NCAA Division I independent schools

Location of D-I hockey independents

NCAA Division I independent schools are teams that compete in NCAA college ice hockey but are not members of a conference. There are several current schools who, at one time or another, competed as Division I independents.

Current independent programs

Men

Institution	Team	Location	Founded	Type	Enrollment	Years	Primary Conference
Arizona State University	Sun Devils	Tempe, Arizona	1885	Public	50,246	2015–present	Pac-12 Conference
Long Island University	Sharks	Brooklyn and Brookville, New York	1926	Private	15,197	2020–present	Northeast Conference

The Sun Devils moved up from club hockey in the ACHA to full varsity status. Arizona State began playing a full Division I schedule in 2016–17. ASU had expected to join a hockey conference by 2017–18, but no conference move has yet materialized. LIU, which had launched a women's hockey program in 2019–20, added men's hockey for 2020–21. With the 2020–21 season dramatically affected by COVID-19, both teams became scheduling partners of existing Division I hockey conferences for that season. ASU will partner with the Big Ten Conference, playing a road-only schedule of seven games against each of the conference's seven hockey members. LIU will partner with Atlantic Hockey.

Women

As of the 2019–20 season, no programs compete as independents in the National Collegiate division of NCAA women's hockey, the de facto equivalent of Division I in that sport.

Five schools competed as independents in the 2018–19 season, all participating in the New England Women's Hockey Alliance, which had been established in 2017 as a scheduling alliance between the then-current National Collegiate independents. The NEWHA had been founded with six members, but Holy Cross left after the alliance's first season to join Hockey East. It formally organized as a conference in 2018–19 with the remaining five members, but was not officially recognized by the NCAA until 2019–20, by which time the newly established LIU women's team had returned the NEWHA membership to six.

