Albertus Magnus College to Add Women’s Ice Hockey as NCAA Division III Sport

New Haven, Conn, July 6, 2022 – Albertus Magnus College is excited to announce its intent to add women’s ice hockey  as its 17th NCAA Division III sport, beginning in the 2023-2024 academic year. A national search for the program’s  inaugural head coach will commence immediately. In 2019-2020, the College launched its men’s ice hockey program,  with plans to bring the women’s program quickly forward. The COVID-19 Pandemic delayed planning, but today’s  announcement brings the initial plans to fruition.  

“One of the things that attracted me to the opportunity at Albertus was the administration’s commitment to exploring  strategic growth opportunities within the athletics department,” noted incoming Director of Athletics, Mike Kobylanski,  who will begin his tenure at the College on July 11. “Women’s ice hockey is a growing sport across the country, and its addition to our Falcons NCAA D III lineup will be a next moment of excitement for the department. I can’t wait to see  the first group of student-athletes take the ice!”  

“As a former NCAA D III hockey player and lifelong fan of the sport, I am thrilled we will bring a women’s program  forward to complement our men’s program,” said Albertus President, Dr. Marc M. Camille. “In only its second full  season of competition, the College’s men’s ice hockey team finished 16-8-1 this year, including winning two tournament  championships and a win over a nationally ranked, NCAA championship qualifying opponent, and of equal significance,  the team’s cumulative grade point average for the year was 3.7. I expect our new women’s program to aspire to, and  achieve, similar competitive successes!”  

Over the past decade, the College’s NCAA athletics program has been expanding – new women’s teams were added in  field hockey and swimming and diving, and in addition to the men’s ice hockey team, golf and swimming and diving were  started. Additional athletics investments led to new full-time coaches, athletics trainers, sports marketers, student  success mentors, and graduate assistants. The College’s athletics facilities also have improved and expanded, including  upgrades to the Cosgrove, Marcus, Messer Athletic Center's training facilities, with renovations to its pool and athletic  training spaces, the addition of permanent bleachers and a "jumbotron," and a newly refinished gym floor; the  construction of the state of the art field turf, Shea Softball Complex in the heart of the campus; and collaborative  partnership initiatives with the City of New Haven and the Town of Hamden led to New Haven's Ralph Walker Ice Rink  becoming the home of Albertus ice hockey , Hamden's Rochford Field to be the home of Albertus baseball, and  Hamden's New Haven Country Club to be the home of Albertus golf.