American Collegiate Hockey Association
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Primary Logo
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| Type | Chartered non-profit corporation |
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| Purpose | Sport governing body |
| Location | |
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President
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Marshall Stevenson |
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Executive Director
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Chris Wilk |
| Website | www |
The American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) is a chartered non-profit corporation that is the national governing body of club or varsity college ice hockey in the United States. The organization provides structure, regulations, promotes the quality of play, sponsors National Awards and National Tournaments.
The ACHA currently has three men's and two women's divisions and includes approximately 450 teams from across the United States. Teams offer few athletic scholarships and typically receive far less university funding.[1][2]
The ACHA offers an opportunity for college hockey programs that struggle with large budgets and Title IX issues, as an alternative to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) financial structure.[3] Sometimes, NCAA and ACHA teams will compete against one another. [4]
Contents
Policies and regulation
The ACHA's primary mission is to support the growth of two-year and four-year collegiate hockey programs nationwide. The ACHA identifies standards that serve to unite and regulate teams at the collegiate level. The ACHA emphasizes academic performance, institutional sanction, eligibility criteria, and standards of play and opportunities for national competition, and the ACHA promotes all aspects of collegiate hockey stressing the personal development of individual athletes as well as national recognition for member organizations. In order to do this, the ACHA has developed organizational by-laws and a Policies and Procedures Manual to provide the policy foundation for the organization as it works to fulfill its purpose. These documents are reviewed yearly at the ACHA's annual meeting.
The ACHA's policies cover team and player eligibility, rules of play, ranking procedures, national tournament procedures, and other administrative issues, although the ACHA parallels the NCAA Division III with most eligibility requirements, recruitment processes, gameplay rules, etc. The league holds its annual meeting in conjunction with the annual convention of the American Hockey Coaches Association, in the month of April in Naples, Florida.
ACHA history
The ACHA was established on April 20, 1991. Fifteen charter members met during the Chicago Showcase in Skokie, Illinois at the North Shore Hilton. These member teams had been playing college hockey for many years but wished to legitimize its play by standardizing some of its procedures.
The members that created the organization were: Tom Keegan (ACHA), Al Murdoch (Iowa State), Joe Battista (Penn State), Jim Gilmore (Ohio), Ernie Ferrari (Stanford), Howard Jenks (California-Berkeley), Jeff Aikens (North Dakota State), Don Spencer (West Virginia), Jim Barry (Navy), Scott Fuller (Navy), Leo Golembiewski (Arizona), Ron Starr (DePaul), Cary Adams (PCHA), Jim Warden (PCHA), and Jack White (UCLA).
The inaugural year of the ACHA was the 1991-1992 season. The goal of the organization was to create an impartial governing body to monitor national tournaments, player eligibility, and general oversight. Over the years the ACHA quickly grew to over 150 teams in three men's divisions.
A Women's Division was added in 2000 with a second Women's division being added for the 2006-2007 season.
By the 2001-2002 season, marking their 10th year anniversary, the ACHA had a total of 179 teams registered with 33 teams in Division 1, 100 teams in Division 2, 18 teams in Division 3, and 20 teams in the Women's Division.
By the 2002-2003 season that number raised to over 250 teams, with Division 3 adding over 80 teams alone.
By the 2003-2004 season the number raised to 278 teams: 40 teams in D-1, 124 teams in D-2, 87 teams in D-3, and 27 teams in the Women's Division.
By the summer of 2007 ACHA membership had reached 360 teams (M1-54, M2-190, M3-139, W1-32, W2-8), that cover 48 of the 50 states.
During the summer of 2009 the University of Alaska Fairbanks established a Women's Division 2 team becoming the 49th state in the ACHA. Hawaii is currently the only state without an ACHA team.
Every year since 2003, the Men's Division 1 Showcase has been an event that features some of the top teams in the ACHA.
ACHA partners with Fasthockey.com to broadcast many of the league's games and National Tournaments.[5]
Membership
The ACHA includes both Men's and Women's Divisions. The Men's side is made up of three Divisions: 1, 2, and 3. Division 3 was the last to be established in 1999. Each division has its own distinguishing set of guidelines which are explained below. The Women's side has two divisions. Division 1 began in 2000 and Division 2 is the most recent addition to the ACHA with its inception in 2006.
Despite most teams non-varsity status, the caliber of ACHA play can be quite high, especially in Division 1. Many large universities that do not sponsor hockey at the NCAA varsity level have become powerhouses, such as Ohio University and Illinois. Additionally, several universities that do sponsor NCAA varsity hockey teams also field an ACHA-affiliated teams. Of all non-varsity sports activities, the ACHA-affiliated hockey teams generally garner the most attention at their universities, such as Missouri State and Kentucky where it is the third largest spectator sport. The same can be said for the Arizona who draws the third largest fan base behind football and basketball.[citation needed]
All ACHA teams are members of USA Hockey and the American Hockey Coaches Association (AHCA).
