The Great West Hockey Conference was a Western United States based NCAA Division I hockey only conference which existed from 1986 to 1988. The conference was founded by four independent programs that were unable to gain conference affliations.
The founding members of the league were:
- University of Alaska-Anchorage
- University of Alaska-Fairbanks
- Northern Arizona University
- U.S. International University
The layout of the league meant that the members had to travel by plane to get to league games and became an financial burden for the league's members. Northern Arizona dropped its varsity hockey program after the 1985-86 season. U.S. International University followed suit after the 1987-88 season forcing the league to cease operations. Alaska-Anchorage remained an independent until joining the WCHA in 1993 and Alaska-Fairbanks joined the CCHA as an associate member in 1993 and gained full membership in 1995.
The Conference did not have any teams qualify for the NCAA Div 1 Championship tournament during its existence.
Conference seasons[]
Conference champions[]
- 1985-86 - US International
- 1986-87 - Alaska-Anchorage
- 1987-88 - Alaska-Fairbanks
NCAA Division I hockey conferences | |
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Current | Atlantic Hockey - Big Ten Conference - Central Collegiate Hockey Association - College Hockey America (women's) - ECAC Hockey - Hockey East - National Collegiate Hockey Conference - New England Women's Hockey Alliance - Western Collegiate Hockey Association (women's) - Independents |
Former | College Hockey America (men's) - Great West Hockey Conference - Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference - Tri-State League - Western Collegiate Hockey Association (men's) |
Championships: Men / Women |