College Hockey America

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College Hockey America (CHA)
Established: 1999
College Hockey America logo
NCAA Division I
Members 7
Sports fielded Ice hockey (men's: 4 teams; women's: 5 teams)
Region Nationwide
Headquarters Detroit, MI
Commissioner R.H. "Bob" Peters (since 2001)
Website http://collegehockeyamerica.com/
Locations
College Hockey America locations

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. When the NCAA no longer sanctioned Division II hockey, this conference formed among schools who had played at that level and chose to compete at the Division I level.

Contents


[edit] Member schools

There are seven member schools in all; the men's division has four members, while the women's division has five:

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, 2008 GLIAC (D-II)
Niagara University Lewiston, New York Purple Eagles 1856 Private/Catholic 3,746 1999 2000, 2004, 2008 0 MAAC
Robert Morris University Moon Township, Pennsylvania Colonials 1921 Private/Non-sectarian 5,000 2004 0 0 NEC
Syracuse University Syracuse, New York Orange 1870 Private/Non-sectarian 19,082 2008 N/A 0 Big East
Wayne State University Detroit, Michigan Warriors 1868 Public 33,000 1999 Dropped in 2008 0 GLIAC (D-II)

[edit] Former

[edit] 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 forfeit their automatic bid after finding a sixth team for as many years as they take this exception.

Wayne State will be dropping its men's program after the 2007-2008 season.

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.

In January 2008, Bemidji State and the men's Western Collegiate Hockey Association announced a scheduling agreement officially beginning for the 2010-2011 season. This move looks to be the first step towards Bemidji's men's team joining its women's team in the WCHA sometime in the future.[3]

On 6 March 2008, College Hockey America announced that Syracuse University will be joining the women's division for the 2008-09 season with a brand-new varsity program.[4]

[edit] 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 Michigan State Fairgrounds Coliseum in Detroit, Michigan. The 2007 men's conference tournament was held in Des Moines, Iowa while the women's tournament was played at the Island Sports Center in Pittsburgh.

The 2008 CHA men's and women's tournament will be held at Dwyer Arena in Lewiston, New York. The women's tournament will be held March 7-8 and the men's tournament on March 14-16.

[edit] 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)
  • 2008 Niagara def. Bemidji State 3-2 (Lewiston, NY)

[edit] Postseason Men's Hockey History

NCAA Tournament
Year CHA Rep. Opponent Result
2000 Niagara [5] New Hampshire W 4-1
Niagara 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

[edit] 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)
  • 2008 Mercyhurst def. Wayne State 2-1 (OT) (Lewiston, NY)

[edit] Postseason Women's Hockey History

NCAA Tournament
Year CHA Rep. Opponent Result
2002 Niagara Minnesota-Duluth L 3-2
Niagara Minnesota T 2-2 (frozen four consolation)
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

[edit] Conference arenas

School Hockey Arena Capacity
Alabama-Huntsville Von Braun Center 6,800
Bemidji State John S. Glas Field House 2,358
Mercyhurst Mercyhurst Ice Center 1,500
Niagara Dwyer Arena 2,000
Robert Morris Island Sports Center 1,100
Syracuse Tennity Ice Skating Pavilion renovations pending
Wayne State City Sports Center 500

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ http://www.hockeyrefs.com/intheheadlines/04122006.htm
  2. ^ http://www.collegehockeynews.com/news/2006/05/01_chaappears.php
  3. ^ http://www.collegehockeynews.com/news/2008/01/18_bemidji.php
  4. ^ http://www.collegehockeynews.com/news/2008/03/06_syracuse.php
  5. ^ College Hockey America was not awarded an automatic bid until 2003. Niagara qualified for the tournament as an at-large invitee.

[edit] External links

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College Hockey America
Men
Women

NCAA • List of champions: Men / Women
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