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 amount of games in the 1980-81 season. As such, the 1981-82 season is considered the first official season of play.[ 1]
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 .[ 2] [ 3] 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).[ 4] 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).[ 5] The men's and women's sides will retain separate administrative structures, as well as their automatic bids to the NCAA Tournament.[ 6]
Members
Current
Membership timeline
Champions
Men
Season
Regular Season
Tournament
1980–81[ a]
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
See also
References
^ The NCHA formed in 1980, but team schedules would not be standardized until 1981.
^ "A History of the NCHA" . Northern Collegiate Hockey Association. Archived from the original on June 10, 2013. Retrieved May 22, 2013 .
^ Hodkiewicz, Weston (February 15, 2012). "Wisconsin state schools' move away from NCHA 'a shock to the system,' St. Norbert coach says" . USCHO.com . Archived from the original on November 1, 2012. Retrieved June 8, 2013 .
^ Staff (April 24, 2012). "WIAC schools to leave NCHA after 2012-13 season" . USCHO.com . Archived from the original on January 22, 2013. Retrieved June 8, 2013 .
^ Staff (June 20, 2012). "St. Norbert, St. Scholastica moving to MCHA for 2013-14 season" . USCHO.com . Archived from the original on May 8, 2013. Retrieved June 8, 2013 .
^ Carito, Katie (April 24, 2013). "NCHA is reborn" . USCHO.com . Archived from the original on June 19, 2013. Retrieved June 8, 2013 .
^ "MCHA Renamed NCHA | New Structure Approved" . Press release . Northern Collegiate Hockey Association. April 22, 2013. Archived from the original on June 10, 2013. Retrieved June 8, 2013 .
External links
Teams Arenas Championships and Awards