2021-22 American Collegiate season



This is the 2021-22 American Collegiate hockey season.

St. Thomas Jumping from D-III to D-I for 2021-22
On July 15, 2020 the St. Thomas Tommies women's ice hockey team was announced as joining the Western Collegiate Hockey Association women's conference for the 2021-22 season by a unanimous vote as the conference's 8th member. In the same story the St. Thomas men's ice hockey team would be announcing a conference affiliation at a later date. The process for a jump from Division III to Division I usually takes 12 years by NCAA guidelines, But circumstances made it a lot easier for the university to make the jump directly. The university was already accepted as an all-sport (except football) member of the Summit League and the football team joins the Pioneer League. St. Thomas becomes only the second full Division I in the state of Minnesota after the Minnesota Golden Gophers who are an all-sport member of the Big Ten Conference. Based on the normal guidelines for jumping from Division II to Division I the men's team won't be eligible for postseason play until 2024-25 at the earliest while the women's team is likely in the same situation as women's play is Divisions I and II combined and the ineligibility period would likely be the same. The men's team would be officially announced as joining the Central Collegiate Hockey Association for the 2021-22 season.

New Programs

 * Rivier University in Nashua, New Hampshire announced that they would be starting new men's and women's hockey programs. Both will play an American Collegiate Hockey Association club schedule for 2021-22 and would transition to NCAA Division III status for 2022-23.


 * The Western New England Golden Bears women's ice hockey team, which was due to begin play in 2020-21 but the conference cancelled play for the season due to the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions in place, will begin play in the Division III Commonwealth Coast Conference.


 * The Arcadia Knights Men's ice hockey begins play in the Division III United Collegiate Hockey Conference


 * The Curry Colonels women's ice hockey team were announced as beginning play with the 2021-22 season in the Division III Commonwealth Coast Conference.


 * The Lindenwood Lions men's ice hockey team is announced to begin play with the 2020-23 season elevating the three time national club championship team to varsity status.


 * Augustana (South Dakota) Vikings men's ice hockey was announced as beginning play in 2023-24. The university is presently an all sports member of the NCAA Division II Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference, which is also the all sport home of Bemidji State University, University of Minnesota-Duluth, Minnesota State University, and St. Cloud State University. The university has announced its intention to jump in all sports from Division II to Division I by 2030. The program would most likely join the National Collegiate Hockey Conference as it would be the best fit geographically and logistically. The university is building a 3,000 seat arena on campus which broke ground on October 5, 2021.


 * The Worcester State Lancers women's ice hockey was announced as being established for the 2021-22 season. The program was announced shortly after Becker College which was also located in Worcester, Massachusetts announced it was closing effective the end of the 2020-21 academic year. Ironically, the team would end up hiring the now former team's head coach and would be playing out of the same arena, the Fidelity Bank Worcester Ice Center.


 * On July 9, 2019 the University of Pennsylvania men's and women's hockey teams presently playing in ACHA Division II would be working on an endowment that would first elevate the programs to ACHA Division I status with a goal of establishing NCAA Division I varsity programs within ten years for both men and women.

On November 16, 2021 Hilbert College in Hamburg, New York announces the formation of the Hilbert Hawks women's ice hockey which is due to begin play with the 2022-23 season, no conference affiliation was announced with the introduction of the program.

The Milwaukee School of Engineering Raiders women's ice hockey program was announced on November 30, 2021. Chad Davis was announced as the team's first head coach on December 17, 2021. The team will likely begin play either with the 2022-23 or 2023-24 playing season as a member of the Northern Collegiate Hockey Association.

Cancelled Programs
Becker College in Worcester, Massachusetts announced that it would be closing as of the end of the 2020-21 academic year, ending both the men's and women's programs. The college was an associate member of the Commonwealth Coast Conference in men's ice hockey and was due to be an associate member in women's ice hockey as well.

Cancelled but Saved Programs
The Alaska-Anchorage Seawolves men's ice hockey, Alabama-Huntsville Chargers men's ice hockey, Robert Morris Colonials men's ice hockey, and Robert Morris Lady Colonials ice hockey teams were all cancelled due to mostly financial reasons. All four programs would have a grassroots campaign started in an effort to save the programs. All four of these programs would be saved, but; due to the circumstances of each teams cancellation they would all end up being announced as returning for the 2022-23 season. On December 17, 2021 the return of the two Robert Morris programs was made official for the 2023-24 playing season.

