College Hockey America is a college athletic conference with teams ranging geographically from New York to Alabama and Minnesota. It participates in the NCAA's Division I as a hockey-only conference.

Member schools

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Current

There are six member schools in all; the men's division has five members, while the women's division has four:

• University of Alabama in Huntsville (men only)
• Bemidji State University (men only; women compete in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association)
  • 2-time CHA men's champions
• Mercyhurst College (women only; men compete in Atlantic Hockey)
  • 4-time CHA women's champions
• Niagara University
  • 2-time CHA men's champions
• Robert Morris University
• Wayne State University
  • 3-time CHA men's champions

Image:UAH.gif|Alabama-Huntsville Chargers Image:Bemidji.gif|Bemidji State Beavers Image:Mercyhurst_College_ath.png| Mercyhurst Lakers Image:Nupe 001.jpg|Niagara Purple Eagles Image:Rmu.gif|Robert Morris Colonials Image:WSUWarriors.gif|Wayne State Warriors

Former

• United States Air Force Academy (joined Atlantic Hockey for the 2006-2007 season)
• University of Findlay (disbanded hockey programs after the 2004 season)
• United States Military Academy (currently competing in Atlantic Hockey)

Future of the CHA

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With the United States Air Force Academy leaving the conference after the 2005-06 season to join Atlantic Hockey, the conference is in danger of losing its automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament since eligible conferences must have at least six schools. Further, there is a distinct possibility that the CHA will be forced to disband. ^* CHA can maintain its automatic tournament bid for up to two seasons as a five-team conference, but must forefit their automatic bid after finding a sixth team for as many years as they take this exception.

It has been reported that NCAA Director of Championships Tom Jacobs is pushing legislation that would amend NCAA by-law 31.3.4.4 to allow the Championship Committee for sports that are sponsored by less than 25 percent of a division's membership to develop its own guidelines for dispersing automatic bids. ^* Such legislation would allow CHA to maintain its automatic bid, without penalty, with only five member schools.

CHA championship games

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For the first time in conference history, the 2006 men's and women's tournaments were held at the same site: The Fairgrounds Arena in Detroit, Michigan. The 2007 men's conference tournament will be held in Des Moines, Iowa^*.

Men's

• 2000 Niagara def. Alabama-Huntsville 3-2 (Huntsville, AL)
• 2001 Wayne State def. Alabama-Huntsville 4-1 (Huntsville, Alabama)
• 2002 Wayne State def. Alabama-Huntsville 5-4 (ot) (Lewiston, NY)
• 2003 Wayne State def. Bemidji State 3-2 (Kearney, NE)
• 2004 Niagara def. Bemidji State 4-3 (ot) (Kearney, NE)
• 2005 Bemidji State def. Alabama-Huntsville 3-0 (Grand Rapids, MN)
• 2006 Bemidji State def. Niagara 4-2 (Detroit, MI)

Women's

• 2003 Mercyhurst def. Findlay (Detroit, MI)
• 2004 Mercyhurst def. Niagara (Lewiston, NY)
• 2005 Mercyhurst def. Niagara (Erie, PA)
• 2006 Mercyhurst def. Niagara (Detroit, MI)

Conference Arenas

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School	Hockey Arena	Arena capacity
Alabama-Huntsville	Von Braun Center	6,800
Bemidji State	John S. Glas Field House	2,358
Niagara	Dwyer Arena	2,000
Robert Morris	Island Sports Center	1,100
Wayne State	Men - Michigan State Fairgrounds Coliseum Women - City Sports Center	5,500 500

External links

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• Official CHA Conference Site

College athletics conferences | College ice hockey | Ice hockey leagues