On November 9, 2022, the ECAC announced changes to the postseason tournament format for Men’s and Women’s Hockey Championships. Changes for the Men’s league start this season; Women’s league in 2024.
Effective March 2023, the men’s tournament shall feature a single-game first-round format the weekend of March 3-5 with seed Nos. 5-8 hosting seed Nos. 9-12. The four winners of the first-round games shall advance to the league quarterfinals March 10-12 to face seed Nos. 1-4 in best-of-three-game series. The quarterfinals winners shall advance to the semifinals and championship March 17-18 in Lake Placid, New York where they will compete to hoist the Scotty M. Whitelaw Cup as league champion.
The adoption of the single-game format in the first round is a change from the best-of-three games format that has been utilized in the men’s league since the 2002-03 season.
The women’s league comprised of 12 teams since the 2006-07 season will feature all 12 teams in the postseason beginning with the 2024 Championship.
In 2023, the women’s tournament format shall remain the same as in past years, with quarterfinals action showcasing the top four seeds hosting seeds 5-8 on the weekend of February 24-26. The four quarterfinals winners shall advance to the semifinals and championship game March 4-5 on the campus of the highest remaining seed.
The winners of the men’s and women’s tournaments shall receive the conference’s automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament.
Established in 1961-62, ECAC Hockey is home to elite student-athletes from twelve of the nation’s most prestigious institutions: Brown University, Clarkson University, Colgate University, Cornell University, Dartmouth College, Harvard University, Princeton University, Quinnipiac University, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, St. Lawrence University, Union College, and Yale University.