Confirming a story USCHO reported in August, the nation’s fifth Division I hockey conference was officially born Thursday as the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference announced the formation of an eight-team league to begin play in 1998-99.
The new league includes Quinnipiac, Fairfield, Connecticut, Sacred Heart, Holy Cross, Iona, Canisius and American International, all northeastern schools currently competing in leagues sponsored by the ECAC.
Several additional schools have expressed interest in joining the new league.
The MAAC anticipates having a 28-game conference schedule, with each team playing every conference opponent twice at home and twice on the road. The league’s playoffs are expected to include all eight teams.
