College Hockey America

College Hockey America (CHA) is a college ice hockey conference in the United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I as a hockey-only conference. The conference is currently made up of five women's teams in Missouri, New York, and Pennsylvania. A former member from Pennsylvania will return in 2023.
== History ==
The CHA was founded as a men's-only league in the 1999–2000 season. The conference was formed by seven teams, three of which were Division I independent teams, another three moving up from Division II, after the NCAA stopped sanctioning Division II hockey in 1998, and one new varsity program (Wayne State).
The newly formed women's division of the CHA began play in the 2002–03 season with four teams. Findlay, Mercyhurst and Wayne State were former Great Lakes Women’s Hockey Association members, while Niagara played previously in the ECAC.
The CHA Women's Division managed to remain at four teams between 2002–2008; although teams continued to come and go. In 2004, Findlay dropped its women's hockey program and was replaced by Quinnipiac University for one season. In 2005, the Bobcats removed its women's team and moved to another conference (ECAC). They were replaced by the Colonials women's ice hockey team of Robert Morris University. In 2008–09, Syracuse University started up its women's hockey program and joined the conference; bringing the total number of teams in the CHA Women's Division up to five.
The CHA Men's Division folded after the 2009–2010 season, leaving the CHA as a women's only conference. The fate of the four remaining CHA men's teams was as follows: Niagara and Robert Morris moved to Atlantic Hockey; Bemidji State joined the WCHA; and Alabama-Huntsville continued play as an independent, but have since moved to the WCHA.
The 2011–12 academic year and season brought many changes to the CHA. Wayne State abruptly ended their women's hockey program, dropping conference membership to only four teams again for the 2011–12 season. The conference announced that Lindenwood University would officially join the CHA for the 2012–2013 season. Lindenwood, then in the process of transitioning its athletic programs from the NAIA to the NCAA, had already been slated to play ten games against CHA opponents in its first season of NCAA competition as an independent program for the 2011–12 season. On March 19, 2012, Niagara announces it was dropping its women's ice hockey program effective immediately; as a result, the Rochester Institute of Technology team was allowed to immediately join the CHA upon its move from D-III to D-I for the 2012–13 season. Penn State, which had announced it would upgrade its men's and women's hockey from club to NCAA Division I status for 2012, was accepted for admission to the CHA for the 2012–13 season. In sum, the CHA continued as a women's-only conference for the 2012–13 season and beyond with a total of six teams consisting of Mercyhurst (original member from 2002); Robert Morris (joined 2005); Syracuse (joined 2008) and new members Penn State, Lindenwood and RIT.
The Robert Morris Lady Colonials ice hockey team would be eliminated along with the men's team on May 26, 2021.https://www.rmu.edu/about/news/hockey-info However, by the end of that year, a successful fundraising drive led RMU to reinstate both teams effective in 2023–24. By the end of the 2021–22 season, CHA would reinstate RMU effective in 2023.
==Members==
Institution 	Location 	Nickname 	Founded	Affiliation 	Enrollment	Joined	Women's conference championships 	Men's Hockey conference 	Primary Conference
Lindenwood University 	St. Charles, Missouri 	Lions 	1827 	Private/Presbyterian	12,213 	2012 	0 	Independent (Division I)	(D-I)
Mercyhurst University 	Erie, Pennsylvania 	Lakers 	1926 	Private/Catholic 	4,106 	2002 	2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2016	Atlantic Hockey 	(D-II)
Pennsylvania State University 	University Park, Pennsylvania	Nittany Lions	1855 	Public/ 	44,817 	2012 	0 	Big Ten 	Big Ten
Rochester Institute of Technology	Henrietta, New York 	Tigers 	1829 	Private/Nonsectarian	18,063 	2012 	2014, 2015 	Atlantic Hockey 	(D-III)
Syracuse University 	Syracuse, New York 	Orange 	1870 	Private/Nonsectarian	19,082 	2008 	0 	NECHL (Club) 	
: Men's team joined in 2004
==Future member==
Institution 	Location 	Nickname 	Founded	Affiliation 	Enrollment	Joining	Women's conference championships	Men's Hockey conference 	Primary Conference
Robert Morris University	Moon Township, Pennsylvania	Colonials	1921 	Private/Nonsectarian	4,895 	2023 	2012, 2017, 2021 	None (Atlantic Hockey in 2023)	(D-I)
* Robert Morris had been a CHA women's member from 2005 to 2021.
===Former (Women's Division) members===
*University of Findlay Oilers, 1999-2004 (dropped program)
*Quinnipiac University Bobcats, 2004–2005 (moved to ECAC)
*Wayne State University Warriors, 2002–2011 (dropped program)
*Niagara University Purple Eagles, 2002–2012 (dropped program)
==Conference arenas==
School 	Arena 	Capacity
Lindenwood	Centene Community Ice Center	4,000
Mercyhurst	Mercyhurst Ice Center 	1,500
Penn State	Pegula Ice Arena 	6,000
RIT 	Gene Polisseni Center 	4,300
Syracuse 	Tennity Ice Skating Pavilion	350
==Women's tournament finals==
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 2008 tournaments were also held jointly, at Dwyer Arena in Lewiston, New York.
