The Little East Conference has announced that the Norwich women’s hockey program will join the league as affiliate member for the LEC’s inaugural season in 2025-26.
The addition of the Cadets increases the LEC’s future women’s hockey membership to eight schools.
“On behalf of the Little East Conference presidents and athletic directors, I am pleased to welcome Norwich University women’s ice hockey as an affiliate member for our inaugural season,” said LEC commissioner Pamela Samuelson in a statement. “Their addition will allow for the continuation of established New England Hockey Conference rivalries without interruption and enhances the profile of what we expect will be a highly competitive sport for the LEC.”
“We are excited to expand our relationship with the Little East Conference by adding our women’s ice hockey program for the LEC’s inaugural season,” added Norwich director of athletics Ed Hockenbury. “We are very happy to have found a home for both our men’s and women’s programs for years to come. The creation of Little East women’s ice hockey is an exciting development for Division III and is a natural fit for Norwich. It provides us an ideal geographic location, continues some of our long-standing traditional rivalries, and generates some compelling new matchups in a league that will be highly competitive. We are very proud of our history of success in women’s hockey and look forward to contributing to the LEC getting off to a great start. I would like to thank Pam Samuelson, as well as the LEC chancellors, presidents and athletic directors for welcoming us to the Little East.”
Samuelson announced in February the LEC would begin sponsoring women’s hockey in 2025-26 with a combination of primary and affiliate programs, comprised of current women’s hockey playing members UMass Boston, Plymouth State, Southern Maine and Vermont State Castleton, in addition to a new varsity program at Keene State and New England College as an affiliate member. Western Connecticut State has since announced the addition of women’s hockey that will begin competing in the LEC in 2026-27.
The addition of men’s and women’s hockey in 2025-26 will increase the LEC’s championship sponsorship to 23 sports, making the Little East the second-largest Division III conference in New England by championship offerings.
