TROY, MI – The American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA), the governing body for non‐NCAA men’s and women’s hockey in the United States, today announced the Super East Collegiate Hockey League (SECHL) and the Upstate New York Collegiate Hockey League (UNYCHL) will merge effective as of the 2025-2026 season.

 The SECHL is comprised of six ACHA Men’s Division II members:   Army (West Point), Clarkson University, Marist University, Montclair State University, Sacred Heart University, and Siena College.  The 2025-2026 season will mark the SECHL’s 30th year of collegiate hockey.

 Current UNYCHL members Binghamton University, Niagara University, and St. Bonaventure University have applied and been accepted into the ACHA.  Other UNYCHL teams are currently going through the ACHA application process.

 The merger of the SECHL and UNYCHL will bring the UNYCHL under the SECHL name brand.  Once the merger with the UNYCHL is complete, the SECHL will have two divisions.  The SECHL East Division will be comprised of the six current SECHL members while the SECHL West Division will be made of the former UNYCHL teams.  Teams in each SECHL Division will compete against one another and maintain separate divisional playoffs.

 The SECHL intends to host a conference in-season showcase during which “crossover” matchups between SECHL divisions would take place and count for overall division standings.  The SECHL will also have a conference playoff for divisional winners and ranked SECHL teams from both divisions before ACHA M2 Regionals.

 “The overreaching goal here is to not only add to the depth of the ACHA II Northeast, but to potentially add other programs to each division over time,” said SECHL Commissioner Robert Martinez and UNYCHL Commissioner John Marchese.

 “We know other universities have inquired or are in the process of applying to the ACHA to join the SECHL/UNYCHL merger,” continued Martinez and Marchese.  “Of course, there are still some items to iron out but this has been the general thought of bringing these two leagues together to strengthen the ACHA M2 presence in the Northeast.  The goal is to have six teams in each division for the 2025-26 season.”

 “We are really excited about how the SECHL will look next season with the addition of these programs coming over. We certainly welcome Niagara, St Bonaventure, Binghamton, and other programs that are currently in the process of applying to the ACHA to the SECHL. These are all strong, competitive programs,” said Siena College Head Coach Steve Hunter. “These additions will add value and depth to an already strong SECHL. It is going to provide some incremental opportunities for us such as perhaps a mid-season Showcase within league play with Divisional crossover games.  And without question having these programs coming over and joining the SECHL will add some real value to our post season play. It will put a little more premium on season play and ensure you compete to earn post season opportunities. The depth and competitiveness of these programs coming over is only going to make the SECHL even stronger than it already is while increasing our geographical footprint.  On behalf of Siena College, we are very excited to have these programs come and join us in the SECHL and we welcome them to the ACHA.”

 “After growing our program for five years, we believe we have outgrown the league we were previously in and believe the best movement forward for our program would be to join ACHA D2 and become a part of the SECHL,” said Niagara University Head Coach Sean Casilio.  “We are excited to begin taking on the challenge of playing top teams in Division 2 like Army, Clarkson, and others throughout the league.  We at Niagara believe joining ACHA and the Super East will improve our competitiveness and recruiting prowess which will only enhance our program further. We are extremely excited for the future.”

 “The ACHA is comprised of entrepreneurial-thinking league commissioners who have a great pulse on their divisions and this is the time of year that we start to hear about changes to some leagues including their composition,” said ACHA Executive Director Craig Barnett.  “When we were made aware of this merger, we were very excited as it brings more competitive teams to Men’s Division II and the Northeast region.  This announcement will certainly enhance our student-athletes experience by creating a stronger league.”

 For additional information, please contact ACHA Executive Director Craig Barnett at cbarnett@achahockey.org.