Year	Champion 	Score 	Runner-up 	City
2003	Mercyhurst 	1–0 	Findlay 	Detroit, Michigan
2004	Mercyhurst 	3–1 	Niagara 	Lewiston, New York
2005	Mercyhurst 	4–1 	Niagara 	Erie, Pennsylvania
2006	Mercyhurst 	6–2 	Niagara 	Detroit, Michigan
2007	Mercyhurst 	4–1 	Wayne State 	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
2008	Mercyhurst 	2–1 (ot) 	Wayne State 	Lewiston, New York
2009	Mercyhurst 	6–1 	Wayne State 	Erie, Pennsylvania
2010	Mercyhurst 	3–1 	Syracuse 	Detroit, Michigan
2011	Mercyhurst 	5–4 	Syracuse 	Syracuse, New York
2012	Robert Morris	3–2 	Mercyhurst 	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
2013	Mercyhurst 	4–1 	Syracuse 	Erie, Pennsylvania
2014	RIT 	2–1 (2ot)	Mercyhurst 	Erie, Pennsylvania
2015	RIT 	2–1 (2ot)	Syracuse 	Erie, Pennsylvania
2016	Mercyhurst 	4–3 (ot) 	Syracuse 	Buffalo, New York
2017	Robert Morris	2-0 	Syracuse 	Buffalo, New York
2018	Mercyhurst 	5-3 	Robert Morris	Buffalo, New York
2019	Syracuse 	5-3 	Robert Morris	Buffalo, New York
2020	Mercyhurst 	2-1 	Robert Morris	Buffalo, New York
2021	Robert Morris	1-0 	Syracuse 	Buffalo, New York
===Postseason women's hockey history===
Prior to the 2014–15 season, The CHA did not have an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament for its conference tournament champion. At that time, with membership having remained stable at six teams (Mercyhurst, Robert Morris, Syracuse, Lindenwood, RIT, and Penn State) for two consecutive seasons, the auto-bid was granted.
In the table below, all NCAA appearances prior to 2015 were at-large selections.
Year	CHA Rep. 	Opponent 	Result
2005	Mercyhurst 	Harvard 	L 5–4 (3ot)
2006	Mercyhurst 	Wisconsin 	L 2–1 (2ot)
2007	Mercyhurst 	Minnesota–Duluth 	L 3–2 (ot)
2008	Mercyhurst 	Minnesota–Duluth 	L 5–4
2009	Mercyhurst 	St. Lawrence 	W 3–1
2009	Mercyhurst 	Minnesota 	W 5–4 (frozen four)
2009	Mercyhurst 	Wisconsin 	L 5–0 (national final)
2010	Mercyhurst 	Boston University 	W 4–1
2010	Mercyhurst 	Cornell 	L 3–2 (frozen four)
2011	Mercyhurst 	Boston University 	L 2–4
2012	Mercyhurst 	Wisconsin 	L 3–1
2013	Mercyhurst 	Cornell 	W 4–3 (ot)
2013	Mercyhurst 	Boston University 	L 1–4 (frozen four)
2014	Mercyhurst 	Cornell 	W 3–2
2014	Mercyhurst 	Clarkson 	L 1–5 (frozen four)
2015	RIT 	Minnesota 	L 2–6
2016	Mercyhurst 	Wisconsin 	L 0–6
2017	Robert Morris	Wisconsin 	L 0-7
2018	Mercyhurst 	Clarkson 	L 1-2 (ot)
2019	Syracuse 	Wisconsin 	L 0-4
2020	Mercyhurst 	N/A-Tournament cancelled	N/A
2021	Mercyhurst 	Northeastern 	L, 1-5
==Men's division==
The CHA was originally founded in 1999 with only a men's division. Three of the seven charter members, Alabama–Huntsville, Bemidji State,and Findlay, had recently moved up from Division II, while Air Force, Army, and Niagara were formerly independent. Wayne State were a charter member, and began sponsoring varsity hockey in 2000.
Niagara went undefeated in conference play in 1999–2000, winning the conference tournament and gaining an at-large invitation to the NCAA Tournament. (The conference did not gain an automatic bid until the 2003 tournament.) Army spent only one season in the league before leaving for the MAAC. Findlay dropped their hockey programs following the 2003–2004 season, to be replaced by Robert Morris, who began play in 2004–2005. After Air Force left for Atlantic Hockey in 2006 and Wayne State dropped their program in 2008, the conference was left with only four teams. The CHA sought to add new programs to its men's league, hoping to draw interest from some of the top club teams in the country, including Kennesaw State University. However, these efforts came up short, with CHA and school personnel citing Title IX as a major hurdle in the negotiations.
