# Northern Collegiate Hockey Association

The Northern Collegiate Hockey Association (NCHA) is a college athletic conference which operates in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin in the midwestern United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division III as a hockey-only conference.
The conference was formally approved in 1980 as an association of six schools in Minnesota and northwestern Wisconsin, though the teams' schedules would not be standardized until the following season. This led to some teams playing an unequal number of games in the 1980–81 season. As such, the 1981–82 season is considered the first official season of play.
In the summer of 2012, the five schools in the University of Wisconsin System announced that they would leave the conference to begin playing hockey in their all-sports conference, the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. The move would have left only two men's teams in the NCHA, leading St. Norbert and St. Scholastica to join the Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association (MCHA). In April 2013, the NCHA and MCHA announced a merger, where the NCHA would absorb the MCHA's teams (of the MCHA's 10 schools, all 7 who also sponsored women's hockey played in the NCHA). The men's and women's sides will retain separate administrative structures, as well as their automatic bids to the NCAA Tournament.

## Members
### Current

| School | Location (Population) | Nickname | Founded | Affiliation | Enrollment | Year Joined | Primary Conference |
| Adrian College | Adrian, Michigan (20,645) | Bulldogs | 1859 | Private | 1,400 | Men: 2013 Women: 2009 | Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association |
| Aurora University | Aurora, Illinois (180,542) | Spartans | 1893 | Private | 4,400 | Men: 2015 Women: 2017 | Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference |
| Concordia University Wisconsin | Mequon, Wisconsin (25,142) | Falcons | 1880 | Private/Lutheran (LCMS) | 1,600 | Men: 2013 Women: 2007 | Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference |
| University of Dubuque | Dubuque, Iowa (59,667) | Spartans | 1852 | Private/Presbyterian (PC USA) | 2,190 | Men: 2023 Women: 2023 | American Rivers Conference |
| Lake Forest College | Lake Forest, Illinois (19,367) | Foresters | 1857 | Private | 1,417 | Men: 1992–2009, 2013 Women: 2000 | Midwest Conference |
| Lawrence University | Appleton, Wisconsin (75,644) | Vikings | 1847 | Private | 1,469 | Men: 2013 | Midwest Conference |
| Marian University | Fond du Lac, Wisconsin (44,678) | Sabres | 1936 | Private/Catholic | 1,411 | Men: 2013 Women: 2009 | Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference |
| Milwaukee School of Engineering | Milwaukee, Wisconsin (577,222) | Raiders | 1903 | Private | 2,300 | Men: 2013 Women: 2024 | Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference |
| St. Norbert College | De Pere, Wisconsin (25,410) | Green Knights | 1898 | Private/Catholic | 2,015 | Men: 1994 Women: 2010 | Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference |
| Trine University | Angola, Indiana (9,340) | Thunder | 1884 | Private | 2,000 | Men: 2017 Women: 2017 | Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association |

### Former

| School | Location | Nickname | Founded | Affiliation | Teams | Year Joined | Year Left | Subsequent Conference | Current Conference |
| Bemidji State University | Bemidji, Minnesota | Beavers | 1919 | Public | Men | Men: 1980 | Men: 1999 | CHA (D-I) | CCHA (D-I) |
| Finlandia University | Hancock, Michigan (4,501) | Lions | 1896 | Private/Lutheran (ELCA) | Both | Men: 2013 Women: 2003 | Both: 2023 | N/A (Closed in 2023) | N/A (Closed in 2023) |
| Minnesota State University, Mankato | Mankato, Minnesota | Mavericks | 1868 | Public | Men | Men: 1980 | Men: 1992 | D-II Independent | CCHA (D-I) |
| Northland College | Ashland, Wisconsin | Lumberjacks | 1906 | Private/United Church of Christ | Both | Men: 2013 Women: 2016 | Men: 2019 Women: 2019 | WIAC | WIAC |
| St. Cloud State University | St. Cloud, Minnesota | Huskies | 1868 | Public | Men | Men: 1980 | Men: 1987 | D-I Independent | NCHC (D-I) |
| The College of St. Scholastica | Duluth, Minnesota | Saints | 1912 | Private/Catholic | Both | Men: 1983–1991, 1994 Women: 2010 | Men: 2021 Women: 2021 | MIAC | MIAC |
| University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire | Eau Claire, Wisconsin | Blugolds | 1916 | Public | Both | Men: 1980 Women: 2000 | Men: 2013 Women: 2013 | WIAC | WIAC |
| University of Wisconsin–River Falls | River Falls, Wisconsin | Falcons | 1874 | Public | Both | Men: 1980 Women: 2000 | Men: 2013 Women: 2013 | WIAC | WIAC |
| University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point | Stevens Point, Wisconsin | Pointers | 1894 | Public | Both | Men: 1986 Women: 2000 | Men: 2013 Women: 2013 | WIAC | WIAC |
| University of Wisconsin–Stout | Menomonie, Wisconsin | Blue Devils | 1891 | Public | Both | Men: 1996 | Men: 2013 | WIAC | WIAC |
| University of Wisconsin–Superior | Superior, Wisconsin | Yellowjackets | 1893 | Public | Both | Men: 1980 Women: 2000 | Men: 2013 Women: 2013 | WIAC | WIAC |

