Central Collegiate Hockey Association

Central Collegiate Hockey Association
CCHA
Established	1971
Association	NCAA
Division	Division I
Sports fielded	Ice hockey men's: yes women's: no
Region	Midwestern United States
Commissioner	Don Lucia (since 2020)
Website	https://ccha.com

The Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) is a college athletic conference that began competing in the NCAA's Division I as a hockey-only conference in the 2021–22 season. The first incarnation of the conference, which the current CCHA recognizes as part of its history, existed from 1971 to 2013. Half of its members are located in the state of Michigan, with additional members in Minnesota and Ohio. It has also had teams located in Alaska, Illinois, Indiana, Missouri and Nebraska during its existence.

The CCHA was disbanded after the 2012–13 season as the result of a conference realignment stemming from the Big Ten Conference (of which three CCHA schools; Michigan, Michigan State, and Ohio State, were primary members) choosing to sponsor Division I ice hockey beginning in the 2013–14 season. The remaining CCHA members received invitations to other conferences, such as the newly formed National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC), Hockey East, and the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA), which itself had been depleted by the Big Ten and NCHC. The conference's last game before its hiatus was the final of the 2013 CCHA Men's Ice Hockey Tournament at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, where Notre Dame beat Michigan 3–1 to win the Mason Cup championship.

On February 18, 2020, seven schools who had applied to leave the WCHA announced they would form a new CCHA for the 2021–22 season. The initial member schools were Bemidji State, Bowling Green (who had retained the rights to the CCHA name), Ferris State, Lake Superior State, Michigan Tech, Minnesota State and Northern Michigan. On July 29, 2020, it was announced that an eighth school, the University of St. Thomas, would join the conference after previously being an NCAA Division III program.

On May 17, 2022 the conference announced the addition of the Augustana Vikings to the conference for the 2023-24 season. The team will play a reduced schedule for the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons with a full league schedule beginning with the 2025-26 season.

History

Foundation

The CCHA began in 1971 as an NCAA conference comprised by Bowling Green, Ohio, Ohio State and Saint Louis. After adding Lake Superior State for year two, both Ohio State and Ohio withdrew from the conference, leaving the CCHA with a scant 3 members. Despite the trouble, the three teams rode out the rough patch and the league began to grow with the addition of Western Michigan and the return of Ohio State.

NCAA acceptance

Up until 1976 the NCAA had only offered bids to the tournament from teams in either ECAC Hockey or the WCHA. Because those were the only two Division I conferences for most years there was no controversy but, after the CCHA had proved to be more than just a flash in the pan, the tournament had to change. Beginning with the 1977 Championship the NCAA allowed itself the freedom to add up to four additional teams to the tournament with the understanding that the CCHA tournament champion would receive one of the additional bids. Bowling Green won the first tournament game for the conference but it wasn't until Northern Michigan reached the championship game in 1980 that the league began to gain acceptance.

WCHA defectors

1981 saw a major shift in college ice hockey with four teams from the WCHA defecting to the CCHA. The move was done as a way to reduce travel costs as well as provide the new team with a better chance at making the NCAA Tournament (many of the CCHA teams were still seen as lesser programs). Michigan State made the tournament in its first three season of CCHA play but it was founding member Bowling Green that won the conference's first national championship in 1984.

National prominence

Bill Beagan served as commissioner of the CCHA from 1985 to 1998. He implemented a pre-season training camp for referees, despite the officials going on strike in protest. He developed a working relationship with the NHL to develop future officials in collegiate hockey.

He sought to have CCHA games televised as a game-of-the-week, and signed the first national television contract for colleges in the United States. He brought in cable television partners which included the Pro Am Sports System and Fox Sports Net. He introduced instant replay to the CCHA in 1993, to be used at its league championships, and arranged for the CCHA Men's Ice Hockey Tournament finals to be played at Joe Louis Arena. He was credited with coining the phrase, "Road to the Joe", in reference to end-of-year tournament culminating at the Joe Louis Arena.

