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.

Member schools

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

Former

• Wayne State University (men's program dropped), 1999-2008
  • Men's Championships: 2001, 2002, 2003
• 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 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]

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.

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)

Postseason Men's Hockey History

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)

Postseason Women's Hockey History

Conference arenas

Notes

External links

• Official CHA Conference Site

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