NCHA Men's Tournament

Last updated
Northern Collegiate Hockey Association Men's Tournament
Conference hockey championship
Sport Ice hockey
ConferenceNCHA
Format Two-game aggregate, Modified Best of Three, Single-elimination
Played1986–Present

The NCHA men's tournament is an annual Division III conference tournament that has taken place since 1986. The winner of the tournament has received an automatic bit to the NCAA Tournament since they were first offered in 2000.

Contents

History

When the NCHA formed in 1981 the NCAA was already holding a preliminary tournament to help determine the bids for the NCAA Tournament. They continued to do so until 1985 after which the western conferences began playing their own postseason tournaments. For the first year the NCHA tournament format was a Two-game, total goal series for both rounds. That was changed to a point system the following year; the teams would play two games against one another and whoever had the most points would advance (2 points for a win, 1 point for a tie). If the two teams were tied after two games than a 20-minute 'mini-game' was played to determine the winner. In 1993 the tournament was expanded to include all 6 teams with all rounds following the same point system format. Two seasons later the tournament was expanded again, this time to 8 teams, before returning to a 6-team championship the following year. In 1997 Bemidji State was no longer eligible to participate in any Division III tournament but remained in the NCHA for three more seasons. The following year the 8-team tournament was restored. When Lake Forest left the conference in 2009 the tournament shifted to a 7-team format but was restored to an 8-team arrangement after membership was reshuffled in 2013.

In 2016 the conference standings were altered by splitting teams into two divisions, North and South. The tournament was also changed to include only six teams, three from each division, with the top teams advancing to the semifinal round. The remaining teams would play within their division for the quarterfinals and then the opposite divisions for the semifinals. Two years later the tournament was returned to an 8-team format, however, the teams would play both the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds within their divisions leaving the championship as the only interdivisional game.

Championships

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association</span>

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern Collegiate Hockey Association</span>

The Northern Collegiate Hockey Association (NCHA) is a college athletic conference which operates in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin in the midwestern United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division III as a hockey-only conference.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bemidji State Beavers men's ice hockey</span> College ice hockey team

The Bemidji State Beavers men's ice hockey team is a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I college ice hockey program that represents Bemidji State University. The Beavers are a member of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association and play at Sanford Center in Bemidji, Minnesota, as of the 2010 season, after previously playing at the John S. Glas Field House.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Minnesota State Mavericks men's ice hockey</span> College ice hockey team

The Minnesota State Mavericks men's ice hockey team is an NCAA Division I college ice hockey program that represents Minnesota State University, Mankato. The Mavericks compete in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA). Their home arena is the Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center located in downtown Mankato, Minnesota.

The NCAA Division III women's ice hockey is a college ice hockey competition governed by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) as part of the NCAA Division III. Sixty-seven teams competed in NCAA Division III women's hockey across eight conferences in the 2023–24 season.

The 1998 WCHA Men's Ice Hockey Tournament was the 39th conference playoff in league history and 46th season where a WCHA champion was crowned. The tournament was played between March 13 and March 21, 1998. First round games were played at home team campus sites while all 'Final Five' matches were held at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. By winning the tournament, Wisconsin was awarded the Broadmoor Trophy and received the WCHA's automatic bid to the 1998 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament.

The 1996 WCHA Men's Ice Hockey Tournament was the 37th conference playoff in league history and 44th season where a WCHA champion was crowned. The tournament was played between March 1 and March 9, 1996. First round games were played at home team campus sites while all 'Final Five' matches were held at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. By winning the tournament, Minnesota was awarded the Broadmoor Trophy and received the WCHA's automatic bid to the 1996 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament.

The 1995 WCHA Men's Ice Hockey Tournament was the 36th conference playoff in league history and 43rd season where a WCHA champion was crowned. The tournament was played between March 10 and March 18, 1995. First round games were played at home team campus sites while all 'Final Five' matches were held at the Civic Center in St. Paul, Minnesota. By winning the tournament, Wisconsin was awarded the Broadmoor Trophy and received the WCHA's automatic bid to the 1995 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament.

