WAKEFIELD, Mass. - Hockey East Commissioner Joe Bertagna will be inducted into the Eastern College Athletic Conference Hall of Fame on May 4, 2018 alongside seven other individuals and one team of distinction. The class of 2018 was announced by the ECAC Hall of Fame committee.
"I am pleased and honored to be recognized by the ECAC," said Bertagna. "I spent two full decades in ECAC Hockey, as a player, a coach and an administrator. Scotty Whitelaw and Clayt Chapman were my first mentors, two great men who set examples and provided a blueprint for me as I began my own career in athletic administration." Bertagna added, "Being recognized alongside my friends Mark Fusco and Pat Henry will make the occasion even more enjoyable for me."
The ECAC Hall of Fame Class of 2018 also includes Lauren Anderson (Administrator/University of Rhode Island), Don DiJulia (Administrator/Saint Joseph's University), Royce Flippin (Administrator/Princeton University/Massachusetts Institute of Technology), Mark Fusco (Athlete/Harvard University Hockey), Patricia Henry (Administrator/Harvard University), Kim Kryscnski-Marino (Athlete/Stockton University Indoor/Outdoor Track), Joy Solomen (Administrator/Rowan University) and the 1947 Holy Cross Men's Basketball Team.
The annual ceremony will take place on Friday, May 4 at the Crowne Plaza in Danbury, Conn. The event will begin with cocktail hour at 6:00 p.m. followed by dinner and induction ceremonies at 7:00 p.m.
Tickets for the 2018 ECAC Hall of Fame Gala and Induction Ceremony are $175 and must be purchased before April 19. No tickets will be available on the day of the event. Tickets and journal ads can be purchased using this link www.ecacsports.com/HOFtickets.
Bertagna is currently in his 36th year as a college hockey administrator. This season marks his 21st year with Hockey East, after serving in a similar capacity with the ECAC for 15 years. He is the longest serving commissioner in Hockey East history and is currently the longest serving hockey commissioner in the NCAA. In September of 2016, Hockey East directors extended Bertagna's contract through the 2019-20 season as a direct response to a number of triumphs for the conference, including a successful hosting of the 2015 NCAA Frozen Four in Boston, a new television contract, multiple sold-out events at Fenway Park, and the addition of the University of Connecticut to the conference membership. Questions about the ECAC Hall of Fame event should be directed to Meghan O'Brien at mobrien@ecac.org or 203-745- 2890.
ABOUT THE ECAC
In the 77 years since its inception, the ECAC has emerged as the nation's largest conference, ranging in location from Maine to Georgia, and westerly to Missouri. In 2015-16, the ECAC hosted nearly 100 championships in men's and women's sports as the sponsors of over 5,800 varsity teams and 111,000 student-athletes. For more information, visit www. ecacsports.com.
ABOUT HOCKEY EAST
The Hockey East Association is an 11-team Division I college men's hockey conference founded in 1984 and a nineteam Division I women's league which began play in the 2002-03 season. Since 1999, Hockey East has won seven NCAA championships in 15 NCAA Championship Game appearances and has placed 26 teams in the Frozen Four and 67 teams in the NCAA Tournament during that time. The women's league has sent 11 teams to the Frozen Four and 24 to the NCAA Tournament in its 16 seasons on the ice while boasting three Patty Kazmaier Award winners.