Boston is a vibrant hub for college ice hockey, boasting several competitive teams that participate in the NCAA's Division I. These teams not only contribute to the local sports scene but also play a significant role in the Hockey East Association.
The Hockey East Association, also known as Hockey East, is a college ice hockey conference which operates entirely in New England. Hockey East membership began in 2017-18.
At College Factual, we're committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our Best Colleges for Division I Men's Ice Hockey in Massachusetts ranking.
Our analysis looked at 10 schools in Massachusetts to determine which ones were the best for D1 Men's Ice Hockey athletes in Massachusetts. Thus, in order to rank well, the school must offer a quality education in addition to having a great sports team.
Here’s a look at some of the top college hockey programs in Boston:
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Top College Hockey Programs in Boston
- Boston College
Our analysis found Boston College to be the best school for D1 Men’s Ice Hockey athletes in Massachusetts in this year’s ranking. The D1 Men’s Ice Hockey team at Boston College brought home $2,592,474 in revenue in a single year. With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
- Boston University
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Boston University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Colleges for D1 Men’s Ice Hockey athletes in Massachusetts list. The D1 Men’s Ice Hockey team at Boston U brought home $3,714,736 in revenue in a single year. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. Boston U excels when it comes to quality.
- Harvard University
The excellent sports programs at Harvard University helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best schools for D1 Men’s Ice Hockey athletes in Massachusetts. The D1 Men’s Ice Hockey team at Harvard brought home $1,374,610 in revenue in a single year. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, those pursuing a bachelor’s degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
- Northeastern University
The excellent sports programs at Northeastern University helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best schools for D1 Men’s Ice Hockey athletes in Massachusetts. Northeastern is a private not-for-profit institution located in Boston, Massachusetts. The D1 Men’s Ice Hockey team at Northeastern brought home $3,604,554 in revenue in a single year.
Out of the 10 schools in Massachusetts that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Massachusetts - Lowell landed the #5 spot on the list.
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College of the Holy Cross came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Division I Men’s Ice Hockey in Massachusetts ranking. The D1 Men’s Ice Hockey team at Holy Cross brought home $2,548,354 in revenue in a single year. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. Holy Cross also claimed a spot on our overall quality list.
Bentley University did quite well in the 2023 Best Colleges for Division I Men’s Ice Hockey in Massachusetts ranking, coming in at #7. Bentley is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Waltham, Massachusetts. Bentley brought in $2,463,129 while tallying up $2,198,864 in expenses for its D1 Men’s Ice Hockey team. Happily, this means that the team turned a profit of $264,265. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. Bentley excels when it comes to quality.
Merrimack College landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division I Men’s Ice Hockey in Massachusetts ranking. On the financial side of things, the D1 Men’s Ice Hockey team at Merrimack made $2,472,657 in revenue.
University of Massachusetts Amherst ranked #9 on this year’s Best Colleges for Division I Men’s Ice Hockey in Massachusetts list. On the financial side of things, the D1 Men’s Ice Hockey team at UMass Amherst made $3,724,523 in revenue.
American International College came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Division I Men’s Ice Hockey in Massachusetts ranking. AIC is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Springfield, Massachusetts. Speaking financially, the D1 Men’s Ice Hockey team at AIC took home $1,891,989 in revenue.
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The Beanpot Tournament
One of the most anticipated events in Boston college hockey is the annual Beanpot Tournament. This tournament features Boston College, Boston University, Harvard University, and Northeastern University. Note: Northeastern defeated Boston University in the 2020 Beanpot championship in double overtime. However, due to NCAA rules about non-postseason games, the match is officially recorded as a tie.
TD Garden
Hockey East Championship
The Hockey East Championship Game has been held in Boston since 1987. The semifinal and final games are held on consecutive nights in mid-March at TD Garden. The quarterfinal round takes place the previous weekend. The top eight teams in the league advance to the quarterfinal round, which is a best 2-out-of-3 series with all games played at the higher seed's rink.
The Hockey East Championship was held in Boston from its inception in 2003 until 2007. The event was held at Northeastern's Matthews Arena in 2003 and 2004 before moving to BU's Walter Brown Arena in 2005. The tournament returned to Matthews Arena in 2006, was held at UNH's Whittemore Center in 2007, and at UConn's Mark Edward Freitas Ice Forum in 2008. The tournament went back to UNH in 2009, Providence in 2010, and the last campus to host was Boston University in 2011.
Rivalries
The previously existing rivalry between Boston College and Notre Dame, the Holy War on Ice, became a conference matchup with Notre Dame's arrival in Hockey East. The two are rivals in other sports as well, as both are members of the Atlantic Coast Conference for most sports (though Notre Dame's football team remains independent, they play BC in that sport on a regular basis). Maine also has a rivalry with New Hampshire, often called "The Border War".
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Hockey East Awards
At the conclusion of each regular season schedule the coaches of each Hockey East team vote which players they choose to be on the three All-Conference Teams:[14] first team, second team and rookie team (except for 1985-86 when no rookie team was selected). Additionally they vote to award up to 6 individual trophies to an eligible player at the same time. Hockey East also awards a Conference Tournament Most Valuable Player and names a tournament all-star team, which are voted on at the conclusion of the conference tournament. The award for the top HEA player each year is the Cammi Granato Award, awarded since 2009.
Silvio O. William D. Albert L.
Conference Point System
Beginning in 2020-21, the Hockey Commissioners Association agreed all leagues that utilize shootouts will use the same system point system to calculate standings after the NCAA mandated 3-on-3 overtime for all games. All conference games are worth three points. While nearly every Division I college conference now uses shootouts to break ties after overtime is played, the NCAA uses W-L-T for record keeping and does not recognize shootout "wins" as wins. A game is considered a "tie" for both team and coach historical records after overtime ends without a goal scored. Shootouts are used only to determine points in league standings. For this reason, records will continue to be displayed as W-L-T with OW-OL-SW following to display total point calculations.