NCAA Sports Blog

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.

Member schools

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

Former

    * 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. CHA can maintain its automatic tournament bid for up to two seasons as a five-team conference, but must forefit their automatic bid after finding a sixth team for as many years as they take this exception.

Wayne State will be dropping it’s 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. Such legislation would allow CHA to maintain its automatic bid, without penalty, with only five member schools.

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 Fairgrounds Arena in Detroit, Michigan. The 2007 men’s conference tournament was held in Des Moines, Iowa while the women’s tournament remained in Detroit.

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)

Postseason Men’s Hockey History

   1. ^ College Hockey America was not awarded an automatic bid until 2003. Niagara qualified for the tournament as an at-large invitee.

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)

Postseason Women’s Hockey History