Northern Collegiate Hockey Association

The Northern Collegiate Hockey Association, or NCHA, is a league in NCAA Men's Division III and Women's Division III.
==Origins of Conference==
The men's conference was formed in 1980 out of the remnants of the International Collegiate Hockey Association
when Bemidji State Beavers and Wiscosin-Superior Yellowjackets of the ICHA would join with the Mankato State Mavericks, St. Cloud State Huskies, Wisconsin-Eau Clair Blugolds, and Wisconsin River Falls Falcons.
*On May 27, 2020 the College of St. Scholsatica announced that the St. Scholastica Saints men's ice hockey and St. Scholastica Saints women's ice hockey teams would be joining the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference from the Northern Collegiate Hockey Association for the 2021-22 playing season replacing the St. Thomas Tommies (NCAA) men's ice hockey and St. Thomas Tommies (NCAA) women's ice hockey teams respectively.https://www.uscho.com/2020/05/27/st-scholastica-mens-womens-hockey-teams-moving-from-ncha-to-miac-effective-21-22-season/
*On March 2. 2023 Finlandia University announced that the school would not be enrolling students for the fall of 2023 and would closing its' doors at the end of the 2022-23 academic year, thus ending both the men's and women's programs.https://www.nchahockey.org/sports/mice/2022-23/releases/20230302vkq98t
*On April 14, 2023 the University of Dubuque announced the addition of varsity level men's and women's ice hockey teams at the NCAA Division III level both teams begin play with the 2023-24 season. Each team will be members of the Northern Collegiate Hockey Association and will be based out of the Dubuque Ice Center in Dubuque, Iowa, which is also home of the Dubuque Fighting Saints of the United States Hockey League.https://www.uscho.com/2023/04/15/university-of-dubuque-starting-mens-womens-ncaa-d-iii-hockey-programs-for-2023-24-season-anticipates-transfers-from-finlandia-for-both-teams/https://udspartans.com/news/2023/4/14/mens-hockey-university-of-dubuque-to-add-mens-and-womens-hockey.aspx
==Men's Membership==
Team 	Location 	Arena
Adrian Bulldogs 	Adrian, Michigan 	Arrington Ice Arena
Aurora Spartans 	Aurora, Illinois 	Fox Valley Ice Arena
Concordia Falcons 	Mequon, Wisconsin 	Ozaukee Ice Center
Dubuque Spartans 	Dubuque, Iowa 	Dubuque Ice Center
Lake Forest Foresters 	Lake Forest, Illinois 	Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse
Lawrence Vikings 	Appleton, Wisconsin 	Appleton Arena
Marian Sabres 	Fond du Lac, Wisconsin	Blue Line Ice Center
Milwaukee School of Engineering Raiders	Milwaukee, Wisconsin 	Kern Center
St. Norbert Green Knights 	De Pere, Wisconsin 	Cornerstone Community Center
St. Scholastica Saints 	Duluth, Minnesota 	MARS Lakeview Arena
Trine Thunder 	Angola, Indiana 	Thunder Ice Arena
===Former Members===
Team 	Location 	Arena 	Tenure 	Fate
Finlandia Lions 	Hancock, Michigan 	Houghton County Arena	2003-2023	college closes
Northland Lumberjacks	Ashland, Wisconsin	Bay Area Civic Center	2013-2019	join Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
==Women's Membership==
Team 	Location 	Arena
Adrian Bulldogs 	Adrian, Michigan 	Arrington Ice Arena
Aurora Spartans 	Aurora, Illinois 	Fox Valley Ice Arena
Concordia Falcons 	Mequon, Wisconsin 	Ozaukee Ice Center
Dubuque Spartans 	Dubuque, Iowa 	Dubuque Ice Center
Lake Forest Foresters 	Lake Forest, Illinois 	Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse
Lawrence Vikings 	Appleton, Wisconsin 	Appleton Family Ice Center
Marian Sabres 	Fond du Lac, Wisconsin	Blue Line Ice Center
Milwaukee School of Engineering Raiders	Milwaukee, Wisconsin 	Kern Center
St. Norbert Green Knights 	De Pere, Wisconsin 	Cornerstone Community Center
Trine Thunder 	Angola, Indiana 	Thunder Ice Arena
===Former Members===
Team 	Location 	Arena 	Tenure 	Fate
Finlandia Lions 	Hancock, Michigan 	Houghton County Arena	2004-2023	university closes
Northland Lumberjills 	Ashland, Wisconsin	Bay Area Civic Center	2017-2019	joins Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
St. Scholastica Saints	Duluth, Minnesota 	MARS Lakeview Arena 	2010-2021	joins Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
The Marian Sabres new women's team joined the NCHA for the 2009-10 season. The Adrian Bulldogs women's team, previously independent, joined the same season. Marian's and Adrian's men's teams played in the MCHA with Concordia and Finlandia.
