INDIANAPOLIS---The NCAA Division III Men’s Ice Hockey Committee announced today the field of 11 teams for the 2016 NCAA Division III Men’s Ice Hockey Championship.
Seven conferences have been awarded an automatic qualification. The remaining four teams were selected at-large by the committee.
The championship playoff format involves three first-round games and four quarterfinal games that are played on the campuses of the participating institutions. All games in the championship are single elimination. The four quarterfinal winners will advance to Lake Placid, New York, at Herb Brooks Arena for the semifinal and championship games, which will be conducted March 25-26. Plattsburgh State University of New York and the Olympic Regional Development Authority will host the championship.
RELATED: Division III men's ice hockey bracket
Conferences receiving automatic qualification are:
ECAC DIII Northeast Hockey League: Salve Regina University (17-10-1)
Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference: Salem State University (22-5-0)
Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference: Augsburg College (17-8-2)
New England Hockey Conference: University of Massachusetts Boston (21-4-3)
New England Small College Athletic Conference: Trinity College (Connecticut) (21-5-1)
Northern Collegiate Hockey Association: Adrian College (24-3-1)
State University of New York Athletic Conference: State University of New York at Geneseo (18- 4-6)
Hobart College (21-4-2), St. Norbert College (23-3-2), Williams College (18-5-2) and the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point (21-5-1) enter the field as the four at-large selections.
The semifinal and championship games will be web streamed live on NCAA.com.
In 2015, Trinity College (Connecticut) claimed its first title with a 5-2 win over the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point at Ridder Arena in Minneapolis.
