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LEC (Little East Conference) - Keene State - Conference Realignment 2025-26

J

Jlhockey11

New member
  • The Little East Conference will conduct its first season in 25/26.
  • The Keene State College Owls will also be suiting up a year prior in 24/25.
  • The Owls will join "UMass Boston, UMass Dartmouth, Plymouth State University, University of Southern Maine and Vermont State University Castleton".
  • For the 2026 NCAA Division III Championship Tournament, LEC will have an automatic berth.
Full Press Release
https://littleeast.com/news/2023/7/2...hip-sport.aspx
 
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Would this mean that there would only be 3 at large bids available starting in 2026? Or would the MASCAC shrink to the point of losing its AQ?
 
Tom Coughlin said:
Would this mean that there would only be 3 at large bids available starting in 2026? Or would the MASCAC shrink to the point of losing its AQ?
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MASCAC currently has 7 teams and looks like they are losing 2 to this new LEC conference. But, I think they are getting 2 new schools (Rivier and Anna Maria?)
 
Play each conference member 4x for a 20 game conference schedule?

Now waiting for the MAC to flex its muscles.
 
I would think Utica is going d1. Utica, Stonehill, LIU, University of Binghamton, St. ANSLEM, and they need 1 more to form a 6 team D1 league.

if that happens I believe we will MAC hockey start which leaves Wilkes, Neumann, Naz, Chatham, and Manhattanville out. I could see MAC absorbing in Wilkes and Neumann based off of their location.

Schools like Skidmore, Hobart, Elmira, Manhattanville, Naz, and Albertus could all form a conference.

Or the GNAC could be coming as well there has been rumors of St. Joesph of Maine starting hockey. GNAC is Albertus Rivier Norwich JWU NEC could start which leaves the mascac 1 short of the AQ.

Could we see Babson make a move to the nescac if this all happens?

where does salve end up?

what happens to Chatham who is literally on an island when it comes to d3 hockey?
 
Dolphin1717 said:
Schools like Skidmore, Hobart, Elmira, Manhattanville, Naz, and Albertus could all form a conference.
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I don't see Hobart and Elmira leaving the NEHC. There is absolutely no reason for them to do that after they made the effort to join in the first place, leaving a better geographical fit for the competitiveness of the NEHC.
 
Tom Coughlin said:
Would this mean that there would only be 3 at large bids available starting in 2026? Or would the MASCAC shrink to the point of losing its AQ?
Click to expand...

One would HOPE for the NCAA Tournament to expand to 16 teams by that point! Just a quick wiki search of all the D3 teams (about 84) and D1 teams (roughly 64), and you'll start to wonder why D3 hasn't already done so. by 2026 there could be almost 90 D3 schools, give these kids some extra games and make the tournament field the same as D1's with 16 teams.
 
Jlhockey11 said:
One would HOPE for the NCAA Tournament to expand to 16 teams by that point! Just a quick wiki search of all the D3 teams (about 84) and D1 teams (roughly 64), and you'll start to wonder why D3 hasn't already done so. by 2026 there could be almost 90 D3 schools, give these kids some extra games and make the tournament field the same as D1's with 16 teams.
Click to expand...

The D3 tournament field size is set based on a specific % of overall teams. I can't recall the exact percentage off hand, but I think it's around 15%. The only way to increase the field size is to increase the number of teams in D3.
 
Jlhockey11 said:
One would HOPE for the NCAA Tournament to expand to 16 teams by that point! Just a quick wiki search of all the D3 teams (about 84) and D1 teams (roughly 64), and you'll start to wonder why D3 hasn't already done so. by 2026 there could be almost 90 D3 schools, give these kids some extra games and make the tournament field the same as D1's with 16 teams.
Click to expand...

100% agree. It would be a shame to reduce the amount of at large bids any further. Some divisions are just too strong not to have a couple teams make it out.
 
Dolphin1717 said:
Or the GNAC could be coming as well there has been rumors of St. Joesph of Maine starting hockey. GNAC is Albertus Rivier Norwich JWU NEC could start which leaves the mascac 1 short of the AQ.
Click to expand...

Anna Maria is also a member of the GNAC so that would be 7. Norwich and Albertus DO NOT WANT THIS. they are both part of the NEHC which would be a much stronger conference top to bottom. I believe Norwich would leave the GNAC if that happened.
 
You are speaking in terms of right now. If you see MAC hockey happen I think it creates room for the New York schools to form their own private school conference.

there will be a massive shake up in the landscape in d-3. I don’t think the expansion of teams is close to being over.
 
Dolphin1717 said:
You are speaking in terms of right now. If you see MAC hockey happen I think it creates room for the New York schools to form their own private school conference.

there will be a massive shake up in the landscape in d-3. I don’t think the expansion of teams is close to being over.
Click to expand...

I'm thinking overall. There is no reason from a competitive standpoint that Hobart and Elmira will want to leave NEHC. Otherwise, why did they bother leaving UCHC in the first place? The last thing they want to do is join a conference with a bunch of new teams. That's exactly why the UCHC has such a lousy PWR.
 
Whatever happens, it seems to be 9-10 teams is the sweet spot for the d3 conferences in the East (d3 west realignment is a whole nother story). I personally don't like have 20+ conference games every year for the ccc and uchc that takes too much up of a percentage of a teams schedule. Luckily Alberton Magnus solves that problem for the ccc cause I doubt anyone wants 24 conference games in 1 regular season. Sunyac and nescac will be virtually untouched by all of this so it's up the nehc uchc mascac and ccc to figure this all out.
 
Add Assumption as pretty definite if there is a new D1 league .
SNHU is a strong maybe and St Mike’s , although having some reported financial and admissions issues , may have no choice unless they reclassify as a d3
 
hawkhockey said:
Add Assumption as pretty definite if there is a new D1 league .
SNHU is a strong maybe and St Mike’s , although having some reported financial and admissions issues , may have no choice unless they reclassify as a d3
Click to expand...
Just as likely that they just drop hockey altogether.
 
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