College Hockey America
College Hockey America (CHA) is a group of American colleges and universities who play NCAA Division I women's ice hockey against one another every season. It was founded in 1999 as a men's hockey conference, with women's teams joining in 2002. The men's side of CHA folded after the 2009–10 season. As of the current 2013–14 season, CHA has six members, which is the minimum needed to earn an automatic place in the NCAA women's tournament. However, because three of these schools only joined in July 2012, CHA will not get an automatic tournament place until at least the 2014–15 season.
CHA has close ties with Atlantic Hockey, a men's hockey-only conference. Although the conferences do not share offices, they have the same commissioner, and three current CHA members are also in Atlantic Hockey.
Current members
- Lindenwood University
- Mercyhurst University
- Pennsylvania State University ("Penn State")
- Rochester Institute of Technology ("RIT")
- Robert Morris University
- Syracuse University
Of the current members, Mercyhurst, RIT, and Robert Morris have varsity men's teams in Atlantic Hockey. Penn State has a men's varsity team that plays in the school's all-sports conference, the Big Ten. Syracuse has a men's team, but it plays at club level, outside the NCAA structure.
Former members
Men's teams
- United States Air Force Academy ("Air Force") (1999–2006) — now in Atlantic Hockey
- University of Alabama in Huntsville ("Alabama–Huntsville" or "UAH") (1999–2010) — now in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA)
- United States Military Academy ("Army") (1999–2000) — now in Atlantic Hockey
- Bemidji State University (1999–2010) — now in the WCHA
- University of Findlay (1999–2004) — dropped men's and women's hockey
- Niagara University (1999–2010) — now in Atlantic Hockey
- Robert Morris University (2004–2010) — now in Atlantic Hockey
- Wayne State University (1999–2008) — dropped men's hockey
Women's teams
- University of Findlay (2002–2004) — dropped men's and women's hockey
- Niagara University (2002–2012) — dropped women's hockey
- Quinnipiac University (2004–2005) — now in ECAC Hockey
- Wayne State University (2002–2011) — dropped women's hockey
References
- "College Hockey America". collegehockeyamerica.com. Archived from the original on 2010-02-13. Retrieved 2012-02-25.