'College Hockey America' is a college athletic conference with teams ranging geographically from
New York to
Alabama and
Minnesota. It participates in the
NCAA's Division I as a
hockey-only conference.
Member schools
There are six member schools in all; the men's division has five members, while the women's division has four:
| Institution | Location | Nickname | Founded | Affiliation | Enrollment | Joined | Men's championships | Women's championships | Primary Conference |
|---|
| University of Alabama in Huntsville | Huntsville, Alabama | Chargers | 1950 | Public | 7,000 | 1999 | 2007 | N/A | Gulf South (D-II) |
| Bemidji State University | Bemidji, Minnesota | Beavers | 1919 | Public | 5,000 | 1999 | 2005, 2006 | Plays in WCHA | Northern Sun (D-II) |
| Mercyhurst College | Erie, Pennsylvania | Lakers | 1926 | Private/Catholic | 4,106 | 1999 | Plays in Atlantic Hockey | 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 | GLIAC (D-II) |
| Niagara University | Lewiston, New York | Purple Eagles | 1856 | Private/Catholic | 3,746 | 1999 | 2000, 2004 | 0 | MAAC |
| Robert Morris University | Moon Township, Pennsylvania | Colonials | 1921 | Private/Non-sectarian | 5,000 | 2004 | 0 | 0 | NEC |
| Wayne State University | Detroit, Michigan | Warriors | 1868 | Public | 33,000 | 1999 | 2001, 2002, 2003 | 0 | GLIAC (D-II) |
Former
★
United States Air Force Academy (
Atlantic Hockey) 1999-2006
★
University of Findlay (Dropped Program), 1999-2004
★
United States Military Academy (
Atlantic Hockey), 1999-2003
Future of the CHA
With the
United States Air Force Academy leaving the conference after the 2005-06 season to join
Atlantic Hockey, the conference is in danger of losing its automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament since eligible conferences must have at least six schools. Further, there is a distinct possibility that CHA will be forced to disband.
[1] CHA can maintain its automatic tournament bid for up to two seasons as a five-team conference, but must forefit their automatic bid after finding a sixth team for as many years as they take this exception.
It has been reported that
NCAA Director of Championships Tom Jacobs is pushing legislation that would amend NCAA by-law 31.3.4.4 to allow the Championship Committee for sports that are sponsored by less than 25 percent of a division's membership to develop its own guidelines for dispersing automatic bids.
[2] Such legislation would allow CHA to maintain its automatic bid, without penalty, with only five member schools.
CHA championship games
For the first time in conference history, the 2006 men's and women's tournaments were held at the same site: The
Fairgrounds Arena in
Detroit,
Michigan. The 2007 men's conference tournament was held in
Des Moines, Iowa while the women's tournament remained in Detroit.
Men's
★ 2000 Niagara def. Alabama-Huntsville 3-2 (
Huntsville, AL)
★ 2001 Wayne State def. Alabama-Huntsville 4-1 (Huntsville, AL)
★ 2002 Wayne State def. Alabama-Huntsville 5-4 (ot) (
Lewiston, NY)
★ 2003 Wayne State def. Bemidji State 3-2 (
Kearney, NE)
★ 2004 Niagara def. Bemidji State 4-3 (ot) (Kearney, NE)
★ 2005 Bemidji State def. Alabama-Huntsville 3-0 (
Grand Rapids, MN)
★ 2006 Bemidji State def. Niagara 4-2 (
Detroit, MI)
★ 2007 Alabama-Hunsville def. Robert Morris 5-4 (ot) (
Des Moines, IA)
Postseason Men's Hockey History
1. College Hockey America was not awarded an automatic bid until 2003. Niagara qualified for the tournament as an at-large invitee.
Women's
★ 2003 Mercyhurst def.
Findlay 1-0 (Detroit, MI)
★ 2004 Mercyhurst def. Niagara 3-1 (Lewiston, NY)
★ 2005 Mercyhurst def. Niagara 4-1 (
Erie, PA)
★ 2006 Mercyhurst def. Niagara 6-2 (Detroit, MI)
★ 2007 Mercyhurst def. Wayne State 4-1 (
Pittsburgh, PA)
Postseason Women's Hockey History
Conference arenas
External links
★
Official CHA Conference Site