College Hockey America NCAA Division I Conference | |
Founded: | 1999 |
---|---|
Number of teams: | 4 |
Commissioner: | Robert M. DeGregorio, Jr. |
Defending champions (men): | Alabama-Huntsville Chargers (2010) |
Defending champions (women): | Robert Morris Colonials |
Website: | http://www.chawomenshockey.com/ |
College Hockey America (CHA) is a college ice hockey conference in the United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I as a hockey-only conference. The conference is currently made up of five women's teams in Michigan, New York, and Pennsylvania. The women's league began play in the 2002–03 season with four teams.[1]
The CHA was founded as a men's-only league in 1999. The conference was formed from teams moving up from Division II, after the NCAA stopped sanctioning Division II hockey in 1998, and existing Division I independent teams.[2] The league began with seven members, but by the 2008–09 season, only four remained. The men's division folded after the 2009–2010 season.[3][4]
Members
Institution | Location | Nickname | Founded | Affiliation | Enrollment | Joined | Women's championships | Men's conference | Primary Conference |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mercyhurst College | Erie, Pennsylvania | Lakers | 1926 | Private/Catholic | 4,106 | 2002 | 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 | Atlantic Hockey | PSAC (D-II) |
Niagara University | Lewiston, New York | Purple Eagles | 1856 | Private/Catholic | 3,746 | 2002 | – | Atlantic Hockey | MAAC |
Robert Morris University | Moon Township, Pennsylvania | Colonials | 1921 | Private/Non-sectarian | 5,000 | 2005 | – | Atlantic Hockey | NEC |
Syracuse University | Syracuse, New York | Orange | 1870 | Private/Non-sectarian | 19,082 | 2008 | – | – | Big East |
Former members
- Findlay Oilers, 2002–2004 (dropped program[5])
- Quinnipiac Bobcats, 2004–2005 (moved to ECACHL)
- Wayne State Warriors, 2002–2011 (dropped program)
Conference arenas
School | Arena | Capacity |
---|---|---|
Mercyhurst | Mercyhurst Ice Center | 1,500 |
Niagara | Dwyer Arena | 2,000 |
Robert Morris | Island Sports Center | 1,100 |
Syracuse | Tennity Ice Skating Pavilion War Memorial at Oncenter |
renovations pending 6,230 |
Women's tournament finals
For the first time in conference history, the 2006 men's and women's tournaments were held at the same site: The Michigan State Fairgrounds Coliseum in Detroit, Michigan. The 2008 tournaments were also held jointly, at Dwyer Arena in Lewiston, New York.
Year | Champion | Score | Runner-up | City |
---|---|---|---|---|
2003 | Mercyhurst | 1–0 | Findlay | Detroit, Michigan |
2004 | Mercyhurst | 3–1 | Niagara | Lewiston, New York |
2005 | Mercyhurst | 4–1 | Niagara | Erie, Pennsylvania |
2006 | Mercyhurst | 6–2 | Niagara | Detroit, Michigan |
2007 | Mercyhurst | 4–1 | Wayne State | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
2008 | Mercyhurst | 2–1 (ot) | Wayne State | Lewiston, New York |
2009 | Mercyhurst | 6–1 | Wayne State | Erie, Pennsylvania |
2010 | Mercyhurst | 3–1 | Syracuse | Detroit, Michigan |
Postseason women's hockey history
The women's CHA does not have an automatic bid; all of these participants reached the tournament via at-large bids.
Year | CHA Rep. | Opponent | Result |
---|---|---|---|
2005 | Mercyhurst | Harvard | L 5–4 (3ot) |
2006 | Mercyhurst | Wisconsin | L 2–1 (2ot) |
2007 | Mercyhurst | Minnesota–Duluth | L 3–2 (ot) |
2008 | Mercyhurst | Minnesota–Duluth | L 5–4 |
2009 | Mercyhurst | St. Lawrence | W 3–1 |
Minnesota | W 5–4 (frozen four) | ||
Wisconsin | L 5–0 (national final) | ||
2010 | Mercyhurst | Boston University | W 4–1 |
Cornell | L 3–2 (frozen four) |
Men's division
The CHA was originally founded in 1999 with only a men's division. Three of the seven charter members, Alabama–Huntsville, Bemidji State,and Findlay, had recently moved up from Division II, while Air Force, Army, and Niagara were formerly independent. Wayne State were a charter member, and began sponsoring varsity hockey in 2000.
Niagara went undefeated in conference play in 1999–2000, winning the conference tournament and gaining an at-large invitation to the NCAA Tournament. (The conference did not gain an automatic bid until the 2003 tournament.) Army spent only one season in the league before leaving for the MAAC. Findlay dropped their hockey programs following the 2003–2004 season, to be replaced by Robert Morris, who began play in 2004–2005. After Air Force left for Atlantic Hockey in 2006 and Wayne State dropped their program in 2008, the conference was left with only four teams. The CHA sought to add new programs to its men's league, hoping to draw interest from some of the top club teams in the country, including Kennesaw State University.[2] However, these efforts came up short, with CHA and school personnel citing Title IX as a major hurdle in the negotiations.[6]
On January 29, 2009, Niagara University announced that it and Robert Morris University were moving to Atlantic Hockey beginning in the 2010-11 season.[7] Bemidji State applied again to the Western Collegiate Hockey Association for inclusion and was accepted, along with the University of Nebraska-Omaha of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association. Alabama-Huntsville applied to the CCHA[8] following the announced departure of Nebraska-Omaha and was denied. [9] Alabama-Huntsville will compete as an independent team beginning with the 2010-11 season.
