2019-20 NEWHA season



This is the 2019-20 New England Women's Hockey Alliance season. This is the Alliance's third season.

The six Division I & II Independents formed a scheduling alliance to give each team 20 games and a post season tournament for 2017-18. This alliance was only intended to last for one season and not become a formal conference as the Holy Cross Crusaders are joining Hockey East for the 2018-19 season. The alliance would later be named the New England Women's Hockey Alliance. But, this arrangement was extended as in October of 2017 the Anna Maria Amcats announced a Women's Division III program to begin play with the 2018-19 season. The team would not be part of the scheduling alliance.

On September 26, 2018 the New England Women's Hockey Alliance has made a formal application to become an NCAA recognized conference and thus becoming eligible for an automatic bid to the tournament. The conference will have its own conference tournament. The tournament will be held February 18 to February 23, 2020 with quarterfinal games being held at the higher seeded team with the semifinal an final rounds being held at the Sullivan Arena in Manchester, New Hampshire.

The conference was approved as being a recognized NCAA Division I Conference on August 1, 2019. This allows the conference members a chance to qualify for the NCAA Women's Hockey Tournament. No official word on when the conference will be awarded an automatic bid to the tournament.

Membership changes

 * The conference adds the combined programs of Long Island University's Brooklyn and Brookville, New York campuses which are known as the LIU Sharks. Both campuses were originally to start their own women's hockey programs for the 2019-20 season but the administration of the University system announced that the programs of the two campuses were being merged into one to save cost.
 * The Anna Maria Amcats are added to the conference as a full member after playing most of the schools in 2018-19 as an Independent. But they later were playing as a Division III Independent for 2019-20.


 * On January 29, 2020 the conference announced it would be expanding for the 2021-22 season with the addition of the Stonehill Skyhawks who are adding women's ice hockey. Stonehill College is located in Easton, Massachusetts. The team will be based out of the Bridgewater Ice Arena in nearby Bridgewater, Massachusetts.

Conference Tournament
The conference tournament is highlighted by the longest women's game in NCAA hockey history when Saint Anselm defeats Franklin Pierce in 5 overtimes and 147 minutes and 24 seconds of play and coming within 4:18 of the longest hockey game in NCAA history.

Quarterfinals

 * Saint Anselm Hawks defeated Post University Eagles 8-1
 * LIU Sharks defeated St. Michael's Purple Knights 7-0

Semifinals

 * LIU Sharks defeated Sacred Heart Pioneers 3-0
 * Saint Anselm Hawks defeated Franklin Pierce Ravens 2-1 (5ot)

Final

 * LIU Sharks defeated Saint Anselm Hawks 1-0