Most NECHA member schools have varsity teams that are affiliated with the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) or the Hockey East Association and most teams receive at least partial funding from their school's athletic departments and/or student government.

The NECHA league comprises four-year post-secondary college and university teams separated into three conferences: Patriot, American, and Colonial.

Each league conference consists of two divisions organized geographically by school location.

Teams play a minimum of ten league games during the regular season.

Saint Anselm College and Southern New Hampshire University have varsity hockey at the NCAA Division II level.