Stonehill (Mass.) College will add women’s hockey as its 23rd varsity program and has accepted an invitation to compete in the New England Women’s Hockey Alliance for the 2021-22 academic year. The announcement was made by Stonehill president Fr. John Denning, NEWHA commissioner Robert M. DeGregorio Jr., Stonehill director of athletics Dean O’Keefe and vice...
Stonehill (Mass.) College will add women’s hockey as its 23rd varsity program and has accepted an invitation to compete in the New England Women’s Hockey Alliance for the 2021-22 academic year.
The announcement was made by Stonehill president Fr. John Denning, NEWHA commissioner Robert M. DeGregorio Jr., Stonehill director of athletics Dean O’Keefe and vice president for student affairs Pauline Dobrowski.
The NEWHA is composed of NCAA Division 1 and 2 institutions in the Northeast. Stonehill will become the seventh member of the NEWHA, joining Franklin Pierce University, Long Island University, Post University, Sacred Heart University, Saint Anselm College and Saint Michael’s College.
The NEWHA will be eligible for a bid to the NCAA National Collegiate Championship starting in 2022.
Stonehill will begin a search for the program’s first head coach immediately to start preparations for the program’s first season of varsity competition in 2021-22. The program will train and compete at Bridgewater Ice Arena, a dual ice surface facility located in Bridgewater, Mass.
“This is an exciting day for Stonehill College as we officially begin preparing for the Skyhawks to take the ice in the fall of 2021, and we are eager to join our fellow NEWHA members and compete at the highest level of women’s collegiate ice hockey,” said O’Keefe.
Local officials get int’l assignments
USA Hockey announced that 28 American officials have been selected to serve as referees or linesmen for IIHF world championships in 2019-20, in addition to the 2020 Youth Olympic Games.
Kevin Briganti (Newington, Conn.) was chosen to work the World Men’s D-1 Championship in Katowice, Poland. Nicholas Briganti (Newington, Conn.) was tabbed for the U-18 Men’s World Championship in Plymouth, Mich.
Chelsea Rapin (Essex Junction, Vt.) will officiate the Women’s World Championship in Halifax, Canada. Jennifer Cameron (Northboro, Mass.) was picked to work the women’s worlds D-1 Group B in Katowice, Poland. Kelly Cooke (Brighton, Mass.) will work the U-18 women’s worlds in Bratislava, Slovakia.
