Founded | 1995 |
---|---|
Commissioner | Mike Walley (since 2012) |
Sports fielded |
|
Division | Division II & III |
No. of teams | 63 |
Headquarters | North Carolina |
Region | Southeast |
Most recent champion(s) | Rowan (Men's) / High Point (Women's) |
Most titles | Georgetown (Men's - 6 titles) |
Official website | Official website |
The Atlantic Coast Collegiate Hockey League (ACCHL) is a non-NCAA collegiate ice hockey league in the mid-atlantic and southeast regions of the United States. The Mission of the ACC Hockey League is to provide student-athletes an option to compete in organized intercollegiate ice hockey without the high expenses of NCAA level hockey.
All teams in Men's Division II compete out of the ACHA Southeast Region in Division II. All teams in the Women's Division also compete out of the ACHA Southeast Region in Division II. The Men's Division III level competes in the AAU as the Premier teams are apart of the Division II level with some being dual within Division III of the ACHA. The Elite teams are a part of the AAU Men's Division III level. Mike "Sheriff" Walley is the current executive director of the league. [1]
Premier teams play a 10-game league schedule with 2 games against each division opponent and one game against each team from other two divisions. Elite teams play an 11-game league schedule with 2 games against each division opponent, two games against a non-division opponent and three games at the fall tournament. The top 8 teams in the Premier will get post-season bids with the three division winners getting the top three seeds. The top 10 teams in the Elite will get post-season bids with the four division winners getting the top four seeds. Teams seeded 7-10 will participate in a Play-In Game.
Division | Institution | Location | Nickname | Arena | Team Colors | Primary conference |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
North Division | Georgetown University | Washington, D.C. | Hoyas | The Gardens Ice House | Big East (DI) | |
George Washington University | Washington, D.C. | Colonials | The St. James | A-10 (DI) | ||
James Madison University | Harrisonburg, VA | Dukes | Haymarket IcePlex | Sun Belt (DI) | ||
University of Virginia | Charlottesville, VA | Cavaliers | LaHaye Ice Center | ACC (DI) | ||
South Division | High Point University | High Point, NC | Panthers | Greensboro Ice House | Big South (DI) | |
North Carolina State University | Raleigh, NC | Wolfpack | Wake Competition Center | ACC (DI) | ||
Virginia Tech | Blacksburg, VA | Hokies | LancerLot Sports Complex | ACC (DI) |
The 2024 ACCHL playoff tournaments features all nine teams qualifying from the M2 Premier Division as seeds 8 & 9 participate in a Play-In Game; the winner is awarded the Admiral's Cup. The M2 Elite & M3 Premier Divisions have the top ten teams qualify with seeds 7-10 participating in Play-In Games. The M3 Elite Division has the top six teams qualify with the 1 & 2 seeds getting a bye into the Semi-Finals; the winner is awarded the Commissioner's Cup. The Women's Division features the top four teams qualifying as the winner is awarded the Commodore's Cup.
Year | Admiral's Cup Champion | Runner-Up | Regular Season Champion | Tournament Location |
---|---|---|---|---|
1996 | Virginia (1) | North Carolina | Virginia Tech (1) | Fort Bragg, NC |
1997 | Liberty (1) | North Carolina | Virginia (1) | Charlottesville, VA |
1998 | Duke (1) | Virginia | Virginia (2) | Charlottesville, VA |
1999 | Maryland (1) | North Carolina | Virginia (3) | Charlottesville, VA |
2000 | Virginia (2) | Maryland | Virginia (4) | Ashburn, VA |
2001 | Maryland (2) | NC State | NC State (1) | Laurel, MD |
2002 | Liberty (2) | Maryland | NC State (2) | Laurel, MD |
2003 | Liberty (3) | Maryland | NC State (3) | Raleigh, NC |
2004 | Duke (2) | Virginia | Duke (1) | Charlottesville, VA |
2005 | Georgetown (1) | Virginia | Virginia (5) | Hillsborough, NC |
2006 | Duke (3) | Georgetown | Duke (2) | Charlottesville, VA |
2007 | Georgetown (2) | Duke | Georgetown (1) | Arlington, VA |
2008 | Georgetown (3) | Duke | Virginia Tech (2) | Roanoke, VA |
2009 | Virginia Tech (1) | Duke | Virginia Tech (3) | Roanoke, VA |
2010 | Virginia Tech (2) | Georgetown | Maryland (1) | Arlington, VA |
2011 | NC State (1) | Maryland | Maryland (2) | Hillsborough, NC |
2012 | Georgetown (4) | Maryland | Georgetown (2) | Hillsborough, NC |
2013 | Georgetown (5) | NC State | NC State (4) | Laurel, MD |
2014 | Georgetown (6) | NC State | NC State (5) | Annapolis, MD |
2015 | North Carolina (1) | Georgetown | NC State (6) | Annapolis, MD |