### Membership timeline
## Champions
### Men

| Season | Regular Season | Tournament |
| 1980–81 | Mankato State | — |
| 1981–82 | Bemidji State | — |
| 1982–83 | Bemidji State | — |
| 1983–84 | Bemidji State^ | — |
| 1984–85 | Bemidji State | — |
| 1985–86 | Bemidji State Mankato State | Bemidji State^ |
| 1986–87 | St. Cloud State Mankato State | St. Cloud State |
| 1987–88 | UW–River Falls | UW–River Falls^ |
| 1988–89 | UW–Stevens Point | UW–Stevens Point^ |
| 1989–90 | UW–Stevens Point | UW–Stevens Point^ |
| 1990–91 | Bemidji State Mankato State | UW–Stevens Point^ |
| 1991–92 | UW–Stevens Point | UW–Stevens Point |
| 1992–93 | UW–Stevens Point | UW–Stevens Point^ |
| 1993–94 | UW–Superior | UW–Superior^ |
| 1994–95 | Bemidji State | Bemidji State |
| 1995–96 | UW–River Falls | UW–River Falls |
| 1996–97 | St. Norbert | UW–Superior |
| 1997–98 | St. Norbert | St. Norbert |
| 1998–99 | St. Norbert | St. Norbert |
| 1999–2000 | UW–Stevens Point | UW–Superior |
| 2000–01 | UW–Superior | UW–Superior |
| 2001–02 | St. Norbert | UW–Superior^ |
| 2002–03 | St. Norbert | St. Norbert |
| 2003–04 | St. Norbert | St. Norbert |
| 2004–05 | St. Norbert | St. Norbert |
| 2005–06 | St. Norbert | UW–Superior |
| 2006–07 | St. Norbert UW–River Falls UW–Stout | St. Norbert |
| 2007–08 | St. Norbert | St. Norbert^ |
| 2008–09 | UW–Superior | UW–Stout |
| 2009–10 | St. Norbert | St. Norbert |
| 2010–11 | St. Norbert | St. Norbert^ |
| 2011–12 | St. Norbert | St. Norbert^ |
| 2012–13 | UW–Eau Claire | St. Norbert |
| 2013–14 | St. Norbert | St. Norbert^ |
| 2014–15 | Adrian | Adrian |
| 2015–16 | Adrian | Adrian |
| 2016–17 | Adrian | St. Norbert |
| 2017–18 | Adrian | St. Norbert^ |
| 2018–19 | St. Norbert | St. Norbert |
| 2019–20 | Adrian | Adrian |
| 2020–21 | Adrian | Marian |

### Women

| Season | Regular Season | Tournament |
| 2000–01 | UW–Superior | UW–River Falls |
| 2001–02 | UW–Stevens Point | UW–Stevens Point |
| 2002–03 | UW–River Falls | UW–River Falls |
| 2003–04 | UW–Superior | UW–Stevens Point |
| 2004–05 | UW–Stevens Point | UW–Stevens Point |
| 2005–06 | UW–Stevens Point | UW–Stevens Point |
| 2006–07 | UW–Superior | UW–Stevens Point |
| 2007–08 | UW–Superior | UW–Superior |
| 2008–09 | UW–River Falls | UW–River Falls |
| 2009–10 | Lake Forest | UW–River Falls |
| 2010–11 | UW–River Falls | Adrian |
| 2011–12 | UW–River Falls | UW–River Falls |
| 2012–13 | UW–River Falls | St. Norbert |
| 2013–14 | Lake Forest | Lake Forest |
| 2014–15 | Adrian | Lake Forest |
| 2015–16 | Adrian | Adrian |
| 2016–17 | Adrian | Adrian |
| 2017–18 | Adrian | Adrian |
| 2018–19 | Adrian | Adrian |
| 2019–20 | Adrian | Adrian |
| 2020–21 | St. Scholastica | Adrian |
^ Won National Championship

## Arenas

| School | Arena | Capacity |
| Adrian | Arrington Ice Arena | 500 |
| Aurora | Fox Valley Ice Arena | 3,500 |
| Concordia Wisconsin | Ozaukee Ice Center | 1,000 |
| Finlandia | Houghton County Arena | 1200 |
| Lake Forest | Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse | 1,000 |
| Lawrence | Appleton Family Ice Center | 1,200 |
| Marian | Blue Line Family Ice Center | 2,000 |
| Milwaukee Engineering | Kern Center | 800 |
| Northland | Bay Area Civic Center | 1,000 |
| St. Norbert | Cornerstone Community Center | 2,000 |
| Trine | Thunder Ice Arena | 700 |