The St. Norbert Green Knights and St. Scholastica Saints started up new women's teams that joined the NCHA for the 2010-2011 season.
The Aurora Spartans joined the men's conference in 2015 after playing as a Division III Independent for the 2014-15 season and as a club level ACHA program in 2012-13 and 2013-14.
On June 14, 2016; the conference announced that they were adding the women's programs for the Aurora Spartans and Northland Lumberjills to match the men's programs and that Trine University would be added to the conference in men's and women's ice hockey when they begin Division III play.  All four teams will join conference play for the 2017-18 season.
On April 5, 2018 Northland College announced that the Northland Lumberjacks and the Northland Lumberjills would be leaving the confernce after the 2018-19 season to join the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference for the 2019-20 season.http://www.d3hockey.com/releases/men/2017-18/180405-northland-men-and-women-ice-hockey-to-join-wiac-in-2019-2020
==Merger with MCHA==
The Lake Forest Foresters men's team left the NCHA for the MCHA after the 2008-09 season and returned when the two conferences merged for the 2013-14 season. The merger was started when the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference announced they were going start a men's ice hockey conference beginning with the 2013-14 season, with it's five members that sponsored the sport, all of which played in the NCHA this left the conference with only two remaining members. The Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association at this point had 8 members (5 of which already had women's teams in the NCHA and the other 3 did not have women's programs).
==Tie-Break Procedure==
If two or more teams are tied in points at the end of the regular season, ties shall be broken as follows:1 - Head-to-Head competition2 - Goal differential in games played between the tied teams only3 - Goal differential in all NCHA games
==Men's Conference Seasons==
Season 	Regular Season Champion 	Harris Cup Champion
1981-82	Bemidji State Beavers 	No Tournament
1982-83	Bemidji State Beavers 	No Tournament
1983-84	Bemidji State Beavers 	No Tournament
1984-85	Bemidji State Beavers 	No Tournament
1985-86	Bemidji State Beavers 	Bemidji State Beavers
1886-87	Mankato State Mavericks 	Bemidji State Beavers
1887-88	Wisconsin-River Falls Falcons 	Wisconsin-River Falls Falcons
1988-89	Wisconsin-Stevens Point Pointers 	Wisconsin-Stevens Point Pointers
1989-90	Wisconsin-Stevens Point Pointers 	Wisconsin-Stevens Point Pointers
1990-91	Mankato State Mavericks 	Wisconsin-Stevens Point Pointers
1991-92	Wisconsin-Stevens Point Pointers 	Wisconsin-Stevens Point Pointers
1992-93	Wisconsin-Stevens Point Pointers 	Wisconsin-Stevens Point Pointers
1993-94	Wisconsin-Superior Yellowjackets 	Wisconsin-Superior Yellowjackets
1994-95	Bemidji State Beavers 	Bemidji State Beavers
1995-96	Wisconsin-River Falls Falcons 	Wisconsin-River Falls Falcons
1996-97	St. Norbert Green Knights 	Wisconsin-Superior Yellowjackets
1997-98	St. Norbert Green Knights 	St. Norbert Green Knights
1998-99	Wisconsin-Stevens Point Pointers 	St. Norbert Green Knights
1999-00	St. Norbert Green Knights 	Wisconsin-Superior Yellowjackets
2000-01	Wisconsin-Superior Yellowjackets 	Wisconsin-Superior Yellowjackets
2001-02	St. Norbert Green Knights 	Wisconsin-Superior Yellowjackets
2002-03	St. Norbert Green Knights 	St. Norbert Green Knights
2003-04	St. Norbert Green Knights 	St. Norbert Green Knights
2004-05	St. Norbert Green Knights 	St. Norbert Green Knights
2005-06	St. Norbert Green Knights 	Wisconsin-Superior Yellowjackets
2006-07	Wisconsin-River Falls Falcons 	St. Norbert Green Knights
2007-08	St. Norbert Green Knights 	St. Norbert Green Knights
2008-09	Wisconsin-Superior Yellowjackets 	Wisconsin-Stout Blue Devils
