NASC Hockey: The Jump to Division II

One of the most interesting spans in MCLA (then North Adams State College) hockey history was 1975-1977. After 3 successful seasons, the program felt they were ready for a change.

In 1975, the school submitted a letter to the board requesting that they be moved up to Division II after having a winning record the year prior against Division II opponents and finishing runner-up in Division III. It was accepted, and starting in the 1975-76 season, they would now be a part of Division II.

This was a big step up, but it was also a major success for the hockey program. They believed by moving up to Division II, they would be able to get more recruits due to the better competition they would be playing against. The better players that came to the program, the more success it could have. At the time, North Adams State’s roster was made up mostly of students from eastern Massachusetts and the greater Boston area. They believed that if they were to make this jump, a wider array of players would consider coming here to play hockey.

With the team already playing against some Division II opponents in prior years and having some success, it was expected that success would translate in the 1975-76 season. However, that largely did not turn out to be the case. The Mohawks would finish with an overall positive record, going 11-10, but their Division II record saw only 3 wins to 9 losses. It was a rough first season as a Division II team, but they would continue to try and improve in the 1976-77 season.

The second season went a little better and was much more well-documented. The Mohawks started off the season strong with a 6-2 win over New England College of New Hampshire. The Mohawks then fell to New Haven in game 2, followed by a dominating win over Bridgewater State 8-1, with Freshman center Jack Sheehan scoring a hat trick in the game. By Christmas break, the team exceeded last season's Division II win total at 5-3, and 6-3 overall. This was a big step and made the Mohawks a threat in their conference.

This success did not last long, though, as the Mohawks dropped back-to-back games after Christmas break. A 6-3 loss to Oswego State and a 6-5 overtime loss to Bishop’s University of Canada in the Williams College Christmas tournament would put the school at just 6-5 overall and 5-5 in Division II. Unfortunately for the Mohawks, things did not get much better for the rest of the season; they would only be able to capture one more victory at the Division II level.

Coach Jim Ellingwood's squad struggled, even losing a game 13-4 to UConn. This was the largest number of goals scored against them in their first two seasons in Division II. They would finish the season with a 6-10 record in Division II, but a 14-11 overall record. They capped off a frustrating season with a 13-3 win over Framingham State.

Even with the disappointing end, there was still improvement from the season prior. Although the team struggled in their first two seasons of Division II competition, they would continue to compete and have successful seasons in following years.