NCAA Division I independent schools (ice hockey)

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.

Contents 1 Current independent programs 1.1 Men 1.2 Women 2 Current programs who were at one point independent 2.1 Men 2.2 Women 3 Defunct teams 3.1 Men 4 See also 5 References

Current independent programs

Men

School	Years	Subsequent conference	Notes
Alabama–Huntsville Chargers[1]	1987–1992 1998–1999 2010–2012	Division II CHA –	The Chargers competed as a D-I independent between stints in Division II. After winning 2 championships and finishing as runners-up twice more, UAH returned to D-I in 1998, spending one season as an independent before becoming a charter member of College Hockey America. Following the CHA's demise and being denied entry to the CCHA[2], the Chargers has been independent since the 2010–11 season.[3] Following the 2011–12 season the program will be relegated to club sport status.[4]
Penn State Nittany Lions	2012–2013	Big Ten	In September 2010 Penn State University announced they would transition their men's and women's ACHA Division I programs to NCAA Division I hockey in 2012.[5] On March 21, 2011, the Big Ten Conference announced that Michigan, Michigan State, and Ohio State will leave the CCHA to join the Big Ten hockey conference to begin play in the 2013-2014 season.[6] On March 22, 2011, Minnesota and Wisconsin announced that they plan on leaving the league in order to form a hockey Big Ten Conference. The Big Ten council is expected to vote for approval of the proposal in June.[7]

Women

School	Years	Subsequent conference	Notes
Lindenwood Lady Lions	2011–2012	CHA	The university is currently in the transition process of joining the NCAA. Women's hockey is reclassifying from ACHA Division I to NCAA Division I. It was later revealed that Lindenwood had put in an application with the CHA to become a full member. [8] Lindenwood was admitted into the conference on November 11, 2011 and will begin conference play starting in the 2012-13 season.[9]
Sacred Heart Pioneers[10]	2003–present	–	The Pioneers moved up from Division III (where they were a member of the ECAC East) in 2003. Its men's team plays in a conference that does not sponsor women's hockey (Atlantic Hockey).

Current programs who were at one point independent

Men

School	Years	Subsequent conference	Notes
Air Force Falcons[11]	1968–1999	CHA	Joined Atlantic Hockey in 2006
Alaska–Anchorage Seawolves[12]	1979–1985 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[13]	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.
American International Yellow Jackets[14]	1948–1998	MAAC
Army Black Knights[15]	1903–1961 1973–1984 1991–1999	ECAC ECAC CHA	Joined Atlantic Hockey in 2000
Bemidji State Beavers[16]	1947–1950 1959–1967	dropped program Division III	Bemidji returned to Division I in 1999 as a charter member of College Hockey America, and moved to the WCHA for 2010–11.
Boston College Eagles[17]	1917–1961	ECAC	Currently competes in Hockey East
Boston University Terriers[18]	1917–1961	ECAC	Currently competes in Hockey East
Brown Bears[19]	1897–1961	ECAC
Clarkson Golden Knights[20]	1920–1961	ECAC
Colgate Raiders[21]	1915–1917 1920–1961	dropped program ECAC
Colorado College Tigers[22]	1937–1951 1958–1959	MCHL WCHA
Cornell Big Red[23]	1900–1901 1902–1903 1906–1961	dropped program dropped program ECAC
Dartmouth Big Green[24]	1905–1961	ECAC
Denver Pioneers[25]	1949–1951 1958–1959	MCHL WCHA
Harvard Crimson[26]	1897–1961	ECAC
Holy Cross Crusaders[27]	1966–1998	MAAC
Lake Superior State Lakers[28]	1966–1972	CCHA
Maine Black Bears[29]	1977–1984	Hockey East
UMass Minutemen[30]	1908–1961 1993–1994	Division II Hockey East	Dropped program from 1979 until 1993
Merrimack Warriors[31]	1984–1989	Hockey East	Moved up from Division II in 1984. Merrimack received an NCAA tournament invitation in 1988 while an independent.
Miami RedHawks[32]	1978–1980	CCHA
Michigan Wolverines[33]	1922–1951 1958–1959	MCHL WCHA	Moved to CCHA in 1981
Michigan State Spartans[34]	1921–1930 1949–1951 1958–1959	dropped program MCHL WCHA	Moved to CCHA in 1981
Michigan Tech Huskies[35]	1919–1951 1958–1959	MCHL WCHA	Played in the CCHA from 1981–84
Minnesota Golden Gophers[36]	1921–1951 1958–1959	MCHL WCHA
Minnesota–Duluth Bulldogs[37]	1930–1932 1946–1965	dropped program WCHA
Minnesota State Mavericks[38]	1996–1999	WCHA	after moving up from Division II and before joining the WCHA.
New Hampshire Wildcats[39]	1924–1961 1964–1966	ECAC ECAC	Currently competes in Hockey East
Niagara Purple Eagles[40]	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 Sioux[41]	1929–1936 1946–1951 1958–1959	dropped program MCHL WCHA
Northeastern Huskies[42]	1929–1961	ECAC	Currently competes in Hockey East
Northern Michigan Wildcats[43]	1976–1977	CCHA
Notre Dame Fighting Irish[44]	1912–1927 1968–1971 1984–1991	dropped program WCHA CCHA
Ohio State Buckeyes[45]	1963–1971 1973–1975	CCHA CCHA
Princeton Tigers[46]	1900–1961	ECAC
Providence Friars[47]	1926–1927 1952–1954 1955–1961	dropped program Northeast League ECAC	Currently competes in Hockey East
RPI Engineers[48]	1901–1950	Tri-State League	Moved to the ECAC Hockey ECAC in 1961
RIT Tigers[49]	2005–2006	Atlantic Hockey	Played first year of its probation period after joining Division I as an independent.
Sacred Heart Pioneers[50]	1993–1998	MAAC
St. Cloud State Huskies[51]	1931–1942 1987–1990	dropped program WCHA	Dropped their program during World War II, resumed in 1946 in Division II
St. Lawrence Saints[52]	1925–1930 1938–1961	dropped program ECAC
Union Dutchmen[53]	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[54]	1921–1935 1963–1969	dropped program WCHA
Yale Bulldogs[55]	1895–1961	ECAC