Member schools
There were eight member schools in total. The conference began in 2000 with seven teams, and ended in 2010 with four.
Institution | Location | Nickname | Membership | Men's championships | Fate |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
University of Alabama in Huntsville | Huntsville, Alabama | Chargers | 1999–2010 | 2007, 2010 | Independent |
Bemidji State University | Bemidji, Minnesota | Beavers | 1999–2010 | 2005, 2006, 2009 | WCHA |
University of Findlay | Findlay, Ohio | Oilers | 1999–2004 | – | dropped program[5] |
Niagara University | Lewiston, New York | Purple Eagles | 1999–2010 | 2000, 2004, 2008 | Atlantic Hockey |
Robert Morris University | Moon Township, Pennsylvania | Colonials | 2004–2010 | – | Atlantic Hockey |
United States Air Force Academy | Colorado Springs, Colorado | Falcons | 1999–2006 | – | Atlantic Hockey |
United States Military Academy | West Point, New York | Black Knights | 1999–2000 | – | Atlantic Hockey |
Wayne State University | Detroit, Michigan | Warriors | 1999–2008 | 2001, 2002, 2003 | dropped men's program |
Championship games
Tournament champions were awarded the Bob Peters Cup.
Year | Champion | Score | Runner-up | City |
---|---|---|---|---|
2000 | Niagara | 3–2 | Alabama–Huntsville | Huntsville, Alabama |
2001 | Wayne State | 4–1 | Alabama–Huntsville | Huntsville, Alabama |
2002 | Wayne State | 5–4 (ot) | Alabama–Huntsville | Lewiston, New York |
2003 | Wayne State | 3–2 | Bemidji State | Kearney, Nebraska |
2004 | Niagara | 4–3 (ot) | Bemidji State | Kearney, Nebraska |
2005 | Bemidji State | 3–0 | Alabama–Huntsville | Grand Rapids, Minnesota |
2006 | Bemidji State | 4–2 | Niagara | Detroit, Michigan |
2007 | Alabama–Huntsville | 5–4 (ot) | Robert Morris | Des Moines, Iowa |
2008 | Niagara | 3–2 | Bemidji State | Lewiston, New York |
2009 | Bemidji State | 3–2 (ot) | Robert Morris | Bemidji, Minnesota |
2010 | Alabama–Huntsville | 3–2 (ot) | Niagara | Lewiston, New York |
Postseason Men's Hockey History
Year | CHA Rep. | Opponent | Result |
---|---|---|---|
2000 | Niagara | New Hampshire | W 4–1 |
North Dakota | L 4–1 | ||
2003 | Wayne State | Colorado College | L 4–2 |
2004 | Niagara | Boston College | L 5–2 |
2005 | Bemidji State | Denver | L 4–3 (ot) |
2006 | Bemidji State | Wisconsin | L 4–0 |
2007 | Alabama–Huntsville | Notre Dame | L 3–2 (2ot) |
2008 | Niagara | Michigan | L 5–1 |
2009 | Bemidji State | Notre Dame | W 5–1 |
Cornell | W 4–1 | ||
Miami (OH) | L 4–1 (frozen four) | ||
2010 | Alabama–Huntsville | Miami (OH) | L 2-1 |
Bemidji State | Michigan | L 5-1 |
^A At-large invitee. College Hockey America was not awarded an automatic bid until 2003.
References
- ↑ Morris, Geof F. (Aug. 1, 2002). College Hockey America Starts Division I Women's League. USCHO.com. Retrieved on 15 March 2010.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Brown, Scott (April 23, 2006). A New World Order. USCHO.com. Retrieved on 15 March 2010.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 WCHA Brings Aboard Bemidji, Omaha. USCHO.com. Retrieved on 15 March 2010.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Lerch, Chris (Jan. 28, 2009). Atlantic Hockey Approves Expansion: Niagara and Robert Morris To Join. USCHO.com. Retrieved on 15 March 2010.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Wodon, Adam (Jan. 6, 2004). Findlay To Drop Hockey. USCHO.com. Retrieved on 14 March 2010.
- ↑ Shaver, Wally. News and notes from the 2008 NCAA Men’s Frozen Four. Retrieved on 2010-01-28.
- ↑ http://www.purpleeagles.com/sports/mhockey/release.asp?release_id=11115 Niagara Men's Hockey To Join Atlantic Hockey
- ↑ http://www.grandforksherald.com/articles/index.cfm?id=104225 Alabama-Huntsville interested in CCHA, WCHA
- ↑ http://www.uahchargers.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1008&Itemid=245 CCHA denies hockey program's application for admission - Press Release - Aug. 11, 2009
- ↑ McLaughlin, Budd. "UAH program standing alone", The Huntsville Times, September 23, 2009.
External links
CHA Resources
External Links
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