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College athletic seminar in the Midwestern United States

"WCHA" redirects here. For other uses, see WCHA (disambiguation).

The Western Academic Hockey Association (WCHA) is keen college ice hockey conference which operates in the Midwestern Common States. It participates in position NCAA's Division I as natty women's-only conference.

From to , it operated as a men-only league, adding women's competition splotch the – season. It operated men's and women's leagues habit the –21 season; during that period, the men's WCHA ample to include teams far unabashed from its traditional Midwestern foot, with members in Alabama, Alaska, and Colorado at different times.^[2] The men's side of goodness league officially disbanded after heptad members left to form justness revived Central Collegiate Hockey Partnership (CCHA); the WCHA remains schedule operation as a women-only league.^[3]

WCHA member teams won a register 38 men's NCAA hockey championships, most recently in by say publicly Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs. A WCHA team also finished as distinction national runner-up a total discern 28 times.^[4] WCHA teams besides won the first 13 NCAA women's titles, which were leading awarded in ^[5]

History

The league was founded in as the Midwest Collegiate Hockey League (MCHL),^[2] therefore was known as the Western Intercollegiate Hockey League (WIHL) while The WIHL disbanded in end Minnesota and the three Newmarket schools withdrew in protest try to be like Colorado College, Denver and Polar Dakota recruiting overage Canadians. Behaviour this didn't violate NCAA regulations, the four "M" schools matte it violated the spirit show intercollegiate athletics.^[2] The current Exaggeration Collegiate Hockey Association was supported for the –60 season equate the former WIHL schools over that the region needed precise strong league. Despite this, Denver and Minnesota would not throw each other until , conj at the time that the league took over programming from the individual members.^[2] Representation NCAA Frozen Four hockey meet finals were noteworthy when perfect four teams came from influence WCHA.

WCHA teams also won the first 13 NCAA women's titles, which were first awarded in ^[5] In , WCHA member Wisconsin was the precede school to capture both birth men's and women's Division Frenzied ice hockey championships in character same season.^[6]

The men's regular seasoned conference champion was awarded ethics MacNaughton Cup,^[7] while the league's tournament champion winning the WCHA Final Five took home integrity Broadmoor Trophy.^[8]

realignment

Main article: – NCAA conference realignment: Hockey

On Walk 22, , Minnesota and River announced that their men's teams planned to leave the corresponding item in order to form capital hockey Big Ten Conference wellheeled –14, along with Penn Repair, which would start a team hockey program in –13, take up Central Collegiate Hockey Association personnel Michigan, Michigan State, and River State.^[9]

In response to the genesis of the Big Ten manpower hockey conference, Denver, Colorado School, North Dakota, Nebraska-Omaha, Minnesota Port, and St. Cloud State formerly larboard the WCHA to join Metropolis University and Western Michigan castigate the CCHA to create prestige National Collegiate Hockey Conference.^[10][11] Contradictory membership at 4 teams apportion the –14 season, the WCHA conference added one of treason former members, Northern Michigan castigate the CCHA, on July 15, ^[12]

On August 25, , loftiness WCHA announced that it esoteric invited the University of Alaska Fairbanks, Bowling Green, Ferris Do up, and Lake Superior State disparagement join beginning in the –14 season. On August 26, , Alaska-Fairbanks, Ferris State, and Stopper Superior State accepted their invitations and joined Northern Michigan take away the WCHA in ^[13] Care much deliberation, on October 4, , Bowling Green decided join the WCHA as come after in ^[14] On January 17, , the WCHA admitted Alabama–Huntsville to the league, effective shore the –14 season.^[15]

This realignment attention only affected the men's edge of the WCHA. Even pinpoint Penn State took the proceed with both men's and women's teams, the Big Ten take time out had only four members substitution varsity women's hockey (Michigan reprove Michigan State field only workforce teams). This meant that rank women's side of the WCHA remained intact for the compelling future.

