Irish are moving to Hockey East
Posted: Oct 5, 2011 10:03 PM EST | Updated: Nov 6, 2014 11:58 AM EST
NOTRE DAME – The Notre Dame Hockey Team already has their pucks packed to move into their new home at the Compton Family Ice Center in just a few weeks, but on Wednesday the university announced the Irish are also making a move to the Hockey East Conference.
"It is my distinct pleasure to formally announce the University of Notre Dame will become our 11th member institution, commencing with 2013-2014 season,” said Hockey East Commissioner Joe Bertagna
The Irish will move from the Central Collegiate Hockey Association to the Hockey East in the 2013-2014 season.
The member schools of the Hockey East had to vote Notre Dame in. Bertagna said on Wednesday that the Irish’s performance against a few of the Hockey East teams on the way to the Frozen Four last season sparked some interest in working with and not against them.
"It has been suggested the seeds of this day stem from the regional’s when we decided if we couldn’t beat them join them,” said Bertagna.
Notre Dame said it weighed three different options when considering joining a conference: independence, the newly formed National Conference, and the Hockey East.
Notre Dame Head Coach Jeff Jackson said this will do great things for the Irish program. "The thing it's going to do for us is allow our program to go more national than it has been in the past,” said Jackson.
Hockey East members currently include Boston College, Boston University, University of Maine, University of Massachusetts, UMass Lowell, Merrimack College, University of New Hampshire, Northeastern University, Providence College, and the University of Vermont.
