2012-13 CCHA season

This is the 2012-13 Central Collegiate Hockey Association season. This was the league's 43rd season, and the last for the original version of the conference. A new version of the CCHA was formed in 2020, with play scheduled to start in 2021–22.

Last season and member future arrangements
The league's members had already made arrangements to join other conferences prior to the season:
 * Michigan, Michigan State, and Ohio State joined the newly formed hockey league of their all-sports home of the Big Ten Conference.
 * Notre Dame joined Hockey East after being invited to join the WCHA. The Fighting Irish would go on to join Big Ten hockey in 2017.
 * Alaska, Bowling Green, Ferris State, Lake Superior State, and Northern Michigan joined the Western Collegiate Hockey Association.
 * In November 2019, four of these five schools (all but Alaska) were among the seven schools that announced plans to leave the WCHA after the 2020–21 season. In February 2020, the departing WCHA members would announce the formation of a new CCHA, with play starting in 2021–22.
 * Miami and Western Michigan joined the newly formed National Collegiate Hockey Conference.

Membership changes

 * none

Standings
Team                      GP  W  L T SW  P GF GA Miami RedHawks             28 17  7 4  4 59 75 50 Notre Dame Fighting Irish 28 17  8 3  2 56 90 64 Western Michigan Broncos  28 15  7 6  3 54 63 55 Ohio State Buckeyes       28 13 10 5  1 45 71 63 Ferris State Bulldogs     28 13 12 3  1 43 67 63 Alaska Nanooks            28 12 13 3  1 40 73 79 Michigan Wolverines       28 10 15 3  3 36 81 96 Lake Superior Lakers      28 11 16 1  1 35 65 77 Bowling Green Falcons     28 10 15 3  1 34 65 75 Northern Michigan Wildcats 28 9 15 4  1 32 64 79 Michigan State Spartans   28  9 18 1  0 28 57 70

First Round (best of three)

 * Michigan State defeated Alaska two games to one (2-1 (ot), 1-4, 4-3)
 * Michigan defeated Northern Michigan two games to none (3-2, 6-2)
 * Bowling Green defeated Lake Superior two games to one (0-2, 6-3, 7-0)

Quarterfinals (best of three)

 * Miami defeated Michigan State two games to one (0-3, 4-1, 4-1)
 * Ohio State defeated Ferris State two games to one (2-4, 3-1, 3-2)
 * Michigan defeated Western Michigan two games to none (4-3, 5-1)
 * Notre Dame defeated Bowling Green two games to none (1-0 (ot), 4-3)

Semifinals

 * Michigan defeated Miami 6 to 2
 * Notre Dame defeated Ohio State 3 to 1

Final

 * Notre Dame defeated Michigan 3 to 1

NCAA Tournament
Miami Notre Dame
 * defeated Minnesota State 4 to 0 in the Midwest Regional Semifinals
 * lost to St. Cloud State 4 to 1 in the Midwest Regional Final
 * lost to St. Cloud State 5 to 1 in the Midwest Regional Semifinals