Men's Divisions
ACHA Men's Division 1 comprises 57 teams. There are seven conferences along with Independent teams that compete annually for the Murdoch Cup, which is awarded to the Men's ACHA Division 1 National Champion. Twenty teams compete in the National Tournament. These top-twenty teams are ranked/selected by way of computer rankings, and as determined by auto-berths from the seven regular-season Conference champions. At Nationals, teams ranked 1-12 all receive first-round bye's, with teams ranked 13-20 matching up 20 vs 13 (etc.), for the rights to play in the second-round in pre-determined bracket slots.
Conferences
- Central States Collegiate Hockey League (CSCHL)
- College Hockey Mid-America (CHMA)
- Eastern Collegiate Hockey Association (ECHA)
- Eastern States Collegiate Hockey League (ESCHL)
- Great Lakes Collegiate Hockey League (GLCHL)
- Northeast Collegiate Hockey League (NECHL)
- Western Collegiate Hockey League (WCHL)
ACHA Men's Division 2 is currently the largest division in the ACHA, it includes approximately 200 teams in 12 conferences and Independents. These teams are divided into four Regions (Central, Northeast, Southeast and West). A total of 16 teams qualify for the National Tournament, four from each region. Each month of the season a ranking of the top 15 teams in region is released. After the final ranking in February the top two seeds from each region earn an automatic berth into Nationals. Seeds 3-10 compete in their respective single-elimination Regional Tournaments, with the two teams who win both of their games also earning a Nationals berth. The National Tournament is a pool play format with the winners of each pool advancing to the semifinals. The semifinal match-ups are the winner of Pool A vs. Pool C and Pool B vs. Pool D.
Conferences
- Atlantic Coast Collegiate Hockey League (ACCHL)
- Colonial States College Hockey Conference (CSCHC) (The Colonial)
- College Hockey Southwest (CHSW)
- Great Midwest Hockey League (GMHL)
- Great Northeast Collegiate Hockey Conference (GNCHC)
- Mid-American Collegiate Hockey Association (MACHA)
- Mid-Atlantic Collegiate Hockey Association (MACH)
- Mountain West collegiate hockey league (MWCHL)
- Northeast Collegiate Hockey Association (NECHA)
- Pacific 8 Intercollegiate Hockey Conference (PAC-8)
- Super East Collegiate Hockey League (SECHL)
- Tri-State Collegiate Hockey League (TSCHL)
- Western Collegiate Club Hockey Association (WCCHA)
- West Coast Hockey Conference (WCHC)
ACHA Men's Division 3 consists of approximately 140 teams in ten conferences and Independents. These teams are also divided into four Regions (Atlantic, North, Pacific and South). A total of 16 teams qualify for the National Tournament in the same manner as Division 2. The National Tournament has also been conducted in the same manner as Division 2 since 2010. Before that it was single elimination and every team played four games. The one exception is the semifinals match-ups. The winner of Pool A plays the winner of Pool B and the winner of Pool C plays the winner of Pool D.
Conferences
- Blue Ridge Hockey Conference (BRHC)
- College Hockey East (CHE)
- Delaware Valley Collegiate Hockey Conference (DVCHC)
- Empire Collegiate Hockey Conference (ECHC)
- Indiana Collegiate Hockey Conference (ICHC)
- Metropolitan Collegiate Hockey Conference (MCHC) (Contains Non-ACHA members)
- Michigan Collegiate Hockey Conference (MCHC)
- Mid-American Collegiate Hockey Association (MACHA)
- Pacific Collegiate Hockey Association (PCHA)
- Southeastern Collegiate Hockey Conference (SECHC)
- Southern Collegiate Hockey Conference (SCHC)
Women's Divisions
- Division 1
International competition
Players are selected from all divisions of Men's ACHA schools to represent USA Hockey in the Winter World University Games, an IIHF and FISU event. However, the majority of players are from M1 rosters. ACHA Men's D2 and D3 Select Teams are ACHA events.
The Division 2 & Division 3 Selects Teams alternate going over to Europe each year during the Holiday Break to play European teams. The players are chosen from a round robin tournament in the spring usually in Pennsylvania. The tournament pits each conference's elite players against each other.
Logos
The original ACHA logo was created by Dave Kammerdeiner of the West Virginia University Art Department under the direction of Don Spencer for a cost of $50.
