Men’s Hockey to Start First Season in Little East Conference Next Week
James Oatis
He/Him
Staff Writer
10/19/25
For the 2025-26 season, Plymouth State has left their long-time men’s ice hockey conference, the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC). Since the Panthers joined the MASCAC in 2009, Plymouth State has had many years of success in the conference, winning eight conference titles that lead to NCAA Division III Tournament Appearances.
In 2023, PSU Athletics announced the university would join the newly-formed varsity ice hockey program in the Little East conference, making the 2024-25 their last season in the MASCAC. PSU left the conference on a sour note. In their last game, the number 1 seeded Panthers lost to 8 seeded Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts in a massive upset, snapping a streak of five straight conference titles.
Hockey’s conference move aligns the team with other PSU varsity sports, as men’s basketball is also a member of the Little East conference. The move also gives the Panthers more national attention. In April, the Little East signed a contract with streaming service FloHockey to broadcast games. But the biggest reason for joining the Little East hockey program was undoubtedly to share a conference with Keene State’s brand new men’s ice hockey team. This year will be the first that Plymouth’s little brother, Keene State, will play the Panthers in ice hockey – at home on November 21st and in Keene on January 31st.
The Little East conference also provides Plymouth with competition from familiar foes, such as Norwich and Babson, who have frequently played the Panthers in the past. The Panthers also have marquee non-conference matchups against UNE, Plattsburgh State, and Trinity.
After the shocking upset and exit from the MASCAC last year, Plymouth State men’s ice hockey is looking for a fresh start in its new conference, and the Panthers will likely be in the upper echelon of the new Little East ice hockey conference as they attempt to return to the national NCAA Division III tournament. The Panthers first regular season game will be at home on October 31st against the University of New England Nor’easters.