2009-10	St. Norbert Green Knights 	St. Norbert Green Knights
2010-11	St. Norbert Green Knights 	St. Norbert Green Knights
2011-12	St. Norbert Green Knights 	St. Norbert Green Knights
2012-13	Wisconsin-Eau Claire Blugolds 	St. Norbert Green Knights
2013-14	St. Norbert Green Knights 	St. Norbert Green Knights
2014-15	Adrian Bulldogs 	Adrian Bulldogs
2015-16	Adrian Bulldogs (S)St. Norbert Green Knights (N)	Adrian Bulldogs
2016-17	Adrian Bulldogs (S)St. Norbert Green Knights (N)	St. Norbert Green Knights
2017-18	Adrian Bulldogs (S)St. Norbert Green Knights (N)	St. Norbert Green Knights
2018-19	Adrian Bulldogs (S)St. Norbert Green Knights (N)	St. Norbert Green Knights
2019-20	Adrian Bulldogs (S) Marian Sabres (N) 	Adrian Bulldogs
2020-21	Adrian Bulldogs (S) Concordia Falcons (N) 	Marian Sabres
2021-22	Adrian Bulldogs 	Adrian Bulldogs
2022-23	Aurora Spartans 	Adrian Bulldogs
==Women's Conference Seasons==
Season 	Regular Season Champion 	Slaats Cup Champion
2000-01	Wisconsin-Superior Yellowjackets 	Wisconsin-River Falls Falcons
2001-02	Wisconsin-Stevens Point Pointers 	Wisconsin-Stevens Point Pointers
2002-03	Wisconsin-River Falls Falcons 	Wisconsin-River Falls Falcons
2003-04	Wisconsin-Superior Yellowjackets 	Wisconsin-Stevens Point Pointers
2004-05	Wisconsin-Stevens Point Pointers 	Wisconsin-Stevens Point Pointers
2005-06	Wisconsin-Stevens Point Pointers 	Wisconsin-Stevens Point Pointers
2006-07	Wisconsin-Superior Yellowjackets 	Wisconsin-Stevens Point Pointers
2007-08	Wisconsin-Superior Yellowjackets 	Wisconsin-Superior Yellowjackets
2008-09	Wisconsin-River Falls Falcons 	Wisconsin-River Falls Falcons
2009-10	Lake Forest Foresters 	Wisconsin-River Falls Falcons
2010-11	Wisconsin-River Falls Falcons 	Adrian Bulldogs
2011-12	Wisconsin-River Falls Falcons 	Wisconsin-River Falls Falcons
2012-13	Wisconsin-River Falls Falcons 	Wisconsin-River Falls Falcons
2013-14	Lake Forest Foresters 	Lake Forest Foresters
2014-15	Adrian Bulldogs 	Lake Forest Foresters
2015-16	Adrian Bulldogs 	Adrian Bulldogs
2016-17	Adrian Bulldogs 	Adrian Bulldogs
2017-18	Adrian Bulldogs 	Adrian Bulldogs
2018-19	Adrian Bulldogs 	Adrian Bulldogs
2019-20	Adrian Bulldogs 	Adrian Bulldogs
2020-21	St. Scholastica Saints (North) Adrian Bulldogs (South)	Adrian Bulldogs
2021-22	Adrian Bulldogs 	Aurora Spartans
2022-23	Adrian Bulldogs 	Adrian Bulldogs
===Women's Conference Timeline===
*2000 The conference is formed with the Lake Forest Foresters, Wisconsin-Eau Claire Blugolds, Wisconsin-River Falls Falcons, Wisconsin-Stevens Point Pointers, and Wisconsin-Superior Yellowjackets as charter members.
*2004 The Finlandia Lions join the conference.
*2008 The Concordia Falcons join the conference.
*2009 The Adrian Bulldogs and Marian Sabres join the conference.
*2010 The St. Norbert Green Knights and the St. Scholastica Saints join the conference.
*2013 The Wisconsin-Eau Claire Blugolds, Wisconsin-River Falls Falcons, Wisconsin-Stevens Point Pointers, and Wisconsin-Superior Yellowjackets leave the conference when the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference starts sponsoring women's ice hockey.
*2017 The conference add the Aurora Spartans, Northland Lumberjills, and Trine Thunder.
*2020 Lawrence Vikings join the conference as a new program, St. Norbert Green Knights and Finlandia Lions opt out of the 2020-21 season due to COVID-19 pandemic concerns
*2021 St. Scholastica Saints leave the conference to join Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.
*2023 Finlandia Lions cease operations when the university closes at the end of the 2022-23 academic year. The Dubuque Spartans women's ice hockey team is announced as joining the conference starting with the 2023-24 season.
==References==
Category:NCAA Women's Division III Conferences
Category:NCAA Men's Division III Conferences
Category:NCAA Division III Conferences