Current programs which were at one point independent

Men

School	Years	Subsequent conference	Notes
Air Force Falcons	1968–1999	CHA	Joined Atlantic Hockey in 2006
Alabama–Huntsville Chargers	1987–1992 1998–1999 2010–2013	Division II CHA WCHA	The Chargers first competed as a Division I independent between stints in Division II. After winning 2 championships and finishing as runners-up twice more, UAH returned to Division I in 1998, spending one season as an independent before becoming a charter member of College Hockey America. Following the demise of the men's side of CHA, and being denied entry to the CCHA, the Chargers were independent for three seasons (2010–11 to 2012–13) until joining the Western Collegiate Hockey Association beginning in the 2013–14 season. UAH dropped the sport in May 2020, but after a successful fundraising drive reinstated the team later that month..
Alaska–Anchorage Seawolves	1984–1985 1988–1993	GWHC WCHA	The Seawolves competed as an independent following the demise of the Great West Hockey Conference. The school joined the Western Collegiate Hockey Association in 1993. UAA received NCAA tournament bids in 1990, 1991, and 1992 while an independent.
Alaska–Fairbanks Nanooks	1925–1926 1932–1973 1988–1994	dropped program Division II CCHA	The Nanooks re-joined Division I in 1985 in the Great West Hockey Conference, and went independent following the conference's demise. They joined the Central Collegiate Hockey Association in 1994. Joined the WCHA in 2013.
Army Black Knights	1903–1961 1991–1999	ECAC CHA	Joined Atlantic Hockey in 2000.
Bemidji State Beavers	1947–1950	dropped program	Bemidji returned to Division I in 1999 as a charter member of College Hockey America, and moved to the WCHA for 2010–11. Will join the revived CCHA in 2021.
Boston College Eagles	1917–1961	ECAC	Currently competes in Hockey East.
Boston University Terriers	1917–1943 1945–1961	suspended program ECAC	Currently competes in Hockey East.
Brown Bears	1897–1961	ECAC
Clarkson Golden Knights	1920–1950	Tri-State League	Clarkson was a member of the Tri-State League concurrently with ECAC from 1961 until the Tri-State's dissolution in 1972.
Colgate Raiders	1915–1917 1920–1950 1957–1961	dropped program Tri-State League ECAC	Colgate dropped their program in 1951 due to the lack of an indoor facility but returned to the ice in 1957.
Colorado College Tigers	1937–1951 1958–1959	MCHL WCHA	Joined the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) in 2013.
Cornell Big Red	1900–1901 1902–1903 1906–1916 1920–1931 1933–1948 1957–1961	dropped program dropped program suspended program dropped program dropped program ECAC
Dartmouth Big Green	1905–1918 1919–1961	suspended program ECAC
Denver Pioneers	1949–1951 1958–1959	MCHL WCHA	Joined the NCHC in 2013.
Harvard Crimson	1897–1917 1918–1943 1945–1961	suspended program suspended program ECAC
UMass Minutemen	1908–1939 1947–1951 1953–1961 1993–1994	dropped program dropped program Division II Hockey East	Dropped program from 1979 until 1993.
Merrimack Warriors	1984–1989	Hockey East	Moved up from Division II in 1984. Merrimack received an NCAA tournament invitation in 1988 while an independent.
Miami RedHawks	1978–1980	CCHA	Joined the NCHC in 2013.
Michigan Wolverines	1922–1951	MCHL	Was also a member of the Big Ten from 1958 through 1981. Moved to CCHA in 1981. Joined the new Big Ten men's hockey league in 2013..
Michigan State Spartans	1921–1930 1949–1951	dropped program MCHL	Was also a member of the Big Ten from 1958 through 1981. Moved to CCHA in 1981. Joined the new Big Ten men's hockey league in 2013.
Michigan Tech Huskies	1919–1951 1958–1959	MCHL WCHA	Played in the CCHA from 1981–84. Rejoined the WCHA in 1984; will join the revived CCHA in 2021.
Minnesota Golden Gophers	1921–1951	MCHL	Was also a member of the Big Ten from 1958 through 1981. Joined the new Big Ten men's hockey league in 2013.
Minnesota–Duluth Bulldogs	1930–1932 1946–1965	dropped program WCHA	Joined the NCHC in 2013.
Minnesota State Mavericks	1996–1999	WCHA	after moving up from Division II and before joining the WCHA. Will join the revived CCHA in 2021.
New Hampshire Wildcats	1924–1961	ECAC	Currently competes in Hockey East.
Niagara Purple Eagles	1997–1999	CHA	Niagara began varsity hockey in 1997, and became a charter member of the CHA in 1999. They moved to Atlantic Hockey for 2010–11.
North Dakota Fighting Hawks	1929–1936 1946–1951 1958–1959	dropped program MCHL WCHA	Joined the NCHC in 2013.
Northeastern Huskies	1929–1961	ECAC	Currently competes in Hockey East.
Northern Michigan Wildcats	1976–1977	CCHA	Joined the WCHA in 2013, and will join the revived CCHA in 2021.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish	1912–1927 1968–1971 1984–1991	dropped program WCHA CCHA	Left the CCHA in 2013 for Hockey East, and joined Big Ten hockey in 2017.
Ohio State Buckeyes	1963–1971 1973–1975	CCHA CCHA	Joined the new Big Ten men's hockey league in 2013.
Penn State Nittany Lions	2012–2013	Big Ten	In September 2010, Penn State announced they would add men's and women's NCAA Division I hockey programs in 2012, competing in their first season as an independent. In March 2011, the Big Ten Conference announced that Michigan, Michigan State, and Ohio State would leave the CCHA, and Minnesota and Wisconsin announced that they would leave the WCHA to form a Big Ten hockey conference to begin play in the 2013–14 season.
Princeton Tigers	1900–1961	ECAC
Providence Friars	1926–1927 1952–1954 1955–1961	dropped program Northeast League ECAC	Currently competes in Hockey East.
RIT Tigers	2005–2006	Atlantic Hockey	Played first year of its probation period after joining Division I as an independent.
RPI Engineers	1901–1950	Tri-State League	Rensselaer was a member of the Tri-State League concurrently with ECAC from 1961 until the Tri-State's dissolution in 1972.
Sacred Heart Pioneers	1993–1998	MAAC
St. Cloud State Huskies	1931–1942 1987–1990	dropped program WCHA	Dropped their program during World War II, resumed in 1946 in Division II. Joined the NCHC in 2013.
St. Lawrence Saints	1925–1930 1938–1950	dropped program Tri-State League	St. Lawrence was a member of the Tri-State League concurrently with ECAC from 1961 until the Tri-State's dissolution in 1972.
Union Dutchmen	1903–1949	dropped program	Suspended their program from 1949–1975, resumed in Division III, before moving back to Division I in the ECAC in 1991.
Wisconsin Badgers	1921–1935 1963–1969	dropped program WCHA	Joined the new Big Ten men's hockey league in 2013.
Yale Bulldogs	1895–1961	ECAC	Yale is the oldest active NCAA program.

