| College Hockey East | |
|---|---|
| Established | 1971 as WPIHA 2002 as CHE; previously was WPCHA and WPIHA |
| Members | 10 |
| Sport | ACHA Division 2/3 club hockey |
| Region | Northeast |
| States | 3 - Pennsylvania, New York, West Virginia |
| Headquarters | Pittsburgh, PA |
| Commissioner | Charles R. Kuzniewski II |
College Hockey East (CHE) is a mixed ACHA Division 2 and Division 3 league for universities in the Western Pennsylvania region. ACHA D3 gives small schools the opportunity to compete in college hockey, while other universities field D2 and D3 teams as JV teams for their ACHA D1 or D2 teams.
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The league began in 1971 under the name Western Pennsylvania Intercollegiate Hockey Association (WPIHA). The WPIHA renamed the Western Pennsylvania Collegiate Hockey Association (WPCHA) a couple of years later, and this name lasted until the end of the 2002 season when the league was renamed to College Hockey East, reflecting the growth of the league outside of Pennsylvania. Historically, membership in CHE has been fluid, with many teams coming and going over the years. Some programs have become more prominent, whereas others have folded completely or scaled back dramatically. However, under the current leadership, CHE has established itself as a premier ACHA DIII conference, and members are more committed to staying. Pitt Johnstown has the longest continuous tenure in CHE, followed by IUP's second team and St. Vincent; the three of them joined CHE in the mid-to-late 1990s. The other teams have joined since 2000 or have had some interruption in their membership.
Following the 2009-10 season, the three teams in the ACHA Division II level left to form the Tri-State Collegiate Hockey League.
North Division
South Division
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