Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association

Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association was a college athletic conference which operated in the midwestern United States. It participated in the NCAA's Division III as a hockey-only conference. The conference included only men's teams.

Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association
MCHA
Established1998
Dissolved2013
AssociationNCAA
DivisionDivision III
Members8
Sports fielded
RegionMidwestern United States
HeadquartersWaukesha, Wisconsin
CommissionerG. Steven Larson (since 2010)
Websitewww.mchahockey.com

History

The league was founded in 1998 with six teams: Benedictine University, the University of Findlay, Lawrence University, Marian University, the Milwaukee School of Engineering, and Northland College. After one year in the conference, Benedictine dropped hockey, and Findlay moved to the Division I College Hockey America conference. The University of Minnesota Crookston joined in 1999. As a Division II school, Minnesota Crookston operated the hockey team with no scholarships like the other Division III members of the league. While they competed in the conference championship, they were ineligible for the NCAA Division III Tournament, but they were eligible for the Harris Cup.

In 2007, in order to meet NCAA guidelines and receive an automatic bid for the Division III tournament, the NCHA mandated that all member programs be Division III by the end of the 2008–09 season.[1] Minnesota–Crookston continued to play in the conference for the next two years but after the '09 season the university dropped varsity hockey and were replaced by Lake Forest.

Finlandia University joined the conference for the 2004–05 season. Before the 2007–08 season, the MCHA added Concordia University in Mequon, Wisconsin, and Adrian College in Adrian, Michigan.

In the summer of 2012, the five hockey-playing schools in the University of Wisconsin System announced that they would leave the Northern Collegiate Hockey Association (NCHA) 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 College and the College of St. Scholastica to join the 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 seven 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
School Location Nickname Founded Affiliation Colors Joined Left Subsequent
conference		 Current
conference
Adrian College Adrian, Michigan Bulldogs 1859 Private/Methodist 2007 2013 NCHA
Benedictine University Lisle, Illinois Eagles 1887 Private/Catholic 1998 1999 Dropped program
Concordia University Wisconsin Mequon, Wisconsin Falcons 1880 Private/Lutheran (LCMS) 2007 2013 NCHA
University of Findlay Findlay, Ohio Oilers 1882 Private           1998 1999 CHA (D-I) Dropped program (2004)
Finlandia University Hancock, Michigan Lions 1896 Private/Lutheran (ELCA) 2004 2013 NCHA
Lake Forest College Lake Forest, Illinois Foresters 1857 Private 2009 2013 NCHA
Lawrence University Appleton, Wisconsin Vikings 1847 Private 1999 2013 NCHA
Marian University Fond du Lac, Wisconsin Sabres 1936 Private/Catholic 1998 2013 NCHA
Milwaukee School of Engineering Milwaukee, Wisconsin Raiders 1903 Private 1998 2013 NCHA
University of Minnesota Crookston Crookston, Minnesota Golden Eagles 1905 Public 1999 2009 Dropped program
Northland College Ashland, Wisconsin Lumberjacks 1906 Private/United Church of Christ           1998 2013 NCHA

Champions
Main article: MCHA Tournament
MCHA regular season champions
Harris Cup Champions (playoffs)
NCAA Tournament Results
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References
  1. "University of Minnesota Crookston to Discontinue Hockey Program". USCHO.com. March 23, 2009. Retrieved September 29, 2019.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. Carito, Katie (April 24, 2013). "NCHA is reborn". USCHO.com. Archived from the original on June 19, 2013. Retrieved June 8, 2013.
  6. "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.
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