The New England Hockey Conference (known as ECAC East prior to 2015-16 season) is a league in NCAA Men's Division III and Women's Division III. The women's conference has been unique in that it has been home to schools at the D-I, D-II, and D-III levels. However, this appears to be changing for the 2017-18 season as the conference appears to be coming an all D-III member conference. The Holy Cross Crusaders are D-I in all other programs and have announced that they are elevating the program to D-I as what may be part of a move by the school to be joining Hockey East at either the men's level (which would force the school to make the women's program D-I) or the eventual inclusion of both programs in Hockey East.