Stonehill College, a small private Catholic college in Easton, Mass., has become the newest member of Division I men’s hockey. Stonehill is elevating its entire athletic department to Division I and will join the Northeast Conference. The hockey program, which is currently D-II and plays in the Northeast-10, will become a Division I independent once the athletic department becomes a member of Division I.
According to sources, the program will consider building a new on-campus facility if it can find a conference affiliation. One source said an alum has already promised a sizeable donation for an on-campus rink if a league can be found.
Stonehill is elevating its program to Division I after Bryant left the NEC last week to join America East.
Lindenwood and Stonehill will become the 60th and 61st Division I programs next season. Augustana and the presumed return of Robert Morris in 2023 will make 63 Division I men’s programs.
The Stonehill program is currently led by David Borges, who has been there for eight seasons.
Stonehill will have the same five-year waiting period that Stonehill is going through before being eligible for the NCAA Tournament. The program is likely going to have a mixed schedule of D-I, D-II, and D-III opponents (similar to what Long Island has done since its launch two years ago).
Stonehill was ranked No. 14 in our D-II/D-III recruit class rankings for next season. The class is headlined by a pair of 3-star recruits in Cameron Collins and William Tripp.