BEVERLY, Mass. — The Conference of New England (CNE) is thrilled to announce it will add Salve Regina as an associate member in both Men’s and Women’s Hockey beginning in the winter of 2026-27. The addition of the Seahawks will bring the men’s hockey membership to 10 teams, while women’s hockey will officially be at nine teams.
"Salve Regina University is a critical part of the New England hockey landscape that offers two established programs with a proven history of competing at a high level both regionally and nationally,” said CNE Commissioner Patrick Colbert. “It was important that the CNE strategically position itself to be the right fit for them competitively and philosophically. It is clear that their leadership has a strategic vision for these programs, and providing them with the right conference affiliation was an intentional and diligent effort.”
The Seahawks were previously in the CNE as full members through the end of 2022-23, and continued their membership in men’s and women’s ice hockey through the end of the 2023-24 year prior to joining the now defunct New England Hockey Conference (NEHC). In 2024-25, the Seahawks went 12-11-3 overall with a 10-10-0 mark on the men’s side, while on women’s side went 17-10-0 overall with a 14-4-0 record in NEHC play.
“We are very grateful to the CNE for this membership and look forward to reuniting with our former colleagues on the ice,” said President Kelli Armstrong. “Our hockey community is deeply valued at Salve and our athletes contribute in such important ways to our mission.”
Suffolk University President and Chair of the Board of Directors Marisa Kelly said, “On behalf of all CNE presidents and institutions, we are excited to welcome Salve ice hockey back to the conference.”
Colbert added, “As one of the premier hockey conferences in the country, we are honored to welcome the Seahawks programs along with their dedicated alumni and fan base that will bring an exciting environment to CNE hockey moving forward.”
ABOUT THE CONFERENCE OF NEW ENGLAND
Originally founded in 1984 as the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC), and reconstituted as the Conference of New England (CNE) in 2024, the CNE is an NCAA Division III athletic conference composed of 11 full member and five associate member institutions throughout the New England region. Its membership aims to provide student-athletes with a positive experience in their pursuit of excellence through high academic standards, quality competition and a meaningful student life. The Conference administers championships in 21 intercollegiate sports.