The Saint Anselm College men’s and women’s golf and men’s and women’s ice hockey programs have been announced as affiliate members of the Little East Conference (LEC), beginning with the 2027-28 academic year, Commissioner Albert D. Bean, Jr. announced on Tuesday morning.
"As Saint Anselm College embraces the opportunities of Division III, we are committed to ensuring that every one of our student athletes has the opportunity to compete, grow, and excel within a strong conference community," said Dr. Michael Lewis, President of Saint Anselm College. "We are delighted to join the Little East Conference as a partner in that journey for our ice hockey and golf programs. We look forward to building a meaningful relationship with the LEC and to watching our student-athletes carry the proud tradition of Saint Anselm forward with excellence, character, and distinction."
“We are thrilled to join the Little East Conference as an affiliate member in men’s and women’s golf and men’s and women’s ice hockey,” said Saint Anselm Director of Athletics Phil Rowe. “The LEC provides an excellent competitive home for these four programs as we transition to NCAA Division III. We look forward to building relationships throughout the conference and providing our student-athletes with meaningful and rewarding championship experiences. We are grateful to Commissioner Bean, the Presidents Council, the Directors of Athletics and the entire LEC membership for welcoming Saint Anselm.”
Saint Anselm will begin its transition from NCAA Division II to Division III in the same 2027-28 academic year and will join the New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) as its primary conference. The golf and ice hockey programs will compete in the LEC with all programs becoming eligible for DIII championships in 2029-30 following a successful completion of the NCAA’s reclassification process.
“We’re excited to welcome Saint Anselm College to the Little East Conference as an affiliate member in men’s and women’s ice hockey, and men’s and women’s golf,” said Bean. “Saint Anselm has a strong tradition of success across its athletic programs, and we’re confident the Hawks will bring a high level of competition to the LEC in each of these four sports. We look forward to building a strong and successful partnership as we move forward together.”
The modern-day men’s golf program has been competing since the 1961-62 academic year and practices and competes at Candia Woods Golf Links in Candia. Saint Anselm has captured two Northeast 10 Conference (NE10) titles (1983, 1997) and posted three runner-up finishes (1985, 1987, 2006). The program qualified for three berths into the NCAA Tournament in four years, making appearances in 2022, 2024, and 2025 with individual qualifiers in 2023 and 2026.
The women’s golf team was added as a varsity sport offering in 2021, competing for the first time in the 2022-23 season. The Hawks practice and host tournaments at Derryfield Country Club in Manchester. The squad posted a fourth-place finish in the 2025-26 NE10 championship. In only four years of competition, the Hawks have landed two all-conference selections, including an All-NE10 First Team pick in 2023-24.
The men’s ice hockey program has a proud history dating back to the 1969-70 season when the Hawks played their inaugural varsity season. The Hawks qualified for seven ECAC Division II Tournaments from 1972-73 to 1996-97 before a dominant run in the NE10. From the 1999-00 season to present, the Hawks have made 20 finals appearances with 11 championships to their credit, the most in league history. The team has produced multiple major award winners over nearly six decades, including Hubie McDonough '86 garnering the College Division Hobey Baker Memorial Award, Tucker Mullin '13 earning the Hockey Humanitarian Award, Coleman Noonan '11 claiming the Joe Concannon Award, and Mike Dumas '88 being named the ECAC Award of Valor recipient.
The women’s ice hockey team began play in 2004-05 and quickly established itself as a premier program in the region, winning the ECAC Open title in its inaugural season competing against DII and DIII institutions. After joining the New England Women’s Hockey Alliance (NEWHA) in 2017-18 as a founding member, competing against DI and DII institutions, the Hawks won the championship in their second season in the league and have made six championship game appearances. In all, the Hawks have captured eight conference championships with 21 postseason tournament appearances to their credit, with an all-time record of 410-172-40 (.691). Amanda Conger ’20 was named the Hockey Humanitarian Award winner while three players in program history have been named finalists for the Laura Hurd Award for National College Player of the Year.
Both ice hockey programs practice and play on campus at the Thomas F. Sullivan Arena, which opened in August 2003.
The addition of these four Saint Anselm programs increases the membership of the LEC in men's ice hockey and women's golf to 10, women's ice hockey to eight, and men's golf to six.