The Hockey East Women’s League will debut this fall.

The University of Maine, the University of New Hampshire, Providence College, Boston College, and Northeastern University, charter members since the men’s conference’s inception in 1984, will be joined by the University of Connecticut.

The UConn men’s team plays in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.

All six were in the ECAC Women’s Eastern Hockey League this past season along with Quinnipiac and Niagara. Quinnipiac and Niagara will remain in the ECAC.

The schools will play each other three times this season before expanding to four times for the 2003-2004 campaign.

Postseason tournament plans will be announced next month.

The other Hockey East members: Merrimack, Boston University, UMass-Lowell, and UMass, have open invitations to join the women’s league. They don’t have varsity women’s programs at this time.

University of Maine winger Rebecca Culver of Topsham, who will be a sophomore in the fall, was elated with the development.

“I’m very happy about it,” said Culver. “It will bring our league and the sport more exposure. We will get things like the men’s Hockey East teams receive that the ECAC didn’t give us.”

That could include a league-negotiated deal on equipment and more media attention, including possible TV coverage.

“It’s exciting. Women’s hockey has come a long way,” said Culver.

Maine senior associate athletic director Paul Bubb, who will become the interim AD on June 30, said Hockey East is considered “one of the best conferences in the country” and that will provide instant credibility and name recognition to the women’s league.

“And when you have four teams sharing one facility, it can be a scheduling nightmare. This should help out a little,” said Bubb, referring to the fact Maine will be dealing with two leagues, Hockey East and America East (for men’s and women’s basketball), instead of three.

According to a press release from league media relations director Noah Smith, Boston University and Merrimack have indicated that their programs will be ready when new facilities allow.

BU is expected to get a new facility within the next five years and Merrimack is in the midst of a substantial project to upgrade the Volpe Complex.

“We are extremely excited to make this announcement and even more anxious to watch this new conference take shape,” said Hockey East Commissioner Joe Bertagna. “Our goal is to very quickly see the Hockey East Women’s League enjoy the success and national respect that our men’s league currently enjoys. Given the strength of our lineup of institutions, we expect this to happen immediately.”

New Hampshire, Northeastern, and Providence have combined to win 15 of the 19 Division I women’s ice hockey championships that the ECAC has awarded since 1984.

Maine will have eight home league games this season and seven road games.