Women

School	Years	Subsequent conference	Notes
Clarkson Golden Knights[56]	2003–2004	ECAC	Played the first year of their program as an independent before joining the ECAC
Connecticut Huskies[57]	2000–2001	ECAC	Played the first year of their program as an independent before joining the ECAC, and moving to Hockey East in 2002.
North Dakota Fighting Sioux[58]	2002–2004	WCHA	Played the first years of their program as an independent before joining the WCHA
Quinnipiac Bobcats[59]	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[48]	2005–2006	ECAC	Moved up from Division III (where they were a member of the ECAC East) in 2005.

Defunct teams

Men

School	Years	Subsequent conference	Notes
Boston State Warriors[60]	1962–1982	dropped program	Program dropped when school merged with UMass Boston, who field a Division III team, in 1982.
Carnegie Tech Tartans[61]	1905–1910 1920–1921	dropped program dropped program
Illinois Fighting Illini[62]	1937–1943	dropped program
Fairfield Stags[63]	1974–1999	MAAC
UIC Flames[64]	1981–1982	CCHA	Moved up from Division II in 1981. Program folded in 1996.
MIT Engineers[65]	1906–1975	dropped program
Northern Arizona Lumberjacks[66][67]	1980–1985	GWHC	Folded their program after one season in the GWHC
Penn Quakers[68]	1898–1930	dropped program
Syracuse Orange[69]	1911–1913 1923–1928 1939–1940	dropped program dropped program dropped program
U.S. International Gulls[67][70]	1979–1985	GWHC	Dropped their program when the GWHC folded in 1988
Villanova Wildcats[71]	1929–1932 1982–1998	dropped program	Dropped their program after the 1997–1998 season for Title IX reasons
Iona Gaels[72]	1967–2003 1998–2002	dropped program	Dropped their program after the 2002–2003 season after 5 seasons in DIV 1 reasons Atlantic Hockey|MAAC

See also

• List of NCAA Division I ice hockey programs

References

NCAA Division I hockey conferences Current conferences Atlantic Hockey • Central Collegiate Hockey Association • College Hockey America • ECAC Hockey • Hockey East • Western Collegiate Hockey Association • Independents Future conferences Big Ten Conference • National Collegiate Hockey Conference NCAA • Championships: Men / Women