In August 2003, the ACHA held an official contest to design a new logo, with the winning school receiving free registration for the 2003-2004 season. The University of Washington's Husky Hockey team won the contest, with former graphic-design intern Tom Eykemans designing the new version of the logo (as shown above).
Men's champions
Division 1
| Team | Titles | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Penn State | 6 | 1990, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003 |
| Ohio | 4 | 1995, 1996, 1997, 2004 |
| North Dakota State | 3 | 1991, 1993, 1994 |
| Lindenwood | 2 | 2009, 2010 |
| Illinois | 2 | 2005, 2008 |
| Central Oklahoma | 1 | 2015 |
| Arizona State | 1 | 2014 |
| Minot State | 1 | 2013 |
| Delaware | 1 | 2012 |
| Davenport | 1 | 2011 |
| Oakland | 1 | 2007 |
| Rhode Island | 1 | 2006 |
| Iowa State | 1 | 1992 |
Division 2
| Team | Titles | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Life University | 5 | 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002 |
| Davenport | 3 | 2008, 2009, 2010 |
| Michigan State | 3 | 2005, 2007, 2013 |
| Oakland | 2 | 2004, 2006 |
| NYU | 1 | 2015 |
| New Hampshire | 1 | 2014 |
| Florida Gulf Coast | 1 | 2012 |
| Grand Valley State | 1 | 2011 |
| Colorado | 1 | 2003 |
| Miami (OH) | 1 | 2000 |
| Western Michigan | 1 | 1996 |
| Colorado State | 1 | 1995 |
| Ferris State | 1 | 1994 |
| Buffalo State | 1 | 1993 |
| Toledo | 1 | 1992 |
Division 3
| Year | National Champion | Runner-Up | Host/Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999–2000 | Butler | Georgia Tech | US Naval Academy |
| 2000–2001 | Wyoming | South Dakota State | Georgia Tech |
| 2001–2002 | Robert Morris (PA) | Wyoming | Georgia Tech |
| 2002–2003 | Muskegon College | Hope College | Muskegon Community College |
| 2003–2004 | Calvin College | Georgia | Arizona State University |
| 2004–2005 | Colorado | Florida Gulf Coast | California University (PA) |
| 2005–2006 | Wright State | Northwood | Fort Myers, FL |
| 2006–2007 | Kennesaw State | Albany | Fort Wayne, IN |
| 2007–2008 | California University (PA) | San Diego State | Rochester, MN |
| 2008–2009 | Saginaw Valley State | Florida Gulf Coast | Rochester, NY |
| 2009–2010 | Saginaw Valley State | Hope College | Fort Myers, FL |
| 2010–2011 | College of the Canyons | Hope College | Holland, MI |
| 2011–2012 | Adrian College | Davenport | Vineland, NJ |
| 2012-2013 | Adrian College | Michigan-Flint | Springfield, MO |
| 2013-2014 | Adrian College | Hope College | Coral Springs, FL |
| 2014-2015 | Michigan State | Florida Gulf Coast | Pelham, AL |
| Team | Titles | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Adrian College | 3 | 2012, 2013, 2014 |
| Saginaw Valley State | 2 | 2009, 2010 |
| Michigan State | 1 | 2015 |
| College of the Canyons | 1 | 2011 |
| California University (PA) | 1 | 2008 |
| Kennesaw State | 1 | 2007 |
| Wright State | 1 | 2006 |
| Colorado | 1 | 2005 |
| Calvin College | 1 | 2004 |
| Muskegon College | 1 | 2003 |
| Robert Morris (PA) | 1 | 2002 |
| Wyoming | 1 | 2001 |
| Butler | 1 | 2000 |
Women's champions
Division 1 champions
| Year | National Champion | Runner Up | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000–2001 | St. Cloud State | Arizona State | Wentzville, MO |
| 2001–2002 | Wisconsin | St. Cloud State | Alpharetta, GA |
| 2002–2003 | Michigan State | Wisconsin | Muskegon, MI |
| 2003–2004 | Wisconsin | Rhode Island | East Lansing, MI |
| 2004–2005 | Robert Morris (IL) | Michigan State | Buffalo, NY |
| 2005–2006 | Lindenwood | Robert Morris (IL) | Wentzville, MO |
| 2006–2007 | Robert Morris (IL) | Lindenwood | Amherst, MA |
| 2007–2008 | Lindenwood | Robert Morris (IL) | Bensenville, IL |
| 2008–2009 | Lindenwood | Robert Morris (IL) | Rochester, NY |
| 2009–2010 | Lindenwood | Michigan State | Blaine, MN |
| 2010–2011 | Michigan State | Northeastern University | Kalamazoo, MI |
| 2011–2012 | Northeastern | Minnesota | Wooster, OH |
| 2012–2013 | Minnesota | Liberty | Ashburn, VA |
| 2013–2014 | Miami University | Massachusetts | Newark, DE |
