Western Collegiate Hockey Association

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Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA)
Established: 1951
Western Collegiate Hockey Association logo
NCAA Division I
Members 12
Sports fielded Ice hockey (men's: 10 teams; women's: 8 teams)
Region Midwestern United States,
Western United States and Alaska
Former names Western Intercollegiate Hockey League (1953-58)
Midwest Collegiate Hockey League (1951-1953)
Headquarters Denver, CO
Commissioner Bruce McLeod
Website http://www.wcha.com
Locations
Western Collegiate Hockey Association locations

The Western Collegiate Hockey Association is a college athletic conference which operates over a wide area of the Midwestern and Western United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I as a hockey-only conference.

At the conclusion of the 2006 season, WCHA teams had won five consecutive NCAA men's titles (as well as seven of the last ten) and all six women's titles (the first was contested in 2001). The 2005 NCAA Frozen Four hockey tournament finals were comprised entirely of teams from the WCHA.

The WCHA was founded as the Midwest Collegiate Hockey League (MCHL) from 1951–53, then became the Western Intercollegiate Hockey League (WIHL) from 1953–58, and ultimately on to the Western Collegiate Hockey Association in 1959. The regular season conference champion is awarded the MacNaughton Cup, while the league's tournament champion takes home the Broadmoor Trophy.

Contents


[edit] Members

The WCHA has 12 member schools in all; the men's division operates with 10 members, while the women's division has eight.

Institution Location Founded Joined Affiliation Enrollment Nickname NCAA Men's
Championships		 NCAA Women's
Championships		 Primary Conference
University of Alaska Anchorage Anchorage, Alaska 1977 1993 Public 18,000 Seawolves 0 N/A Great Northwest (D-II)
Bemidji State University Bemidji, Minnesota 1919 1999 Public 4,800 Beavers Plays in CHA 0 Northern Sun (D-II)
Colorado College Colorado Springs, Colorado 1874 1951 Private 1,950 Tigers 2 N/A SCAC (D-III)
University of Denver Denver, Colorado 1864 1951 Private 9,500 Pioneers 7 N/A Sun Belt
Michigan Technological University Houghton, Michigan 1885 1951
(CCHA, 1981–84)		 Public 6,460 Huskies 3 N/A GLIAC (D-II)
University of Minnesota, Twin Cities Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota 1851 1951 Public 51,194 Golden Gophers 5 2 Big Ten
University of Minnesota Duluth Duluth, Minnesota 1947 1966 Public 10,500 Bulldogs 0 4 North Central (D-II)
Minnesota State University, Mankato Mankato, Minnesota 1868 1999 Public 14,000 Mavericks 0 0 North Central (D-II)
University of North Dakota Grand Forks, North Dakota 1883 1951 Public 13,000 Fighting Sioux 7 0 D-I independent starting in 2008
Ohio State University Columbus, Ohio 1870 1999 Public 51,818 Buckeyes Plays in CCHA 0 Big Ten
St. Cloud State University St. Cloud, Minnesota 1869 1990 Public 14,252 Huskies 0 0 North Central (D-II)
University of Wisconsin-Madison Madison, Wisconsin 1848 1969 Public 41,169 Badgers 6 2 Big Ten

[edit] Former Members

Institution Location Founded Tenure of
Membership		 Affiliation Enrollment Nickname Teams NCAA
Championships
(men's)
University of Michigan Ann Arbor, Michigan 1817 1951–1981 Public 40,025 Wolverines Men's 9 (5)†
Michigan State University East Lansing, Michigan 1855 1951–1981 Public 45,166 Spartans Men's 3 (1)†
Northern Michigan University Marquette, Michigan 1899 1984–1997 Public 9,000 Wildcats Men's 1 (1)†
University of Notre Dame South Bend, Indiana 1842 1971–1981 Private 10,311 Fighting Irish Men's 0 (0)†
  • All former members of the WCHA are current members of the CCHA.

† Number of NCAA championships won while WCHA member.

[edit] Conference arenas

School Hockey Arena Capacity
Alaska-Anchorage Seawolves Sullivan Arena 6,406
Bemidji State Beavers John S. Glas Field House 2,399
Colorado College Tigers World Arena 7,343
Denver Pioneers Magness Arena 6,026
Michigan Tech Huskies John MacInnes Ice Arena 4,200
Minnesota Golden Gophers Mariucci Arena (men)
Ridder Arena (women)		 10,000
3,400
Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs Duluth Entertainment Convention Center (DECC) 5,333
Minnesota State Mavericks Alltel Center 4,832
North Dakota Fighing Sioux Ralph Engelstad Arena 11,406
Ohio State Buckeyes OSU Ice Arena 1,415
St. Cloud State Huskies National Hockey Center 5,763
Wisconsin Badgers Kohl Center 15,237

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

v • d • e
Western Collegiate Hockey Association
Men
Women
NCAA  • MacNaughton Cup  • Broadmoor Trophy  • List of champions: Men / Women
Languages