On January 29, 2009, Niagara University announced that it and Robert Morris University were moving to Atlantic Hockey beginning in the 2010-11 season.http://www.purpleeagles.com/sports/mhockey/release.asp?release_id=11115 Niagara Men's Hockey To Join Atlantic Hockey Bemidji State applied again to the Western Collegiate Hockey Association for inclusion and was accepted, along with the University of Nebraska-Omaha of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association. Alabama-Huntsville applied to the CCHAhttp://www.grandforksherald.com/articles/index.cfm?id=104225 Alabama-Huntsville interested in CCHA, WCHA following the announced departure of Nebraska-Omaha and was denied. http://www.uahchargers.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1008&Itemid=245 CCHA denies hockey program's application for admission - Press Release - Aug. 11, 2009 As a result, Alabama-Huntsville began competing as an independent team beginning with the 2010–11 season.
===Member schools===
There were eight member schools in total. The conference began in 2000 with seven teams, and ended in 2010 with four.
Institution 	Location 	Nickname 	Membership	Men's championships	Fate
University of Alabama in Huntsville	Huntsville, Alabama 	Chargers 	1999–2010 	2007, 2010 	Independent (2010–2013)WCHA (2013–2021)Dropped program
Bemidji State University 	Bemidji, Minnesota 	Beavers 	1999–2010 	2005, 2006, 2009 	WCHA (2010–2021)CCHA (2021–present)
University of Findlay 	Findlay, Ohio 	Oilers 	1999–2004 	– 	Dropped program
Niagara University 	Lewiston, New York 	Purple Eagles	1999–2010 	2000, 2004, 2008 	Atlantic Hockey
Robert Morris University 	Moon Township, Pennsylvania	Colonials 	2004–2010 	– 	Atlantic Hockey (2010–2021, 2023–future)dropped program (2021–2023)
United States Air Force Academy 	Colorado Springs, Colorado 	Falcons 	1999–2006 	– 	Atlantic Hockey
United States Military Academy 	West Point, New York 	Black Knights	1999–2000 	– 	Atlantic Hockey
Wayne State University 	Detroit, Michigan 	Warriors 	1999–2008 	2001, 2002, 2003 	dropped men's program
===Championship games===
Tournament champions were awarded the Bob Peters Cup.
Year	Champion 	Score 	Runner-up 	City
2000	Niagara 	3–2 	Alabama–Huntsville	Huntsville, Alabama
2001	Wayne State 	4–1 	Alabama–Huntsville	Huntsville, Alabama
2002	Wayne State 	5–4 (ot)	Alabama–Huntsville	Lewiston, New York
2003	Wayne State 	3–2 	Bemidji State 	Kearney, Nebraska
2004	Niagara 	4–3 (ot)	Bemidji State 	Kearney, Nebraska
2005	Bemidji State 	3–0 	Alabama–Huntsville	Grand Rapids, Minnesota
2006	Bemidji State 	4–2 	Niagara 	Detroit, Michigan
2007	Alabama–Huntsville	5–4 (ot)	Robert Morris 	Des Moines, Iowa
2008	Niagara 	3–2 	Bemidji State 	Lewiston, New York
2009	Bemidji State 	3–2 (ot)	Robert Morris 	Bemidji, Minnesota
2010	Alabama–Huntsville	3–2 (ot)	Niagara 	Lewiston, New York
===Regular season champions===
Regular Season Champions and their conference records.
* 2000 - Niagara (15-0-2)
* 2001 - Alabama-Huntsville (15-4-1)
* 2002 - Wayne State (15-2-3)
* 2003 - Alabama-Huntsville (13-5-2)
* 2004 - Bemidji State (16-3-1)
* 2005 - Bemidji State (16-4-0)
* 2006 - Niagara (13-6-1)
* 2007 - Niagara (9-5-6)
* 2008 - Bemidji State (13-4-3)
* 2009 - Bemidji State (12-5-1)
* 2010 - Bemidji State (14-3-1)
====Postseason Men's Hockey History====
Year	CHA Rep. 	Opponent 	Result
2000	Niagara 	New Hampshire 	W 4–1
2000	Niagara 	North Dakota 	L 4–1
2003	Wayne State 	Colorado College	L 4–2
2004	Niagara 	Boston College 	L 5–2
2005	Bemidji State 	Denver 	L 4–3 (ot)
2006	Bemidji State 	Wisconsin 	L 4–0
2007	Alabama–Huntsville	Notre Dame 	L 3–2 (2ot)
2008	Niagara 	Michigan 	L 5–1
2009	Bemidji State 	Notre Dame 	W 5–1
2009	Bemidji State 	Cornell 	W 4–1
2009	Bemidji State 	Miami (OH) 	L 4–1 (frozen four)
2010	Alabama–Huntsville	Miami (OH) 	L 2-1
2010	Bemidji State 	Michigan 	L 5-1
At-large invitee. College Hockey America was not awarded an automatic bid until 2003.
==Conference Tie-Breakers==
*1: Comparison of conference game results between tied teams (head to head)
*2. Comparison of Conference Wins
*3. Comparison of Results against the top two teams
*4. Comparison of Results against the top four teams
==References==
== External Links ==
* Official website
*