Possible Future Programs

 * Tennessee State University which is located in Nashville, Tennessee announced in May of 2021 that the university was forming an exploratory committee to examine the possibility of adding a men's varsity ice hockey program. The Nashville Predators of the National Hockey League in partnership with the NHL's diversity program were working with the university to support their efforts. If the university does add men's ice hockey it would be the first NCAA Division I men's program in the state of Tennessee and would also be the first team based out of a Historically Black College and University.

Other programs that had been mentioned include the University of Illinois-Champaign,the University of Iowa, and the United States Naval Academy have all been mentioned as teams that could possibly be started. The University of Nebraska-Lincoln Cornhuskers has also been mentioned in passing as another possibility; but, a gentleman's agreement (regarding adding new teams that the other campus already has with the University of Nebraska-Omaha, which would hurt recruiting for the other program of in-state talent) between them would seem to preclude this from happening. The athletic director for the Lincoln campus has since retired and this agreement could possibly be out the window.

With the expansion of the NHL to the Pacific northwest other programs would become a possibility as the fan base for hockey in the region grows. The Pac-12 Conference has many schools which offer ACHA club hockey and with Arizona State University already having a varsity program, an expansion would make sense with the growth of ice hockey in those regions as the NHL has six teams in the regions as of the start of the 2021-22 playing season and 10 teams in the American Hockey League as of the start of the 2022-23 season. Numerous youth and junior level programs have started in the region as well with the North American 3 Hockey League, United States Premier Hockey League, and Western States Hockey League all having programs throughout the Western United States.

Membership Changes

 * In June of 2019 it was announced that seven of the ten members of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association would be leaving the conference for the 2021-22 season. In February 2020 it was announced that the conference would be a revival of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association name. The Alaska Nanooks men's ice hockey team announced they would play an independent schedule for the 2021-22 season on February 12th. The Alaska-Anchorage Seawolves men's ice hockey team and Alabama-Huntsville Chargers men's ice hockey team both be cancelled but would be saved by fundraising and will return to play for 2022-23. Atlantic Hockey Association is unlikely to add another team unless a second team, most likely candidate would be the LIU Sharks men's ice hockey team, is also looking to join the conference as the league is apparently holding a spot for a rumored team to begin play at the United States Naval Academy over the next few years. As the conference already has the United States Air Force Academy and United States Military Academy teams, the Naval Academy team would be a natural and desired fit for the team.


 * On October 4, 2019 the University of St. Thomas announced that the university had been accepted a an all-sport member of the NCAA Division I Horizon League for the 2021-22 pending approval of an NCAA waiver as it usually takes 12 years to make the jump. The men's program may end up in the newly re-established Central Collegiate Hockey Association and the women's team ended up in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association women's conference. On July 29, 2020 the men's team would be officially announced as joining the Central Collegiate Hockey Association for the 2021-22 season.


 * On January 29, 2020 the New England Women's Hockey Alliance announced it would be expanding for the 2021-22 season with the addition of the Stonehill Skyhawks women's ice hockey who are adding women's ice hockey. Stonehill College is located in Easton, Massachusetts. The team will be based out of the Bridgewater Ice Arena in nearby Bridgewater, Massachusetts. This would give the conference seven teams and make it eligible for an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament with the 2021-22 season. The NCAA has not officially announced that the conference would be granted the automatic bid but the possibility exists that the tournament field may be expanded to fit the NEWHA automatic bid. However, due to issues caused by the COVID-19 pandemic the university would announce on September 11, 2020 that it would be delaying the start of its' program until the 2022-23 season.


 * On May 22, 2020 the University of Alabama, Huntsville announced that they were discontinuing the men's ice hockey program effective immediately citing financial constraints caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Chargers became the first men's Division I program to be ended since Wayne State University ended their program in 2008. The program would be saved less than a week later when supporters were able to raise over $750,000. A committee would be formed in an effort to provide for the long term survival of the program. As stated previously, the team will return for the 2022-23 season.