2016 | George Washington (1) | NC State | NC State (7) | Charlottesville, VA |
2017 | Virginia (3) | NC State | Virginia (6) | Charlottesville, VA |
2018 | Charlotte (1) | Wake Forest | George Washington (1) | Charlottesville, VA |
2019 | NC State (2) | Virginia | NC State (8) | Winston-Salem, NC |
2020 | NC State (3) | Wake Forest | NC State (9) | Winston-Salem, NC |
2021 | *NC State (4) | Virginia Tech | N/A (COVID) | Winston-Salem, NC |
2022 | NC State (5) | North Carolina | Virginia Tech (4) | Winston-Salem, NC |
2023 | Penn State (1) | North Carolina | Penn State (1) | Winston-Salem, NC |
2024 | Rowan (1) | UNC Wilmington | Rider (1) | Winston-Salem, NC |
Year | Admiral's Cup Champion | Runner-Up | Regular Season Champion | Tournament Location |
---|---|---|---|---|
2023 | West Virginia (1) | Charlotte | Saint Joseph's (1) | Winston-Salem, NC |
2024 | West Virginia (2) | Denison | Denison (1) | Winston-Salem, NC |
Year | Commodore's Cup Champion | Runner-Up | Regular Season Champion | Tournament Location |
---|---|---|---|---|
2022 | NC State (1) | West Virginia | West Virginia (1) | Winston-Salem, NC |
2023 | Georgetown (1) | NC State | Georgetown (1) | Winston-Salem, NC |
2024 | High Point (1) | Virginia Tech | Virginia (1) | Winston-Salem, NC |
Year | Commodore's Cup Champion | Runner-Up | Regular Season Champion | Tournament Location |
---|---|---|---|---|
2020 | Christopher Newport (1) | College of Charleston | Chesapeake, MD | |
2021 | *Coastal Carolina (1) | Liberty | N/A (COVID) | Winston-Salem, NC |
2022 | Coastal Carolina (2) | Liberty | Liberty (1) | Lynchburg, VA |
2023 | Coastal Carolina (3) | Liberty | Liberty (2) | Winston-Salem, NC |
2024 | High Point (1) | Rowan | Rowan (1) | Winston-Salem, NC |
Year | Commissioner's Cup Champion | Runner-Up | Regular Season Champion | Tournament Location |
---|---|---|---|---|
2022 | William & Mary (1) | Appalachian State | William & Mary (1) | Lynchburg, VA |
2023 | Loyola Maryland (1) | William & Mary | William & Mary (2) | Winston-Salem, NC |
2024 | William & Mary (2) | Johns Hopkins | William & Mary (3) | Winston-Salem, NC |
From 2009 to 2020, NC State hosted the Stephen Russell Tournament at some point every season to commemorate the loss of their goaltender, Stephen Russell, who had passed away. The team retired Russell's #20 in his honor.
Starting in the 2021–2022 season, the ACC began to host what is now the annual fall tournament for all M2 member teams for a three-game league weekend. The tournament takes place at The St. James in Springfield, Virginia. The league will typically invite two non-members from ACHA Men's Division II to come participate as well. In 2022, the ACC began awarding a Men's Premier and Elite winner separately as well as a Women's winner which is held on a different weekend.
The current tournament features a conglomerate scoring system of winning periods (2 points per period) and whole games (4 points = W, 2 points = OT/SOW, 1 point = OT/SOL, and 0 points = L). The totals are added for a final score.
Year | Tournament Champion |
---|---|
2013 | NC State |
2014 | North Carolina |
2015 | NC State |
2016 | James Madison |
2017 | James Madison |
2018 | Virginia |
2019 | NC State |
2020 | NC State |
2021 | NC State |
2022 | Rowan (Premier) | Denison (Elite) | Virginia Tech (Women's) |
2023 | Rider (Premier) | George Washington (Elite) | Virginia (Women's) |
The ACHA hosts their regional tournaments towards the end of February. Four regions (Northeast, Southeast, Central and West) see teams ranked #3-14 compete in a single elimination, three-day weekend for two berths to the Men's Division II National Tournament. The top two teams in each regional automatically qualify.
The ACHA hosts the Men's Division II National Tournament every March, hosting 16 teams. Those teams are put into four separate pools with a team from each region. Winner of each pool advances to the Final Four.
The AAU hosts the Men's Division II National Tournament every March, hosting 20 teams (32 teams prior to 2024). Teams are split into five pools based on their national ranking. Winner of each pool advances to the Quarter-Finals plus three wild card teams. The overall winner is the AAU Division II College Hockey National Champion.
The AAU hosts the Men's Division III National Tournament every March, hosting 8 teams. Teams are split into two pools based on their national ranking. The top two teams from each pool advance to the Semi-Finals. The overall winner is the AAU Division III College Hockey National Champion.