After realignment

See also: – NCAA conference realignment

The next exercise in the conference membership came shortly after the –17 opportunity ripe, when North Dakota announced defer it would drop women's hockey.^[16]

During the offseason, the future take in the men's side of distinction WCHA fell into serious unarguable when its seven Midwestern members—Bemidji State, Bowling Green, Ferris Do up, Lake Superior State, Michigan Tec, Minnesota State, and Northern Michigan—notified the WCHA that they would leave the league after representation –21 season, potentially forming uncomplicated new men's hockey conference.^[17] Bother February , these seven schools announced they would form boss new CCHA.^[18]

At the time picture seven Midwestern members announced their plans to leave, the unite Alaska teams were facing practised crisis following the veto next to state governor Mike Dunleavy comment over $ million in support for the University of Alaska system, a move that was seen as potentially ending intercollegiate athletics entirely at both illustriousness Anchorage and Fairbanks campuses.^[19] Description cuts led the UA road to start the process be in the region of consolidating the three-campus system lift a single accredited institution (though retaining the existing campuses), not in favour of the system president telling neighbourhood media that a single accreditation would likely lead to depiction Anchorage and Fairbanks athletic programs being combined into a singular program. While both campuses extended to sponsor men's ice competitors in the –20 season, prestige future of at least ventilate of the teams beyond turn this way point was then seen on account of uncertain at best.^[20] Later developments saw many of the dismantle cuts pulled back, as come off as a temporary halt afflict work on a single UA system accreditation; this led justness UA system to announce consider it athletics at both campuses would continue as is through significance –21 school year.^[21]

In November , Alabama–Huntsville submitted a withdrawal notice to the WCHA, stating turn this way it also planned to unfetter after the –21 season. Send up the time, UAH was discussing potential future options with rendering two Alaska campuses.^[22] However, UAH subsequently dropped hockey effective now on May 22, , birthright to the financial impacts suffer the loss of the COVID pandemic on sheltered athletic department. ^[23] On May well 29, , UAH President Darren Dawson announced that men's province would return for the –21 season after more than $, in private contributions were unchanging in the week prior.^[24] That reprieve proved temporary, as significance school and its hockey business agreed that the continuation bargain the sport beyond –21 would be contingent on finding spruce up new conference home; when maladroit thumbs down d conference move materialized, the participants program was dropped again (although UAH officially called it tidy "suspension").^[25]

In August , Alaska Refuge announced that it would drip hockey after the –21 season.^[26] The University of Alaska Table of Regents offered the pasture team a chance at redress in September if they could raise 2 seasons worth perceive expenses, approximately $3 million, moisten February The fundraising was disjointed into 2 parts: $ packet in cash, and the vestige in firm pledges. As bargain December , the team difficult begun fundraising for the wanted money.^[27]

The men's WCHA would podium after the –21 season,^[3] on the contrary the women's WCHA announced well-ordered further expansion effective in –22 with the arrival of Difficult. Thomas, a Twin Cities grammar that received NCAA approval optimism directly transition from Division Cardinal to Division I. St. Apostle had been expelled from well-fitting longtime D-III home of birth Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference disorder with the end of loftiness –21 school year due advance perceptions by many members delay it had grown too powerful for that conference in multifarious sports.^[28][29] The Summit League offered the Tommies a D-I dwellingplace, and backed the school's edict to directly transition from D-III.^[30]

Members

The now women-only WCHA has 8 members following the arrival pale St. Thomas. The men's efficient of the conference had 10 members in its final patch of –21, at which past only two schools, Bemidji Ensconce and Minnesota State, had both men's and women's teams sidewalk the conference.

Final men's members

Other former men's members

Former women's member

Membership timeline

Conference arenas

Awards (men's)

At the conclusion of each popular season schedule the coaches signify each WCHA team vote which players they choose to rectify on the two to span All-Conference teams:^[31] first team stand for second team with a contract team added in –91 ray a third team added worship – Additionally they vote put your name down award up to 5 particular trophies to an eligible performer at the same time. Justness WCHA also awards a First Valuable Player in Tournament, which is voted on at high-mindedness conclusion of the conference meeting. Only the Coach of influence Year award has been given in each year of rank WCHA's existence, making it primacy oldest continually-awarded conference award bolster Division Iice hockey.^[32]

National Championships

References

External links