School president Daan Bravemen announced Thursday that Nazareth College, located in Pittsford, N.Y., will add Division III men’s hockey starting with the 2012-13 season.
It will be the 24th team to be part of the Golden Flyers athletic program.
“We think this will be a great new program for Nazareth College and for the larger Rochester community,” Braveman said. “Hockey is a popular sport at the collegiate level and we think this will be received as a good addition to our athletic landscape.”
Nazareth will begin an immediate search for a head coach. The school has solicited the assistance of Craig Dahl, who coached St. Cloud State for 19 seasons, to assist in starting the program.
The school has petitioned to join the ECAC West, currently composed of Elmira, Hobart, Manhattanville, Neumann, and Utica.
“Obviously, we’re excited that they are looking to get into our league,” Elmira coach Aaron Saul said. “Nazareth is going to be competitive very quickly and add to the competitiveness of the league.”
While no announcement was made concerning a home rink for the team, the leading candidate is most likely The Sports Centre at MCC located in nearby Brighton, N.Y.
The announcement signals the return of Division III men’s hockey to the Rochester area after Rochester Institute of Technology elevated its team to Division I six years ago.