| 2014–2015 | Liberty | Miami University | York, PA |
| Team | Titles | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Lindenwood | 4 | 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010 |
| Michigan State | 2 | 2003, 2011 |
| Robert Morris (IL) | 2 | 2005, 2007 |
| Wisconsin | 2 | 2002, 2004 |
| Liberty | 1 | 2015 |
| Miami University | 1 | 2014 |
| Minnesota | 1 | 2013 |
| Northeastern | 1 | 2012 |
| St. Cloud State | 1 | 2001 |
Division 2 champions
| Year | National Champion | Runner Up | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–2007 | St. Scholastica | Minnesota-Duluth | Amherst, MA |
| 2007–2008 | Rainy River College | Minnesota-Duluth | Bensenville, IL |
| 2008–2009 | Rainy River College | St. Scholastica | Rochester, NY |
| 2009–2010 | Northeastern | Rainy River College | Blaine, MN |
| 2010–2011 | Rainy River College | West Chester | Kalamazoo, MI |
| 2011–2012 | Wisconsin-Stout | Alaska | Wooster, OH |
| 2012–2013 | West Chester | Penn State | Ashburn, VA |
| 2013–2014 | Iowa State | Penn State | Newark, DE |
| 2014–2015 | North Dakota State | West Chester | York, PA |
| Team | Titles | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Rainy River College | 3 | 2008, 2009, 2011 |
| North Dakota State | 1 | 2015 |
| Iowa State | 1 | 2014 |
| West Chester | 1 | 2013 |
| Wisconsin-Stout | 1 | 2012 |
| Northeastern | 1 | 2010 |
| St. Scholastica | 1 | 2007 |
Notable players in professional leagues
Men
Women
| Player | Position | ACHA Team(s) | Years | Professional Organizations Signed With | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andrea Lavelle | F | Penn State (W1) | 1998–2002 | Beatrice Aeros (National Women's Hockey League (1999)) | 2002–2003 |
| Katherine Hannah | F | Lindenwood (W1) | 2003–2008 | Ottawa Raiders (National Women's Hockey League (1999)) | 2000–2001 |
| Chelsea Jaramillo[25] | F | Massachusetts (W1) | 2010–2014 | SC Reinach (Swiss Women's Hockey League A) | 2014–present |
| Raschelle Jaramillo[26] | F | Massachusetts (W1) | 2010–2014 | SC Reinach (Swiss Women's Hockey League A) | 2014–present |
| Paige Harrington[27] | D | Massachusetts (W1), Penn State (W1) | 2011–2015 | Buffalo Beauts (National Women's Hockey League (2015)) | 2015–present |
| Hayley Williams[28] | F | Miami University (W1), Robert Morris (IL) (W1) | 2013–2015 | Buffalo Beauts (National Women's Hockey League (2015)) | 2015–present |
| Sarah Stevenson[29] | F | Liberty (W1) | 2011–2015 | Toronto Furies (Canadian Women's Hockey League), Selected #17 overall in the 4th round of the 2015 CWHL Entry Draft by the Toronto Furies | 2015–present |
See also
References
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- ↑ http://www.ncsasports.org/athletic-scholarships/mens-ice-hockey/west-virginia/wheeling-jesuit-university
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ http://www.houseofsparky.com/2012/12/1/3716412/asu-hockey-steals-game-two-from-ncaa-penn-state
- ↑ http://acha.fasthockey.com/login.php=
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ http://www.eliteprospects.com/player.php?player=302245
- ↑ http://www.mercurynews.com/sharks/ci_27023046/sharks-backup-goalie-ryan-lowe-enjoys-an-unforgettable
- ↑ http://www.eliteprospects.com/player.php?player=35650
- ↑ http://www.eliteprospects.com/player.php?player=59051
- ↑ http://www.eliteprospects.com/player.php?player=113648
- ↑ http://www.eliteprospects.com/player.php?player=95361
- ↑ https://howlings2.wordpress.com/2010/12/31/1st-callup-from-danbury-whalers/
- ↑ http://www.eliteprospects.com/player.php?player=127408
- ↑ http://www.eliteprospects.com/player.php?player=177682
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
External links
Media related to Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. at Wikimedia Commons
- Articles with unsourced statements from April 2015
- American Collegiate Hockey Association
- 1991 establishments in the United States
- Sports leagues established in 1991
- Non-profit organizations based in the United States
- College ice hockey in the United States
- Ice hockey governing bodies in the United States
