WCHA men's ice hockey tournament

Last updated
WCHA Tournament (defunct)
College hockey conference championship
XcelEnergyCenteroverview.jpg
The Xcel Energy Center hosted the tournament from 2001 to 2013, then again in 2015. Its fourteen years hosting are the most years of any neutral site.
Sport College ice hockey
Conference Western Collegiate Hockey Association
Number of teams8
Format Single-elimination; best two-of-three first round, single-game semifinals and final
Played1959–2021
Last contest 2021 WCHA Tournament
Current champion Lake Superior State Lakers (first win)
Most championships Denver Pioneers (fifteen wins)
Winner trophy Broadmoor Trophy
Jeff Sauer WCHA Championship Trophy

The WCHA Men's Tournament was the conference tournament for the men's division of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA), an NCAA Division I men's ice hockey conference that originally operated from 1951 to 2021. The tournament was also referred to as the WCHA Final Five, the moniker for the tournament's closing rounds. The winner of the tournament received an automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament. From 1985 to 2018, the winner of the tournament received the Broadmoor Trophy, before that trophy was retired in favor of the Jeff Sauer WCHA Championship Trophy.

Contents

History

The Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) is the oldest active NCAA Division I ice hockey-only conference beginning in 1959–60, and based in Denver, Colorado. At the conclusion of each regular season, it held a tournament to determine its conference champion(s). The tournament has had many variations over the course of its history, starting with four teams and naming two regional champions. The modern format of the tournament, where only one champion was crowned, wasn't codified until 1981–82 after four teams left to join the CCHA and the NCAA began to offer automatic bids to the National Tournament rather than inviting finals participants.

Dee Stadium hosted a championship game in the tournament's first season. Dee Stadium.jpg
Dee Stadium hosted a championship game in the tournament's first season.

Denver has won the most WCHA championships with 15. [1] Murray Armstrong has won the most titles (10), all with Denver, and appeared in the second most title games. John MacInnes has appeared in the most title games (15) and won the second most, all with Michigan Tech. These numbers are, however, misleading as the WCHA had named two tournament champions for most of its first 22 years rather than offering a game(s) to decide a single champion, the era that both Armstrong and MacInnes coached in. Had this policy continued unabated Doug Woog would be tied with Armstrong for most titles as well as winning 5 consecutive (1990–1994) and appearing in 12 consecutive finals (1986–1997).

Following the 2012–13 season, college hockey underwent a major conference realignment, leaving the WCHA with an almost completely new set of teams. [2] In 2019, seven members of the men's WCHA announced they would be leaving the WCHA to form a new, revived CCHA conference. [3] The 2020–21 season would be the last for the current iteration of the WCHA, with Lake Superior State winning the final WCHA men's tournament.

Championship Round Performance

Game records may not add up to the amount of championship round appearances due to the championship round being multiple games in certain years.

SchoolChampionshipsAppearancesRecordPct.
Denver 152322–8–2.719
Minnesota 142717–21–4.452
Wisconsin 121417–2–3.841
North Dakota 112415–15–3.500
Michigan Tech 111915–11–2.571
Northern Michigan 363–3–0.500
Minnesota–Duluth 354–5–0.444
Minnesota State 343–1.750
Michigan State 263–6–1.350
Colorado College 192–11.154
St. Cloud State 141–3.250
Ferris State 121–1.500
Lake Superior State 111–01.000
Michigan 080–12–2.071
Bowling Green State 020–2.000
Notre Dame 020–3–1.125

Location of WCHA Tournaments

References

  1. ↑ Semifinal and Championship rounds held at Minnesota State due to COVID-19 Pandemic, despite Minnesota State not appearing in the Championship round.
  1. ↑ "WCHA Yearbook 113-128" (PDF). WCHA. Retrieved 2014-05-31.
  2. ↑ "WCHA invites leftover CCHA teams for 2013-14". ESPN.com. 2011-08-25. Retrieved 2025-07-01.
  3. ↑ Johnson, Randy (February 18, 2020). "CCHA will be new name for seven teams leaving WCHA in 2021-22". Star Tribune . Minneapolis . Retrieved April 22, 2020.
  4. ↑ "WCHA Announces Playoff Championship to be Played in Grand Rapids in 2014 & 2016, Saint Paul in 2015 & 2017," press release from WCHA.com, 3/23/2013


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