Women

School	Years	Subsequent conference	Notes
Clarkson Golden Knights	2003–2004	ECAC	Played the first year of their program as an independent before joining the ECAC
Franklin Pierce Ravens	2017–2019	NEWHA	Moved from the Division III NEHC in 2017, joining the NEWHA. Left independent status upon NCAA recognition of the NEWHA.
Holy Cross Crusaders	2017–2018	Hockey East	After playing as a de facto Division III program from the varsity program's creation in 1999–2000, joined the NEWHA at its formation in 2017–18 before moving to Hockey East the following season.
Lindenwood Lady Lions	2011–2012	CHA	The university competed as an independent for the 2011–12 season during the transition process of joining the NCAA from NAIA, during which, the team was reclassifying from ACHA Division I to NCAA Division I. Lindenwood placed an application in Fall 2011 and was accepted as a member of CHA starting in the 2012–13 season.
Post Eagles	2017–2019	NEWHA	Played inaugural women's hockey season of 2016–17 as a Division III independent ineligible for postseason play. Joined the NEWHA at its formation in 2017 and left independent status upon NCAA recognition of the NEWHA.
Quinnipiac Bobcats	2002–2004	CHA	Left the ECAC after 2002 and spent two years playing as an independent before joining the CHA. They returned to the ECAC after one season in the CHA.
RPI Engineers	2005–2006	ECAC	Moved up from Division III (where they were a member of the ECAC East) in 2005.
Sacred Heart Pioneers	2003–2019	NEWHA	Moved from Division III, where they had been a member of ECAC East, in 2003. Left independent status when the NCAA recognized the NEWHA.
Saint Anselm Hawks	2017–2019	NEWHA	Moved from the Division III NEHC in 2017, joining the NEWHA. Left independent status upon NCAA recognition of the NEWHA.
Saint Michael's Purple Knights	2017–2019	NEWHA	Moved from the Division III NEHC in 2017, joining the NEWHA. Left independent status upon NCAA recognition of the NEWHA.
UConn Huskies	2000–2001	ECAC	Played the first year of their program as an independent before joining the ECAC, and moving to Hockey East in 2002.

Defunct teams

Men

School	Years	Subsequent conference	Notes
Carnegie Tech Tartans	1905–1910 1920–1921	dropped program dropped program	Program folded both times. Carnegie Tech merged into Carnegie Mellon University, which has never fielded varsity hockey, in 1967.
Kent State Golden Flashes	1985–1992	CCHA	Program folded in 1994.
Illinois Fighting Illini	1937–1943	dropped program
UIC Flames	1981–1982	CCHA	Moved up from Division II in 1981. Program folded in 1996.
MIT Engineers	1906–1961	ECAC	The program joined the lower-tier division in 1964 and was dropped in 1975.
Northern Arizona Lumberjacks	1980–1985	GWHC	Folded their program after one season in the GWHC.
Penn Quakers	1898–1901 1908–1911 1919–1924 1928–1929 1939–1942 1958–1967	dropped program dropped program dropped program dropped program dropped program ECAC	Program ended after the 1977-78 season.
Pittsburgh Panthers	1896–1909	Intercollegiate League	varsity hockey was played intermittently from at least 1896, varsity program dropped presumably around 1916, if not earlier.
Saint Louis Billikens	1970–1971	CCHA	St. Louis was a founding member of the CCHA and continued with the conference until the program was demoted to club status in 1979. They currently play as an unrecognized Division II team.
Syracuse Orangemen	1911–1913 1923–1928 1939–1940	dropped program dropped program dropped program	School nickname changed to "Orange" in 2004.
U.S. International Gulls	1979–1985	GWHC	Dropped their program in 1988.
Villanova Wildcats	1929–1932	dropped program	Returned as a Division III team and later dropped their program again after the 1997–1998 season for Title IX reasons.

Women

School	Years	Subsequent conference	Notes
North Dakota Fighting Hawks	2002–2004	WCHA	Played the first years of their program as an independent before joining the WCHA. Dropped women's ice hockey after the 2016–17 season.

See also

• List of NCAA Division I ice hockey programs