The Western Connecticut Colonials are a men's ice hockey team representing Western Connecticut State University in Danbury, Connecticut. The team was scheduled to join the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference for the 2017-18 season. The team was planned to be based out of the Danbury Ice Arena. The team has been a member of the American Collegiate Hockey Association. The club team ended up sitting out the 2015-16 season due to budget constraints. A posting on the school's athletic department stated that the team would not go forward as planned for the 2015-16 season. The release was unclear if this was the planned varsity program or the existing club team.
On April 18, 2024 Western Connecticut State University announced the addition of seven new NCAA team sports including men's and women's ice hockey. The university presently has an American Collegiate Hockey Association and will elevate the team to varsity status and they will join the Little East Conference for the 2025-26 playing season. The women's program is starting from scratch and will play at the ACHA level with the 2024-25 season with plans to achieve varsity NCAA status by 2026-27. The teams will be based out of the Danbury Ice Arena in Danbury, Connecticut which is located near one of the university's campuses[1][2].