NCAA Division I Independents (men's hockey)
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NCAA Division I independents (independent schools) are four-year institutions that do not participate in a conference in a given sport. This does not mean that Division I independents schedule each other for competition like conference schools do. There are considerably fewer independent schools than in years past; many independent schools later join (or attempt to join) established conferences.
In men's hockey, there are several current schools who, at one time or another, competed as D-I independents.
As of 2006, there are no schools competing as a D-I independent in men's hockey.
Among the more noteworthy independent teams from the past:
- Rochester Institute of Technology competed as a D-I independent during the 2005-2006 season before joining Atlantic Hockey in 2006. This year was required before the formerly D-III RIT could join a D-I league.
- The United States Air Force Academy (Air Force) competed as a D-I independent from its program's inception in 1968 until 1999, when the school joined College Hockey America.
- The University of Alaska Anchorage competed as a D-I independent following the demise of the Great West Hockey Conference from 1988 to 1993, when the school joined the Western Collegiate Hockey Association. UAA even received NCAA tournament bids in 1990, 1991, and 1992 while an independent.
- The University of Alaska Fairbanks competed as a D-I independent following the demise of the Great West Hockey Conference from 1988 to 1994, when the school joined the Central Collegiate Hockey Association.
- The United States Military Academy (Army) competed as a D-I independent from 1973 to 1984 and again from 1991 to 1999, when the school joined the MAAC, a precursor conference to today's Atlantic Hockey.
- Merrimack College competed as a D-I independent from 1984 to 1989 when the school joined Hockey East. Merrimack even received an NCAA tournament invitation in 1988 while an independent.
- The University of Notre Dame competed as a D-I independent from 1984 to 1992 when the school rejoined the Central Collegiate Hockey Association.
- Sacred Heart University competed as a D-I independent from 1993 (their inaugural season) to 1998 when they joined the MAAC.
