SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. (April 10, 2024) – The Skidmore College men's ice hockey team will embark on a new era as an associate member of the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) beginning in 2025-26.
 
SUNYAC Commissioner Tom DiCamillo announced the addition of Skidmore College, as well as Hobart and William Smith Colleges, following approval by the SUNYAC Presidents Council meeting on April 9.
 
The 2024-25 season will be Skidmore's 27th and final as a member of the New England Hockey Conference (NEHC).   
 
"We are excited to begin competition with SUNYAC hockey for the 2025-2026 season," said Skidmore Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs and Athletics Director Gail Cummings-Danson. "Skidmore has enjoyed a competitive relationship with many of the SUNYAC hockey schools, and we look forward to strengthening those opportunities and developing a similar relationship with those that we have not yet competed against." 
 
"Being located in the same general geographic footprint as the current membership makes for a natural partnership and will preserve our commitment to competing at the highest level of Division III men's ice hockey," added Cummings-Danson.
 
The addition of Skidmore and Hobart will bring SUNYAC's men's ice hockey membership to 10: Buffalo State, SUNY Canton, SUNY Cortland, Fredonia State, Hobart, SUNY Morrisville, Oswego State, Plattsburgh State, SUNY Potsdam, and Skidmore.
 
"Hobart and William Smith, and Skidmore, bring outstanding ice hockey programs with rich histories of success in Division III to the SUNYAC," Commissioner Tom DiCamillo said. "The addition of these programs increases the strength of schedule within the conference and elevates what already is one of the premier Division III conferences in the nation."
 
Skidmore men's ice hockey has been a member of the NEHC, formerly the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) East, since 1998. From 1985 to 1998, Skidmore was a member of the ECAC South.
 
"We are incredibly thankful to Commissioner Katie Boldvich for her hard work and commitment to growing the NEHC to its elite level and making our experience so special," Skidmore Head Coach Rob Hutchison '07 said. "Though bittersweet to see the NEHC run its course, we couldn't be more excited to join the SUNYAC hockey conference. The league is packed with fantastic players and coaches and has always been a premier DIII hockey league. We are eager and grateful for the opportunity to build new relationships and build new rivalries with this group."
 
Since the start of the 2016-17 season, Skidmore is 12-4-1 (.735) against SUNYAC teams, including a 4-3 win at 2024 conference champion Cortland, a 2-2 tie against Brockport (outgoing member), and an 11-1 win over Canton (incoming member) in 2023-24.
 
The Thoroughbreds' latest seasons in the NEHC have been some of the program's strongest performances to date. In 2023-24, the team went unbeaten in its first 11 contests while climbing the national rankings to No. 9 in the USCHO Division III Men's Poll. The team has advanced to two of the past three NEHC championship games, accumulating a 51-26-6 (.651) overall record in that span. Before the move, the Thoroughbreds will have a chance to rematch their NEHC peers, including Hobart, in the upcoming 2024-25 season.
 
Following the 2023-24 season, Danny Magnuson '25 and Tate Brandon '24 became the second and third players in program history to be named American Hockey Coaches Association (AHCA) All-Americans, and Magnuson became the first player in team history to be a first team All-American.
 
"Our ice hockey team is a fantastic program, and this is an exciting opportunity for them to continue to compete at the highest level," said Skidmore President Marc Conner.
 
This news coincides with other College-wide commitments to elevating the student-athlete experience at Skidmore, including the recent unveiling of a new state of the art locker room for the men's ice hockey program, a forthcoming baseball field, and the construction of the McCaffery-Wagman Tennis and Wellness Center.
 
The SUNYAC, originally founded in 1958, offered its first men's ice hockey championship in 1978. Since then, Skidmore's anticipated travel partner Plattsburgh State has earned 24 league titles, followed by Oswego (10), Geneseo (8), Fredonia (3), Potsdam (1), and Cortland (1).
 
Skidmore College and Hobart and William Smith Colleges are founding members of the Liberty League, formerly the Upstate Collegiate Athletic Association (UCAA), and compete against each other in 16 sports in addition to ice hockey.