Prior to Beagan's arrival, the CCHA had not been a profitable association. After 10 years as commissioner, the league had made $4 million. Profits were shared with the schools, which were reinvested into hockey programs and new arenas. On-ice results improved during his tenure, and CCHA teams won six NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament championships. In addition, Beagan convinced the University of Notre Dame to resurrect its hockey program in 1992.

Michigan State won their first title as a CCHA team two years after Bowling Green and in 1988 Lake Superior State won their first NCAA championship. The Lakers and Spartans both remained near the top of the NCAA ranks into the 1990s but it was Michigan who took over as the conference pacesetter. The Wolverines began a streak of 22 consecutive tournament appearances in 1991 and won 2 national titles in that time. While the conference and most of its teams were stable throughout the early 21st century the CCHA suffered a mortal blow at the end of the decade.

Realignment and discontinuation

See also: 2010–2014 NCAA conference realignment: Ice hockey

Pennsylvania State University announced on September 17, 2010 the transition of its men's and women's American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) programs to NCAA Division I status in 2012. Just over a month earlier, then-commissioner Tom Anastos publicly stated that the CCHA would strongly consider adding Penn State as the conference's 12th member. Instead, the league was left to deal with the imminent departures of Michigan, Michigan State and Ohio State when the Big Ten Conference disclosed on March 21, 2011 its intention to establish a men's ice hockey circuit to begin play in the 2013–14 season, as the conference now had enough hockey teams to earn an automatic bid in the NCAA tournament for its champion. Joining the existing CCHA members were the University of Minnesota and the University of Wisconsin from the WCHA, as well as Penn State.

The next school slated to leave the CCHA in 2013 was Miami University which became a charter member of the NCHC on July 15, 2011. Western Michigan accepted an invitation to join the new league just over two months later on September 22.

The demise of the CCHA was further accelerated when five members decided to move to the WCHA following the 2012–13 campaign. Northern Michigan University, returning to the WCHA after leaving in 1997, was the first to make the announcement on July 20, followed by Alaska, Ferris State and Lake Superior State on August 26 and Bowling Green on October 4.

Notre Dame accepted an invitation to the Hockey East Association in a press conference on October 5, 2011.

Revival

On June 28, 2019 seven schools began the process of withdrawing from the WCHA, with the intent of forming a new conference for the 2021–22 season. The seven schools cited a more compact geographic footprint as one reason for the move, with Alabama-Huntsville, Alaska and Alaska–Anchorage notably absent. On February 18, 2020 these seven schools announced they would begin competing in a new CCHA in 2021–22.

Don Lucia, a former head coach at Alaska, Colorado College, and Minnesota, was named as commissioner of the new CCHA on June 17, 2020. A new league logo was introduced shortly thereafter.

Current members

Institution	Location	Nickname	Founded	Enrollment	Affiliation	Previous conference
Bemidji State University	Bemidji, Minnesota	Beavers	1919	6,354	Public	WCHA
Bowling Green State University	Bowling Green, Ohio	Falcons	1910	20,395	Public	WCHA
Ferris State University	Big Rapids, Michigan	Bulldogs	1884	14,707	Public	WCHA
Lake Superior State University	Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan	Lakers	1946	2,637	Public	WCHA
Michigan Technological University	Houghton, Michigan	Huskies	1885	7,270	Public	WCHA
Minnesota State University	Mankato, Minnesota	Mavericks	1868	17,357	Public	WCHA
Northern Michigan University	Marquette, Michigan	Wildcats	1899	6,764	Public	WCHA
University of St. Thomas	Saint Paul, Minnesota	Tommies	1885	9,878	Private	MIAC

Future member

Institution	Location	Nickname	Founded	Enrollment	Affiliation	Joining	Previous conference
Augustana University	Sioux Falls, South Dakota	Vikings	1860	2,080	Private	2023	None

