2019-20 American Collegiate season



This is the 2019-20 American Collegiate hockey season.

Cancellation of all NCAA Tournaments
On March 12, 2020 the NCAA released the following statement: "Today, NCAA President Mark Emmert and the Board of Governors canceled the Division I men’s and women’s 2020 basketball tournaments, as well as all remaining winter and spring NCAA championships. This decision is based on the evolving COVID-19 public health threat, our ability to ensure the events do not contribute to spread of the pandemic, and the impracticality of hosting such events at any time during this academic year given ongoing decisions by other entities."

Membership Changes

 * In early June 2018 Long Island University Brooklyn announced they would be adding a Division I women's ice hockey program starting with the 2019-20 season.  The whole athletic program for the campus would be combined with the program of the LIU Post (which had previously announced its' intent to start a Division II program for either 2019-20 or 2020-21) and the combined program would be renamed the LIU Sharks and become a member of the New England Women's Hockey Alliance.


 * In June of 2019 it was announced that seven 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.


 * 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 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 may end up in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association women's conference.


 * 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 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.


 * On April 30,2020 Long Island University announced the start of a men's Men's Division I program to begin with the 2020-21 season. It is unknown as of the time of the announcement if the team will play as an independent for the 2020-21 season or if they are attempting to join a conference.
 * 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.

Men's

 * 2019-20 Atlantic Hockey Season
 * 2019-20 Big Ten Season
 * 2019-20 ECAC Men's Season
 * 2019-20 Hockey East Men's Ice Hockey Season
 * 2019-20 NCHC Season
 * 2019-20 WCHA Men's Season
 * 2019-20 NCAA Division I Men's Independents


 * 2020 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament

Women's

 * 2019-20 College Hockey America Season
 * 2019-20 ECAC Women's Season
 * 2019-20 Hockey East Women's Season
 * 2019-20 NEWHA Season
 * 2019-20 WCHA Women's Season
 * 2019-20 NCAA Women's Independents


 * 2020 NCAA Women's Ice Hockey Tournament

Membership Changes

 * In late 2017 Long Island University Post put up a job listing advertising an NCAA Division II Women's ice hockey head coaching position. The team would be combined with the LIU Blackbirds to form the LIU Sharks which was part of a larger restructuring of the athletic programs at the two schools which combined the two programs as a Division I program.
 * The Post University Eagles became an associate member of the Northeast-10 after playing as a scheduling partner for the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons.

Men's

 * 2019-20 NE10 Season
 * 2019-20 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 April 4, 2018 a men's team representing Albertus Magnus College in New Haven, Connecticut was announced as hoping to start play in 2019-20. The team will be called the Albertus Falcons and play out of the Ralph Walker Skating Rink in New Haven. No conference affiliation was announced.


 * On April 5, 2018 the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference announced that the men's and women's teams representing Northland College (the Northland Lumberjacks and Northland Lumberjills) will be added to the WIAC as associate members for the 2019-20 season. Both teams are members of the Northern Collegiate Hockey Association.


 * 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.


 * 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.

Men's

 * 2019-20 CCC Season
 * 2019-20 MAC Men's Season
 * 2019-20 MASCAC Season
 * 2019-20 MIAC Men's Season
 * 2019-20 NCHA Men's Season
 * 2019-20 NEHC Men's Season
 * 2019-20 NESCAC Men's Season
 * 2019-20 SUNYAC Season
 * 2019-20 UCHC Men's Season
 * 2019-20 WIAC Men's Season
 * 2019-20 NCAA D-II and III Men's Independents
 * 2020 NCAA Division III Men's Ice Hockey Tournament

Women's

 * 2019-20 CHC Season
 * 2019-20 MAC Women's Season
 * 2019-20 MIAC Women's Season
 * 2019-20 NCHA Women's Season
 * 2019-20 NEHC Women's Season
 * 2019-20 NESCAC Women's Season
 * 2019-20 NEWHL Season
 * 2019-20 UCHC Women's Season
 * 2019-20 WIAC Women's Season
 * 2020 NCAA Division III Women's Ice Hockey Tournament

NAIANAIA_Hockey.jpg
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. The conference participated in the American Collegiate Hockey Association nationals for the first time in 2020 as a full conference.
 * 2019-20 WHAC Season