Albright College Athletics will add men’s ice hockey as the newest NCAA Division III varsity sport, increasing the number of Albright Lion programs to 27 teams. The team will compete in the Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC). Men’s ice hockey is set to begin in winter of 2026. Jeff German will lead the men’s ice hockey program in their inaugural season after being named head coach of the program today.
Over the past two years Albright has announced the addition of STUNT, men’s and women’s wrestling, women’s flag football and, now, men’s ice hockey. Men’s wrestling has already begun competition with STUNT set to begin in the spring of 2026. Women’s wrestling and women’s flag football are set to begin in the 2026-2027 athletic season.
“We are thrilled to announce the additions of men’s ice hockey, furthering our athletic initiatives at Albright,” said Rick Ferry, Athletic Director at Albright College. “The new program will allow Albright to broaden our athletic offerings to meet the growing demands for more opportunities to compete at a high level. The men’s ice hockey program will grow to be a crucial part to the Albright College experience.”
When competition begins in 2026, Albright men’s ice hockey will join Alvernia, Arcadia, King’s, Lebanon Valley, Misericordia, Neumann, Stevenson and Wilkes in the Middle Atlantic Conference.
Alongside the announcement of the new program, Albright Athletics has tabbed Jeff German as the first head coach in program history. Coach German joins Albright after spending the past 12 years at Denison University in Granville, Ohio. At Dension, German was the head coach for all 12 years cultivating the program from scratch before eventually becoming American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) D3 League Champions. In back-to-back seasons from 2022-2024, German was named Atlantic Coastal Conference Hockey League (ACCHL) M2 Elite Coach of the Year.
“This is a rare opportunity to build a program from the ground up and define what Albright Hockey will stand for. Our players will help shape that identity, creating a culture built on belief, accountability and pride in the jersey,” said head coach Jeff German. “We’re setting the standard now for a program that will earn respect long before the first puck drops.”
While at Dension, German held other roles including head coach with the Newark (OH) Ice Hockey Association High School before becoming the Ice Hockey Director with the Newark Ice Hockey Association. During his head coaching tenure with the Newark Ice Hockey Association, German led the team to the “Columbus Blue Jacket Cup” finals in 2013, 2014, 2016 and 2017. In 2016, he led his team to an undefeated season capping off the year with a cup championship while also being awarded the Don Jennings’ Coaching Excellence Award.
“Coach German brings with him a wealth of playing and coaching experience rising to the top of our search to lead the program,” said Athletic Director Rick Ferry. “I am looking forward to having coach German in the athletics building and seeing the team in action next winter.”
Additionally, he also served as an assistant coach with the AAA U-18 Ohio Blue Jackets for one season. German is a graduate of Franklin University (OH) and obtained his status of level five master coach from USA Hockey in 2018. Later in the same year, German completed the level five master coaching symposium from USA Hockey.
Albright boasts 550 student-athletes, many of whom also excel academically in the classroom while being involved in numerous other clubs and activities on campus. A total of 204 Albright Lions were named to the All-MAC Academic teams in 2024-2025 needing a GPA of 3.2 or higher to be named to the team. 36 different student-athletes held GPA’s of 4.0.
