Rivier Ice Hockey Finds a Home with MASCAC
NASHUA, NH: The Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) announced this afternoon that Rivier University will be an affiliate member for men’s ice hockey.
Rivier men’s ice hockey will begin their conference affiliation during the 2024-25 season, with the women’s program also provisionally added. At the moment, the MASCAC does not host women’s ice hockey but looks to add it in the near future. The addition of Rivier, Anna Maria, and newly formed MCLA hockey programs gives the MASCAC five institutions that host varsity women’s hockey, one core institution short of getting an AQ. In creating a new conference sport, there needs to be four core members for a total of six teams.
“The MASCAC is thrilled to welcome Anna Maria College and Rivier University to the conference,” Commissioner Angela Baumann said. “The addition of these institutions secures the future of MASCAC men’s ice hockey while addressing some scheduling logistics and sets the pathway for additional opportunities. Partnering as affiliates with these two institutions in our geographic footprint advances the MASCAC membership towards reaching a strategic goal of increasing the number of sports in the league with the addition of women’s ice hockey. I look forward to working with both institutions, their administrations and providing outstanding student-athlete opportunities.”
The Raiders men’s team will join and compete against Fitchburg, Salem, Worcester, UMass Dartmouth, Westfield, Framingham, and Anna Maria. On the women’s side, they will join MCLA, Salem, Worcester, and Anna Maria.
“The Rivier University Department of Athletics is thrilled to align with the MASCAC for men’s and women’s ice hockey,” Rivier Director of Athletics Jonathan Harper said. “As we enter our third year sponsoring hockey, we look forward to quality competition while affording our student-athletes with the opportunity to contend for a conference championship. I would like to thank Sister Paula Marie Buley for her support and leadership through this process, along with Commissioner Angela Baumann, who worked diligently with the MASCAC Presidents and Directors of Athletics to make this partnership a reality. This opportunity is a tremendous enhancement for the Rivier Hockey student-athlete experience!”
The Rivier hockey programs are independent and are not playing for a chance at a championship. This opportunity will allow the programs to grow while competing in a competitive conference. After two seasons, the men’s hockey team saw improvement in year two, sporting an 8-15-2 record, with a 13-31-4 overall record in its young history. The women’s team also saw significant improvement this season, playing in more competitive games, finishing with a 6-15-3 record and an overall record of 7-29-6.
To view the full MASCAC release, click HERE:
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