The 1994 WCHA Men's Ice Hockey Tournament was the 35th conference playoff in league history and 42nd season where a WCHA champion was crowned. The tournament was played between March 11 and March 19, 1994. First round games were played at home team campus sites while all 'Final Five' matches were held at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee. By winning the tournament, Minnesota was awarded the Broadmoor Trophy and received the WCHA's automatic bid to the 1994 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament.

The International Collegiate Hockey Association (ICHA) was an intercollegiate ice hockey conference from 1965-80 competing in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). The conference had member schools in both Canada and the United States.

The 1985 NCAA Division III Men's Ice Hockey Tournament was the culmination of the 1984–85 NCAA Division III men's ice hockey season, the 2nd such tournament in NCAA history. It concluded with RIT defeating Bemidji State 5-1. All Quarterfinals matchups were held at home team venues, while all succeeding games were played in Schenectady, New York.

The 1986 NCAA Division III Men's Ice Hockey Tournament was the culmination of the 1985–86 season, the 3rd such tournament in NCAA history. It concluded with Bemidji State defeating Plattsburgh State 8-5. All Quarterfinals matchups were held at home team venues, while all succeeding games were played in Bemidji, Minnesota.

The 2010 NCAA Division III Men's Ice Hockey Tournament was the culmination of the 2009–10 season, the 27th such tournament in NCAA history. It concluded with Norwich defeating St. Norbert in the championship game 2-1 in overtime. All First Round and Quarterfinal matchups were held at home team venues, while all succeeding games were played at the Herb Brooks Arena in Lake Placid, New York.

The 2011 NCAA Division III Men's Ice Hockey Tournament was the culmination of the 2010–11 season, the 28th such tournament in NCAA history. It concluded with St. Norbert defeating Adrian in the championship game 4-3. All First Round and Quarterfinal matchups were held at home team venues, while all succeeding games were played at the Ridder Arena in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

The 2012 NCAA Division III Men's Ice Hockey Tournament was the culmination of the 2011–12 season, the 29th such tournament in NCAA history. It concluded with St. Norbert defeating Oswego State in the championship game 4-1. All First Round and Quarterfinal matchups were held at home team venues, while all succeeding games were played at the Herb Brooks Arena in Lake Placid, New York.

The 2013 NCAA Division Men's III Ice Hockey Tournament was the culmination of the 2012–13 season, the 30th such tournament in NCAA history. It concluded with Wisconsin–Eau Claire defeating Oswego State in the championship game 5–3. All First Round and Quarterfinal matchups were held at home team venues, while all succeeding games were played at the Herb Brooks Arena in Lake Placid, New York.

The 2014 NCAA Division III Men's Ice Hockey Tournament was the culmination of the 2013–14 season, the 31st such tournament in NCAA history. It concluded with St. Norbert defeating Wisconsin–Stevens Point in the championship game 3-1. All first round and quarterfinal matchups were held at home team venues, while all succeeding games were played at the Androscoggin Bank Colisée in Lewiston, Maine.

The 2016 NCAA Division Men's III Ice Hockey Tournament was the culmination of the 2015–16 season, the 33rd such tournament in NCAA history. It concluded with Wisconsin–Stevens Point defeating St. Norbert in the championship game 5-1. All First Round and Quarterfinal matchups were held at home team venues, while all succeeding games were played at the Herb Brooks Arena in Lake Placid, New York.

The 2018 NCAA Division III Men's Ice Hockey Tournament was the culmination of the 2017–18 season, the 35th such tournament in NCAA history. It concluded with St. Norbert defeating Salve Regina in the championship game 3-2 in double overtime. All First Round and Quarterfinal matchups were held at home team venues, while all succeeding games were played at the Herb Brooks Arena in Lake Placid, New York.

Steve Freeman is an American men's college ice hockey coach. He has been the men's ice hockey head coach at Wisconsin–River Falls since 1996.

References

  1. "St. Norbert wins Harris Cup Championship". NCHA. Retrieved March 5, 2024.

Sources