Conference championships complete; Hartford wins America East

They play the games for a reason.

After being picked at the bottom of the preseason polls with 21 freshmen and sophomores rostered, Hartford won its first America East regular-season and tournament championships in program history.

The Hawks (26-29) completed a perfect postseason run this past week in Orono, Maine, defeating fourth-seeded Stony Brook twice and second-seeded UMass Lowell, to become the lone Division 1 team from New England to secure an automatic NCAA berth. The title-clinching victory was a 9-4 decision against the Seawolves, who they also beat in Thursday’s opening game, 2-0.