National Collegiate Hockey Conference
 | |
| Association | NCAA |
|---|---|
| Commissioner | Josh Fenton |
| Sports fielded |
|
| Division | Division I |
| Region | Midwestern United States Western United States |
| Official website | NCHCHockey.com |
| Locations | |
 | |
The National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) is an NCAA men's division I hockey conference formed on July 9, 2011. The league began playing for the 2013–14 season, the same season that the Big Ten Conference began competition, as a combination of six previous members of the WCHA and two of the CCHA. The league is headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado.[1] Josh Fenton has served as conference commissioner since July 1, 2013.[2][3]
History
The men's college ice hockey landscape was shaken on March 21, 2011 when the Big Ten Hockey Conference was announced, with Penn State having added a hockey team to bring the number of Big Ten members with men's hockey teams to six.[4] The WCHA faced the loss of the Minnesota Golden Gophers and Wisconsin Badgers in the future, whereas the CCHA faced the loss of the Michigan Wolverines, the Michigan State Spartans, and Ohio State Buckeyes. Some of the remaining teams of the WCHA and CCHA began talks to form a league that would ensure their survival as financially strong and successful programs.
On July 9, 2011, the athletic directors of the six founding schools, Colorado College, the University of Denver, Miami University, the University of Minnesota Duluth, the University of Nebraska Omaha, and the University of North Dakota, confirmed these reports by announcing the conference officially and giving the date for a press conference for further information on July 13, 2011.[5]
At the July 13, 2011 press conference, Brian Faison, athletic director of the University of North Dakota, and one of the main speakers said that the motivation for this conference was to put teams together that "have displayed a high level of competitiveness on the ice, [have] an institutional commitment to compete at the highest level within Division I, provide a national platform for exposure, and have wonderful history and tradition within their institution and hockey programs."[6]
On September 22, 2011, St. Cloud State University and Western Michigan University accepted invitations to join the NCHC.[7][8]
On March 7, 2013 the NCHC unveiled the logo for the inaugural season. It features a shield design with the colors red, white, and blue. Inside the shield are eight stars, presumably representing the eight inaugural members, and a hockey stick on the bottom left.
Members
| Institution | Location | Founded | Former conference | Type | Enrollment | Nickname | Colors | NCAA championships |
Primary conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colorado College | Colorado Springs, Colorado | 1874 | WCHA | Private | 1,950 | Tigers | 2 | SCAC (D-III) | |
| University of Denver | Denver, Colorado | 1864 | WCHA | 11,842 | Pioneers | 8 | Summit League | ||
| Miami University | Oxford, Ohio | 1809 | CCHA | Public | 15,726 | RedHawks | 0 | MAC | |
| University of Minnesota Duluth | Duluth, Minnesota | 1902 | WCHA | 10,500 | Bulldogs | 3 | Northern Sun (D-II) | ||
| University of Nebraska Omaha | Omaha, Nebraska | 1908 | WCHA | 14,903 | Mavericks | 0 | Summit League | ||
| University of North Dakota | Grand Forks, North Dakota | 1883 | WCHA | 15,250 | Fighting Hawks | 8 | Summit League | ||
| St. Cloud State University | St. Cloud, Minnesota | 1869 | WCHA | 17,073 | Huskies | 0 | Northern Sun (D-II) | ||
| Western Michigan University | Kalamazoo, Michigan | 1903 | CCHA | 25,045 | Broncos | 0 | MAC |
Champions
| Season | Regular Season | NCHC Tournament | NCAA National |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013–14 | St. Cloud State | Denver | None |
| 2014–15 | North Dakota | Miami | None |
| 2015–16 | North Dakota | St. Cloud State | North Dakota |
| 2016–17 | Denver | Minnesota Duluth | Denver |
| 2017–18 | St. Cloud State | Denver | Minnesota Duluth |
| 2018–19 | St. Cloud State | Minnesota Duluth | Minnesota Duluth |
| 2019–20 | North Dakota | None* | None* |
(*) = On March 12, 2020, The NCAA announced the rest of the collegiate winter and springs sports would be cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2019-2020 NCHC Tournament (Frozen Faceoff) was supposed to be held March 20 & 21 but was cancelled as well.
NCHC Tournament champions
Conference arenas
| School | Hockey arena | Year built | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colorado College | Broadmoor World Arena | 1998 | 7,750 |
| Denver | Magness Arena | 1999 | 6,026 |
| Miami University | Goggin Ice Center | 2006 | 3,200 |
| Minnesota Duluth | AMSOIL Arena | 2010 | 6,732 |
| North Dakota | Ralph Engelstad Arena | 2001 | 11,640 |
| Omaha | Baxter Arena | 2015 | 7,898 |
| St. Cloud State | Herb Brooks National Hockey Center | 1989 | 5,763 |
| Western Michigan | Lawson Arena | 1974 | 3,667 |
Membership timeline
Awards
At the conclusion of each regular season schedule the coaches of each NCHC team vote which players they choose to be on the three All-Conference Teams:[9] first team, second team and rookie team. Additionally they vote to award the 10 individual trophies to an eligible player at the same time. The CCHA also awards Most Valuable Player in Tournament which is voted on at the conclusion of the conference tournament. All of the awards were created for the inaugural season (2013–14).
All-Conference Teams
|
Individual Awards
the award was known as the 'Defenseman of the Year Award' prior to 2017 |
See also
- Western Collegiate Hockey Association
- Central Collegiate Hockey Association
- Big Ten Conference
- Battle for the Gold Pan, a famous rivalry between Colorado's two NCHC schools
References
- ^ "Conference". USCHO. Retrieved 2018-02-23.
- ^ NCHC Staff (July 1, 2013). "Josh Fenton Named New Commissioner". Retrieved July 1, 2013.
- ^ Drew, David. "National Collegiate Hockey Conference officially hires Jim Scherr as commissioner". Kalamazoo Gazette. Retrieved 4 January 2012.
- ^ "Big Ten Officially Announces Hockey Conference". College Hockey News. Retrieved 2011-07-12.
- ^ "Collegiate Hockey Conference Joint Statement". North Dakota Fighting Sioux. Retrieved 2011-07-12.
- ^ "New National Collegiate Hockey Conference Announced With Six Top College Programs as Founding Members". PRnewswire. Retrieved 2011-07-13.
- ^ "St. Cloud State will join NCHC". Star Tribune. Retrieved 22 September 2011.
- ^ "WMU To Join National Collegiate Hockey Conference". WMU. Retrieved 22 September 2011.
- ^ "NCHC announces All-Conference players, All-Rookie Team". Alaska Nanooks. 2013-03-22. Retrieved 2013-07-23.