Albright College will add men’s hockey as the newest NCAA Division III varsity sport in 2026-27, increasing the number of Albright Lions programs to 27 teams.
The Reading, Pa.-based team will compete in the Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) and Jeff German will lead the program in its inaugural season after being named head coach of the program.
“We are thrilled to announce the additions of men’s ice hockey, furthering our athletic initiatives at Albright,” said A
lbright AD Rick Ferry in a statement. “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 will join Alvernia, Arcadia, King’s, Lebanon Valley, Misericordia, Neumann, Stevenson and Wilkes in the MAC.
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 ACHA Division III league champions. In back-to-back seasons from 2022-24, 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,” German said. “Our players will help shape that identity, creating a culture built on belief, accountability and pride in the jersey. 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 (Ohio) High School Ice Hockey Association 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 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 18U AAA Ohio Blue Jackets for one season.
German is a graduate of Franklin (Ohio) University 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 Lions were named to the all-MAC academic teams in 2024-25 needing a GPA of 3.2 or higher to be named to the team. In addition, 36 different student-athletes held GPAs of 4.0.