2016-17 NEHC Women's Season

This is the 2016-17 New England Hockey Conference Women's hockey season.

Membership Changes

 * none for 2016-17 but, the conference has decided to go to a Divison III only format for the 2017-18 season and has not renewed the contract of the St. Anselm Hawks to play in the conference.
 * On July 5, 2016 the Nichols Bison announced they were joining the Colonial Hockey Conference for the 2017-18 season
 * In late October 2016 the Holy Cross Crusaders announced that they were elevating the women's program to Division I status with a conference affiliation to be announced in either December or January.  This move was in motion prior to the NEHC's D-III only plans as the men's program was rumored to be eventually replacing Notre Dame in Hockey East which is leaving the conference for the Big Ten Conference for 2017-18 season.
 * Franklin Pierce Ravens and St. Michael's Purple Knights are also affected by the decision.  Both schools would join the Division I-II New England Women's Hockey Alliance as full Division II members
 * In October it was announced that the Manhattanville Valiants would be joining the United Collegiate Hockey Conference for 2017-18.
 * On January 25, 2017, the conference announced that the Johnson and Wales Wildcats, Suffolk Rams, and Salem State Vikings would be joining the conference for the 2018-19 season.  The men's teams from Johnson and Wales as well as Suffolk would be joining the conference as well

NEHC Women's Open Tournament
The four non-D-III teams and D-III Independent Sacred Heart Pioneers were invited to participate in a tournament sponsored by the conference. The play-in game will be held February 22nd at the higher seeded team  The tournament semifinals and final are being hosted by Sacred Heart and the team was given a bye to the semifinals. Sacred Heart was seeded # 4 with Franklin Pierce seeded # 3; which would have normally placed Sacred Heart in the play-in game. The top seed plays the lowest seeded remaining team in the semifinals and Holy Cross plays the other remaining team in the semifinals.

Play-In Game

 * Franklin Pierce Ravens defeated St. Michael's Purple Knights 3-1

Semifinals

 * Saint Anselm Hawks vs Sacred Heart Pioneers 5-0
 * Holy Cross Crusaders defeated Franklin Pierce Ravens 3-0

Final

 * Saint Anselm Hawks defeated Holy Cross Crusaders 3-2 (ot)

Format

 * Holy Cross is ineligible for the conference tournament as the school is Division I in all other sports
 * St. Anselm Hawks and St. Michael's Purple Knights are ineligible for the conference tournament as the school is Division II in all other sports.
 * The top 8 teams out of the remaining 11 qualify for the conference tournament.  The top seed plays the number 8 seed, number 2 plays number 7, number 3 plays number 6 and number 4 plays number 5 in the quarterfinals on February 27th.  The highest seeded semifinal winner host the semifinal and final rounds on March 4th and 5th.  The highest quarterfinal winner host the lowest seeded quarterfinals winner and the 2nd highest seeded quarterfinal winner is the "home" team against the 3rd seeded quarterfinal winner.  The semifinal winners meet on March 5th for the conference championship and the conference's automatic bid to the 2017 NCAA Division III Women's Ice Hockey Tournament.

Quarterfinals

 * Norwich defeated Plymouth State 5-0
 * Manhattanville defeated Southern Maine 6-2
 * Mass-Boston defeated Salve Regina 3-1
 * University of New England defeated Castleton 3-2

Semifinals

 * Norwich defeated University of New England 4-2
 * Manhattanville defeated Mass-Boston 4-2

Final

 * Norwich defeated Manhattanville 5-0