College Hockey America facts for kids

College Hockey America (CHA) is a group of colleges and universities in the United States. These schools play NCAA Division I women's ice hockey against each other every season. CHA was started in 1999 for men's hockey. Women's teams joined in 2002. The men's hockey part of CHA stopped after the 2009–10 season.

As of the 2013–14 season, CHA has six member schools. This is the smallest number of teams needed for a conference to get an automatic spot in the NCAA women's tournament. However, three of these schools joined in July 2012. So, CHA will not get an automatic tournament spot until at least the 2014–15 season.

CHA works closely with Atlantic Hockey. Atlantic Hockey is a conference just for men's hockey. Even though they don't share offices, they have the same leader (commissioner). Also, three schools in CHA are also part of Atlantic Hockey.

Teams Playing Now

These are the schools that are current members of College Hockey America:

• Lindenwood University
• Mercyhurst University
• Pennsylvania State University (often called "Penn State")
• Rochester Institute of Technology (known as "RIT")
• Robert Morris University
• Syracuse University

Of these teams, Mercyhurst, RIT, and Robert Morris also have men's hockey teams. Their men's teams play in the Atlantic Hockey conference. Penn State has a men's hockey team that plays in the Big Ten conference. Syracuse also has a men's team, but it plays at a club level, which means it's not part of the NCAA structure.

Past Teams

Over the years, some teams have left College Hockey America.

Former Men's Teams

• United States Air Force Academy ("Air Force") (1999–2006) — They now play in Atlantic Hockey.
• University of Alabama in Huntsville ("Alabama–Huntsville" or "UAH") (1999–2010) — They now play in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA).
• United States Military Academy ("Army") (1999–2000) — They now play in Atlantic Hockey.
• Bemidji State University (1999–2010) — They now play in the WCHA.
• University of Findlay (1999–2004) — This school stopped having both men's and women's hockey teams.
• Niagara University (1999–2010) — They now play in Atlantic Hockey.
• Robert Morris University (2004–2010) — Their men's team now plays in Atlantic Hockey.
• Wayne State University (1999–2008) — This school stopped having a men's hockey team.

Former Women's Teams

• University of Findlay (2002–2004) — This school stopped having both men's and women's hockey teams.
• Niagara University (2002–2012) — This school stopped having a women's hockey team.
• Quinnipiac University (2004–2005) — They now play in ECAC Hockey.
• Wayne State University (2002–2011) — This school stopped having a women's hockey team.

See also

In Spanish: College Hockey America para niños