Former members

Institution	Location	Nickname	Founded	Affiliation	Joined	Left	Subsequent conference	Current conference
Alaska Fairbanks University of Alaska Fairbanks	Fairbanks, Alaska	Nanooks	1917	Public	1995	2013	WCHA	Independent
Bowling Green State University	Bowling Green, Ohio	Falcons	1910	Public	1971	2013	WCHA	CCHA
Ferris State University	Big Rapids, Michigan	Bulldogs	1884	Public	1979	2013	WCHA	CCHA
Illinois Chicago University of Illinois at Chicago	Chicago, Illinois	Flames	1946	Public	1982	1996	dropped program as school sponsored sport
Kent State University	Kent, Ohio	Golden Flashes	1910	Public	1992	1994	dropped program as school sponsored sport
Lake Superior State University	Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan	Lakers	1946	Public	1972	2013	WCHA	CCHA
Miami University	Oxford, Ohio	RedHawks	1809	Public	1980	2013	NCHC
Michigan University of Michigan	Ann Arbor, Michigan	Wolverines	1817	Public	1981	2013	Big Ten
Michigan State University	East Lansing, Michigan	Spartans	1855	Public	1981	2013	Big Ten
Michigan Technological University	Houghton, Michigan	Huskies	1885	Public	1981	1984	WCHA	CCHA
Nebraska Omaha University of Nebraska Omaha	Omaha, Nebraska	Mavericks	1908	Public	1999	2010	WCHA	NCHC
Northern Michigan University	Marquette, Michigan	Wildcats	1899	Public	1977 1997	1984 2013	WCHA (1984 and 2013)	CCHA
Notre Dame University of Notre Dame	Notre Dame, Indiana	Fighting Irish	1842	Private/Catholic	1981 1992	1983 2013	Hockey East	Big Ten
Ohio University	Athens, Ohio	Bobcats	1804	Public	1971	1973	dropped program as school sponsored sport
Ohio State University	Columbus, Ohio	Buckeyes	1870	Public	1971 1975	1973 2013	Independent Big Ten
Saint Louis University	St. Louis, Missouri	Billikens	1818	Private/Catholic	1971	1979	dropped program as school sponsored sport
Western Michigan University	Kalamazoo, Michigan	Broncos	1903	Public	1975	2013	NCHC

Membership timeline

Regular-season champions

For the list of CCHA Tournament champions, see List of CCHA Men's Ice Hockey Tournament champions.

1972 Ohio State/Saint Louis 1973 Saint Louis 1974 Lake Superior State/Saint Louis 1975 Saint Louis 1976 Bowling Green 1977 Saint Louis 1978 Bowling Green 1979 Bowling Green 1980 Northern Michigan 1981 Northern Michigan 1982 Bowling Green 1983 Bowling Green 1984 Bowling Green 1985 Michigan State 1986 Michigan State 1987 Bowling Green 1988 Lake Superior State 1989 Michigan State 1990 Michigan State 1991 Lake Superior State 1992 Lake Superior State

1993 Miami 1994 Michigan 1995 Michigan 1996 Lake Superior State/Michigan 1997 Michigan 1998 Michigan State 1999 Michigan State 2000 Michigan 2001 Michigan State 2002 Michigan 2003 Ferris State 2004 Michigan 2005 Michigan 2006 Miami 2007 Notre Dame 2008 Michigan 2009 Notre Dame 2010 Miami 2011 Michigan 2012 Ferris State 2013 Miami 2022 Minnesota State

Awards

At the conclusion of each regular season schedule the coaches of each CCHA team vote which players they choose to be on the three All-Conference Teams: first team, second team and rookie team. They also vote on awards for the league's top defenseman, forward, goaltender, player regardless of position, rookie, and coach. The CCHA also awards a Most Valuable Player in Tournament which is voted on at the conclusion of the conference tournament. In the past, the Perani Cup and a Humanitarian Award were presented, but they were not reinstated when the conference resumed play. None of the individual awards conferred by the CCHA have been given for the entire existence of the conference. Only the Tournament MVP was awarded in the inaugural CCHA season, but that award was discontinued thereafter until 1982.

