NOTRE DAME, Ind. - The Hockey East Association and the University of Notre Dame announced today that Notre Dame has been accepted into the league as the 11th member school in the conference and will begin play starting with the 2013-14 season. The announcement came at a press conference on the ice at Notre Dame's new Compton Family Ice Arena.

"It is not an overstatement to say that this is one of the most significant days in the history of our conference," said Hockey East commissioner Joe Bertagna. "The addition of new institutions is always exciting but Notre Dame brings a unique set of qualities and circumstances to the continued growth of our league. We are proud to welcome Notre Dame into the fold and we look forward to getting to the many details that come with this announcement."