Eastern College Athletic Conference Interim Commissioner Steve Bamford announced today that William Smith College will join the ECAC Division III West Women's Ice Hockey League beginning with the 2013-14 season.

“We are very pleased to welcome William Smith College to the ECAC women's hockey family,” Bamford said. “The addition of the Herons' program will enhance what is already one of the premier Division III women's hockey leagues in the country.”

William Smith will play its inaugural season in 2014-15. The team will hire a full-time coach in the near future and will play its games at the Geneva Recreation Complex, also known as “The Cooler,” a 1,000 seat off-campus rink.  Hobart College, the brother school to William Smith, is currently a member of the ECAC Men's West League.

“We look forward to becoming a member of the highly respected ECAC Women's West,” William Smith Director of Athletics Deb Steward said. “The ECAC West is a great fit for us and we believe we can be a competitive member of the league.”

The addition of William Smith brings the number of teams in the ECAC Women's West to 10. Existing members of the conference are Chatham University, Elmira College, Neumann University, SUNY Buffalo, SUNY Cortland, SUNY Oswego, SUNY Plattsburgh, SUNY Potsdam, and Utica College. SUNY Plattsburgh won the regular season and conference championship tournament in 2013 and was the top-ranked team in the country entering the NCAA Championship. League runner-up Elmira, ranked fourth in the nation at the conclusion of the regular season, received an at-large bid to the NCAA Championship and went on to capture the national championship.

Scheduling options for the conference including William Smith are under development.

The ECAC is the nation's largest athletic conference and the only multidivisional conference, with 302 Division I, II and III colleges and universities from Maine to North Carolina and westerly to Utah. Established in 1938 the ECAC is celebrating its 75th Anniversary in 2013.