventh member of the NEWHA, and its first in the college hockey-rich Commonwealth of Massachusetts in 2021-22, joining Franklin Pierce University, Long Island University, Post University, Sacred Heart University, Saint Anselm College and Saint Michael's College. Per NCAA guidelines, the women's ice hockey National Collegiate Championship is a combined championship opportunity open to all Division I and Division II programs that sponsor the sport. The NEWHA will be eligible for a bid to the NCAA National Collegiate Championship starting in 2022.

"We were excited to hear Stonehill College was adding a women's hockey program and happy that the Skyhawks had targeted the New England Women's Hockey Alliance for conference membership," said DeGregorio. "This is a great day for the NEWHA and for the sport of women's ice hockey. Their launch of a women's program will enhance the competition within our league and give a roadmap for other schools looking to offer women's ice hockey."

Stonehill will begin a search for the program's first head coach immediately to start preparations for the program's first season of varsity competition in 2021-22. The program will train and compete at the Bridgewater Ice Arena, a dual ice surface facility located in Bridgewater, Massachusetts.

"This is an exciting day for Stonehill College as we officially begin preparing for the Skyhawks to take the ice in the fall of 2021, and we are eager to join our fellow NEWHA members and compete at the highest level of women's collegiate ice hockey," said O'Keefe. "The sport of ice hockey has a long and storied history in the Northeast, and we are thrilled to represent greater Boston and all of Massachusetts in the NEWHA as we look to help grow the sport of women's ice hockey."

The addition of women's ice hockey marks Stonehill's third expansion of varsity athletics programs over the last three years, and the second within the last two months, joining women's golf in 2016, which is in its third varsity season, and women's swimming, that will begin competing in the 2020-21 academic year. There are currently 41 women's ice hockey programs competing in five conferences at the National Collegiate level in the NCAA. The 2020 National Collegiate Women's Ice Hockey Championship Frozen Four will be hosted by Boston University at Agganis Arena, March 20-22.

Prospective student-athletes and currently enrolled Stonehill students interested in competing as a member of the Stonehill women's ice hockey program can contact Stonehill Athletics at athletics@stonehill.edu for further information.

 What Others Are Saying:

Pat Kelleher, USA Hockey Executive Director

"It's outstanding to see Stonehill adding women's hockey. As girls hockey continues to grow across the country, having additional opportunities for players to compete at the collegiate level is a real positive. We look forward to the great things to come and seeing the Skyhawks in the Frozen Four in the not too distant future."

Joe Bertagna, American Hockey Coaches Association Executive Director

"This is a great development not only for Stonehill and the NEWHA, but also for women's college hockey in general. I look forward to seeing this program grow quickly and add to the hockey tradition that the men's program established at Stonehill so many years ago."

Kevin Westgarth, National Hockey League Vice President, Hockey Development & Strategic Collaboration

"The NHL is excited that Stonehill College is adding women's varsity hockey to its slate of 22 athletic programs. We have been proud to aid and support the establishment of the NEWHA, and this addition to the conference tells the story of strength and growth in women's college hockey. Stonehill's new program will not only provide more opportunities for elite hockey players, but also provide great role models for young girls and boys who become fans of the team and our game."

Rachel Burleson, Franklin Pierce University Director of Athletics, NEWHA Executive Committee

"I'm excited to see another fellow Northeast-10 Conference member take the step of adding women's ice hockey. One of our goals in forming the New England Women's Hockey Alliance was to help to promote future expansion of one of the fastest-growing collegiate sports. It is encouraging to see that investment begin to pay off so quickly."

Katey Stone, 2014 US Olympic Women's Ice Hockey Team and Harvard University Head Coach

"We're thrilled to see Stonehill College adding women's hockey. It's great for our sport and it's great for the players that are going to be wearing that Stonehill jersey. We wish them nothing but the best."

Kerstin Matthews, Saint Anselm College Women's Ice Hockey Head Coach

"Stonehill's announcement to add women's ice hockey and join the New England Women's Hockey Alliance is very impactful. The NEWHA was recently created as a new Division I league, which is very important to the growth of our sport. In such a short time, to have a great academic institution such as Stonehill see the value in adding women's ice hockey helps the sport tremendously. The entire women's ice hockey community should celebrate these collegiate opportunities for young women to play the game, and we hope Stonehill's announcement will inspire other institutions to follow suit. As a member of the NEWHA, I am excited for the growth and support all the administrators have put into positioning our league to compete amongst the Division I landscape."

Katie Crowley, Boston College Women's Ice Hockey Head Coach & 1998 Olympic Gold Medalist

"As the sport of women's hockey continues to grow, it's so exciting to see the addition of a program at Stonehill. The opportunities that this will provide will do great things for the growth of sport not only locally within New England but also nationally."

With 23 intercollegiate sports, Stonehill boasts one of the top athletic and academic programs in the country. Stonehill has won the Northeast-10 Conference Presidents' Cup five times, all coming within the last 14 years. The Skyhawks have received the NCAA Division II Presidents' Award for Academic Achievement each of the first nine years of the program's existence of honoring institutions with an Academic Success Rate (ASR) of 90-percent or better. Stonehill has earned a 95% Academic Success Ranking (ASR) by the NCAA, which considers the academic success rate of the institution based on the graduation rate of student-athletes, good for tenth among all NCAA Division II institutions, with nine Skyhawk teams receiving a perfect rating of 100%. Stonehill won five NE10 Championships during the 2018-19 academic year, with nine programs earning NCAA Division II Championship bids and the equestrian program capturing its tenth Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA) Zone 1, Region 4 championship.

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