ESCHL
The Eastern States Collegiate Hockey League (ESCHL) is a collegiate hockey conference at the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) Division I level. The league was created in 2017 and is made up of eight teams located in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States.
| Conference | ACHA |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2007 |
| Commissioner | Dom Bellizzie |
| Sports fielded |
|
| Division | Division I |
| No. of teams | 8 |
| Headquarters | West Bloomfield, Michigan |
| Region | Northeast |
| Most recent champion(s) | Stony Brook Seawolves (5th title) |
| Most titles | Stony Brook Seawolves (5 titles) |
| Official website | Official website |
| Locations | |
As of 2022, the ESCHL consists of Liberty University, Stony Brook University, Drexel University, Syracuse University, University of Rhode Island, University of Delaware, New York University. and the University of Pittsburgh (Pitt). All schools, except for New York University, compete primarily at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level.
League teams play a 20-game league schedule consisting of 2 games against each of the other league teams. League playoffs are held in February with the top 4 teams qualifying for the playoffs. ESCHL Champions receive an automatic bid to the ACHA Men's Division I National Tournament.
Penn State University won the first two playoff championships over the University of Delaware in both 2008 and 2009. The regular season title was shared by Penn State, Delaware, and the University of Rhode Island in the 2008-2009 with each team finishing with 25 points in the standings.[1] Navy and Drexel left the conference to join the Eastern Collegiate Hockey Association and Robert Morris University joined the conference beginning in the 2010–11 season. In September 2010, prior to the start of the 2010-11 season, Penn State left the conference in 2011 during the program's transition to NCAA Division I.[2] Robert Morris left the league to join College Hockey Mid-America(CHMA) but was replaced by Rutgers in the 2012-13 season.[3] Rutgers left for NECHL in 2018.[4] Drexel joined the league from ECHA before the 2020-2021 season.[5] Niagara & Pitt joined the conference from the NECHL and CHMA for the 2022-23 season.[6]
| School | Location | Founded | Affiliation | Enrollment | Nickname | Primary conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drexel University | Philadelphia, PA | 1891 | Private | 25,595 | Dragons | CAA (D-I |
| University of Delaware | Newark, DE | 1743 | Public | 19,067 | Fightin' Blue Hens | CAA (D-I) |
| New York University | New York City, NY | 1831 | Private | 50,027 | Violets | UAA (D-III) |
| Niagara University | Lewiston, NY | 1856 | Private | 6,579 | Purple Eagles | MAAC (D-I) |
| University of Pittsburgh | Pittsburgh, PA | 1787 | State-related | 50,027[citation needed] | Panthers | ACC (D-I) |
| University of Rhode Island | Kingston, RI | 1892 | Public | 19,095 | Rams | A-10 (D-I) |
| Stony Brook University | Stony Brook, NY | 1957 | Public | 26,782 | Seawolves | CAA (D-I) |
| Syracuse University | Syracuse, NY | 1870 | Private | 21,267 | Orange | ACC (D-I) |
- Navy - 2007–2010, now in ECHA
- Scranton - 2007–2008, now in ACHA Men's Division II, CSCHC
- Penn State - 2007–2011, now NCAA Division I
- Robert Morris - 2010–2012, now in CHMA
- Rutgers - 2012–2018, now in NECHL
- Liberty - now ACHA Division I Independent
| School | Hockey Arena | Location | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delaware | Fred Rust Ice Arena | Newark, DE | 2,500 |
| Drexel | Class of 1923 Arena | Philadelphia, PA | 2,500 |
| Liberty | LaHaye Ice Center | Lynchburg, VA | 4,000 |
| New York | Chelsea Piers | New York, NY | 800 |
| Pitt | Alpha Ice Complex | Pittsburgh, PA | 1,200 |
| Rhode Island | Bradford R. Boss Arena | Kingston, RI | 2,500 |
| Stony Brook | The Rinx | Hauppauge, NY | 1,000 |
| Syracuse | Tennity Ice Skating Pavilion | Syracuse, NY | 350 |
| Year | Winner | Score | Runner-up | Arena | City |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Penn State | 8–3 | Delaware | McMullen Hockey Arena | Annapolis, Md. |
| 2009 | Penn State | 4–1 | Delaware | Penn State Ice Pavilion | University Park, Pa. |
| 2010 | Penn State | 7–5 | Rhode Island | Fred Rust Ice Arena | Newark, Del. |
| 2011 | Rhode Island | 5–4 | Delaware | Bradford R. Boss Ice Arena | Kingston, R.I. |
| 2012 | Rhode Island | 4–3 | Stony Brook | Ice Line Quad Rinks | West Chester, Pa. |
| 2013 | Stony Brook | 3–2 | Delaware | Fred Rust Ice Arena | Newark, Del. |
| 2014 | Stony Brook | 5–4 | Delaware | The Rinx | Hauppauge, N.Y. |
| 2015 | Stony Brook | 5–4 (OT) | Delaware | Middletown Sports Complex | Middletown, New N.J. |
| 2016 | Stony Brook | 4–1 | Lebanon Valley | Hersheypark Arena | Hershey, Pa. |
| 2017 | Liberty | 6–1 | Stony Brook | Bradford R. Boss Ice Arena | Kingston, R.I. |
| 2018 | Liberty | 2–1 | Stony Brook | Ice Line Quad Rinks | West Chester, Pa. |
| 2019 | Syracuse | 3–2 (2OT) | Liberty | Ice Line Quad Rinks | West Chester, Pa. |
| 2020 | Liberty | 4–0 | Stony Brook | Ice Line Quad Rinks | West Chester, Pa. |
| 2022 | Stony Brook | 4–2 | Delaware | Ice Line Quad Rinks | West Chester, Pa. |
| 2023 | Pittsburgh | 8-2 | Niagara | Revolution Ice Center | Scranton, Pa. |
- Hradek, E.J. (September 17, 2010). "Penn State hockey moves to D-I". ESPN. Retrieved September 17, 2010.
- "Robert Morris to Join CHMA in 2012". Robert Morris Colonials. December 18, 2011. Archived from the original on July 14, 2012. Retrieved May 15, 2012.
- "ESCHL Adds Pitt; Expands to 8 Teams". American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA). July 31, 2022. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
- "Archived Playoff Results". eschlhockey.com. Eastern States Collegiate Hockey League. Retrieved October 7, 2014.