Men's

 * 2021-22 Atlantic Hockey Season
 * 2021-22 Big Ten Season
 * 2021-22 CCHA Season
 * 2021-22 ECAC Men's Season
 * 2021-22 Hockey East Men's Ice Hockey Season
 * 2021-22 NCHC Season
 * 2021-22 NCAA Division I Men's Independents


 * 2022 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament

Women's

 * 2021-22 College Hockey America Season
 * 2021-22 ECAC Women's Season
 * 2021-22 Hockey East Women's Season
 * 2021-22 NEWHA Season
 * 2021-22 WCHA Women's Season
 * 2021-22 NCAA Women's Independents


 * 2022 NCAA Women's Ice Hockey Tournament

Men's

 * 2021-22 NE10 Season
 * 2021-22 NCAA D-II and III Men's Independents

Women's
Presently all of the Division II women's ice hockey playing universities are members of the New England Women's Hockey Alliance. The NCAA's top level women's ice hockey championship is open to universities at both the Division I and Division II levels.

Conference Changes

 * On October 4, 2019 the Commonwealth Coast Conference announced it would be starting to sponsor women's hockey. It will assume operations of the Colonial Hockey Conference. As part of the announcement it was announced that the Suffolk Rams would be joining the conference for 2020-21 and that Western New England Golden Bears would be starting a women's team for 2020-21. This will make six of the seven members of the CHC also being full members of the CCC with the Becker Hawks being an associate member of the conference for both men's and women's hockey. With having seven members the conference will retain its automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. The 2020-21 season was cancelled and Becker would end up closing the college permanently as of the end of the 2020-21 academic year.


 * On May 27, 2020 it was announced that the St. Scholastica Saints men's ice hockey and St. Scholastica Saints women's ice hockey teams would be joining the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference for the 2021-22 season as an all sports member. The college is presently a member of the Northern Collegiate Hockey Association.


 * The St. Thomas Tommies men's and women's teams are coming off playing their last season in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference as the university's athletic program is being involuntarily removed from the conference as of the end of the 2020-21 academic year due to throwing the competitive balance of the conference out of order. The university is making the jump to NCAA Division I directly from NCAA Division III which is a process that usually takes 12 years. The women's team was accepted into the Western Collegiate Hockey Association and the men's team ended up in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association. The team will have restrictions in place as to their eligibility for post season play in their new conferences and for the NCAA tournament which is standard for teams joining Division I in all NCAA sports.


 * The Arcadia Knights Men's ice hockey team and Arcadia Knights women's ice hockey team begins play in the United Collegiate Hockey Conference


 * On March 28, 2021, the Becker College Board of Trustees announced the decision to permanently close the college effective the end of the 2020-21 academic year. This would obviously end both the men's and women's hockey programs at the college.


 * On March 30, 2021, Worcester State University announces the addition of women's ice hockey for the 2021-22 season. No conferences affiliation was announced with the announcement. The team announced current Becker Hawks women's ice hockey head coach Eliza Kelley as the program's first head coach. Ironically, the team will be based out of the Fidelity Bank Worcester Ice Center which was home to both of the Becker Hawks teams as well as the Worcester State Lancers men's ice hockey team.


 * On December 4th, 2020 the Bryn Athyn Lions men's ice hockey team announced it had cancelled its' 2020-21 season. The team would return to the club hockey level as a member of the American Collegiate Hockey Association's Colonial States College Hockey Conference for the 2021-22 season.

Men's

 * 2021-22 CCC Men's Season
 * 2021-22 MAC Men's Season
 * 2021-22 MASCAC Season
 * 2021-22 MIAC Men's Season
 * 2021-22 NCHA Men's Season
 * 2021-22 NEHC Men's Season
 * 2021-22 NESCAC Men's Season
 * 2021-22 SUNYAC Season
 * 2021-22 UCHC Men's Season
 * 2021-22 WIAC Men's Season
 * 2021-22 NCAA D-II and III Men's Independents
 * 2022 NCAA Division III Men's Ice Hockey Tournament

Women's

 * 2021-22 CCC Women's Season
 * 2021-22 MAC Women's Season
 * 2021-22 MIAC Women's Season
 * 2021-22 NCHA Women's Season
 * 2021-22 NEHC Women's Season
 * 2021-22 NESCAC Women's Season
 * 2021-22 NEWHL Season
 * 2021-22 UCHC Women's Season
 * 2021-22 WIAC Women's Season
 * 2022 NCAA Division III Women's Ice Hockey Tournament

NAIA


The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics added a sponsored conference in the American Collegiate Hockey Association. The initial conference to sponsor men's ice hockey is the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference. According to a report in January of 2019; the NAIA never approved of the formation of the league.


 * 2021-22 WHAC Season