The American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) is a college ice hockey association. The ACHA's purpose is to be an organization of collegiate affiliated programs, which provides structure, regulates operations, and promotes quality in collegiate ice hockey. The ACHA currently has three men's and two women's divisions and includes approximately 450 teams from across the United States and Canada. Most ACHA teams offer few athletic scholarships and typically receive far less university funding. 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.
The Oakland University Golden Grizzlies are the athletic teams that represent Oakland University (OU) in the Horizon League and Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The school fields 16 teams: baseball, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's cross country, men's and women's golf, men's and women's soccer, softball, men's and women's swimming and diving, women's tennis, men's and women's track, and women's volleyball.
The Spanish men's national ice hockey team is the national men's ice hockey team of Spain. The team is administered by the Spanish Ice Sports Federation, itself a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). As of April 2020, the Spanish men's national program is 31st on the IIHF World Rankings and has 135 registered players. The men's national team currently competes at the IIHF World Championship Division II, Group A level.
The Grand Valley State Lakers are the intercollegiate athletic teams of Grand Valley State University, located in Allendale, Michigan, United States. The GVSU Lakers compete at the NCAA Division II level and are members of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC).
College Hockey Mid-America (CHMA) is an American Collegiate Hockey Association Division I ice hockey conference with teams in Ohio, Western Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. The league was formed in 2006 after members of the now defunct University Hockey League organized the league and moved from the ACHA's Division II to Division I.
The Tri-State Collegiate Hockey League (TSCHL) is an ACHA Division II level ice hockey league. ACHA Division II level consists of players with previous Jr. A, AAA or Midget Major experience, along with high caliber high school experience. The level can range from varsity high school up to NCAA Division III skills, depending on the programs.
The Mid-Atlantic Collegiate Hockey Association (MACH) was a college ice hockey league based in the Southeastern region of the United States. The conference was part of the American Collegiate Hockey Association Division 2 and finished the 2022-2023 season with five teams from colleges and universities based in Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
The Lindenwood Lions and Lady Lions are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Lindenwood University, located in St. Charles, Missouri, in intercollegiate sports as a member of the NCAA Division I ranks, primarily competing in the Ohio Valley Conference for most of its sports since the 2022–23 academic year.
The Western Collegiate Club Hockey Association (WCCHA) is a conference of men's club ice hockey teams from the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) competing at the Division II level. The participating teams come from colleges and universities in the Upper Midwest, including North Dakota, Minnesota and Wisconsin. Teams in the WCCHA are primarily student-run sports clubs with limited University funding, requiring significant player dues and fundraising for team operation.
The Great Lakes Collegiate Hockey League (GLCHL) is an American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) Division I level ice hockey league. The GLCHL is made up of nine schools, including one in Indiana, one in Illinois, and seven in Michigan.
The Millersville Marauders are the athletic teams that represent Millersville University of Pennsylvania, located in Millersville, Pennsylvania, in NCAA Division II intercollegiate sports.
The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights are a junior ice hockey organization from Pittston, Pennsylvania. In 2015, the Knights' junior hockey organization purchased the dormant Dawson Creek Rage franchise in the Tier II North American Hockey League (NAHL) and placed their Tier III franchise in the Eastern Hockey League into dormancy. The organization has reactivated and deactivated their Tier III level teams at various times, but plans to launch teams in the United States Premier Hockey League's Premier and Elite Divisions, non-USA Hockey sanctioned leagues that operate similar to the Tier III level. The organization also has several youth ice hockey teams in its development program.
The Davenport Panthers are the athletic teams that represent Davenport University, located in Caledonia Township, Michigan, in intercollegiate sports as a member of the NCAA Division II level of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), primarily competing in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) for most of its sports as a provisional member since the 2017–18 academic year. The Panthers previously competed in the Wolverine–Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) from 2005–06 to 2016–17.
Penn State Nittany Lions men's ice hockey, formerly known as the Penn State Icers, is a college ice hockey program that represents the Pennsylvania State University. Prior to the 2012–13 season the program was designated a club sport and competed at the ACHA Division I level. PSU was previously a member of the Eastern States Collegiate Hockey League (ESCHL, although the team competed as an independent ACHA D-I member for the 2011–12 season before moving to the NCAA D-I level. They play at the Pegula Ice Arena in University Park, Pennsylvania.
The Lindenwood Lady Lions ice hockey team represents Lindenwood University located in St. Charles, Missouri. The Lady Lions currently participate in the NCAA Division I competition as a member of College Hockey America (CHA). The team played with no conference affiliation as an Independent program for its first season of NCAA competition. During the 2011–12 season, Lindenwood was accepted into College Hockey America (CHA) beginning in the 2012–2013 season. Prior to 2011 the university was a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), because the organization does not sponsor women's ice hockey, the program competed in the American Collegiate Hockey Association at the ACHA DI level.
The Colonial States College Hockey Conference (CSCHC) is a non-varsity club college ice hockey league based in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States. The conference is part of the American Collegiate Hockey Association Division 2 and is made up of teams from colleges and universities based in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
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