The original CCHA's awards for player, goaltender, and coach of the year, plus the tournament MVP, were revived along with the league in 2021–22. The awards presented by the original CCHA for best offensive and defensive defenseman were merged into a single award for best defenseman, and the original CCHA's award for best defensive forward was folded into the award for best forward.

All-Conference Teams Award Inaugural Year First Team 1972–73 Second Team 1972–73 Rookie Team 1988–89 All-Tournament Team 1972

Individual awards Current Award Inaugural Year Player of the Year 1976–77 Rookie of the Year 1978–79 Coach of the Year 1975–76 Forward of the Year 2021–22 Defenseman of the Year 2021–22 Goaltender of the Year 2000–01 Most Valuable Player in Tournament 1972 Former Award Inaugural Year Best Defensive Forward 1989–90 Best Offensive Defenseman 1989–90 Best Defensive Defenseman 1989–90 Terry Flanagan Memorial Award 1992–93 Ilitch Humanitarian Award 2000–01 Perani Cup Champion 2002–03 Scholar-Athlete of the Year 2004–05

All-Decade Teams

1970s All-Decade Team

1970s All-Decade Team

First Team F Steve Bozek, 1978–81, Northern Michigan F Bill Joyce, 1976–80, Northern Michigan F John Markell, 1975–79, Bowling Green D Tom Laidlaw, 1976–80, Northern Michigan D Ken Morrow, 1975–79, Bowling Green G Mike Liut, 1973–77, Bowling Green

Second Team F Bob Dobek, 1972–75, Bowling Green F Rick Kennedy, 1971–75, St. Louis F Mark Wells, 1975–79, Bowling Green D Roger Archer, 1971–75, Bowling Green D Tom Davies, 1970–74, D, Lake Superior State D Don Waddell, 1976–80, Northern Michigan G Steve Weeks, 1976–1980, Northern Michigan

1980s All-Decade Team

1980s All-Decade Team

First Team F Nelson Emerson, 1986–90, Bowling Green F George McPhee, 1978–82, Bowling Green F Kip Miller, 1986–90, Michigan State D Rob Blake, 1987–90, Bowling Green D Wayne Gagné, 1983–87, Western Michigan G Ron Scott, 1980–83, Michigan State

Second Team F Dan Dorion, 1982–86, Western Michigan F Brian Hills, 1979–83, Bowling Green F Paul Pooley, 1981–84, Ohio State D Garry Galley, 1981–84, Bowling Green D Don McSween, 1983–87, Michigan State G Gary Kruzich, 1983–87, Bowling Green

1990s All-Decade Team

1990s All-Decade Team

First Team F Jim Dowd, 1987–91, Lake Superior State F Brendan Morrison, 1993–97, Michigan F Mike York, 1995–99, Michigan State D Keith Aldridge, 1992–96, Lake Superior State D Mark Astley, 1988–92, Lake Superior State G Marty Turco, 1994–98, Michigan

Second Team F Denny Felsner, 1988–92, Michigan F Brian Holzinger, 1991–95, Bowling Green F Dwayne Norris, 1988–92, Michigan State D Dan Boyle, 1994–98, Miami D Mike Weaver, 1996–00, Michigan State G Darrin Madeley, 1989–92, Lake Superior State

2000-2013 All-Decade Team

2000-2013 All-Decade Team

First Team F T. J. Hensick, 2003–07, Michigan F Chris Kunitz, 1999–03, Ferris State F Kevin Porter, 2004–08, Michigan D Andy Greene, 2002–06, Miami D John-Michael Liles, 1999–03, Michigan State G Ryan Miller, 1999–02, Michigan State

Second Team F Ryan Jones, 2004–08, Miami F Andy Miele, 2007–11, Miami F Scott Parse, 2003–07, Omaha D Brad Fast, 1999–03, Michigan State D Greg Zanon, 1999–03, Omaha G Cody Reichard, 2008–12, Miami

See Also

• List of CCHA seasons

External links

• Official CCHA site