East Coast Collegiate Hockey Association


The East Coast Collegiate Hockey Association was an ACHA college ice hockey conference in the Southeast region of the United States.
The ECCHA was created in August 2001 as Blue Ridge Hockey Conference or BRHC by eight collegiate hockey programs in Virginia and North Carolina. It was originally created as an ACHA Division III spin-off of the Atlantic Coast Collegiate Hockey League, which competed at the Division II level. The original intent of the BRHC was to house newer and/or less organized programs until they demonstrated enough success to be promoted to the ACCHL. However, after a few years, the BRHC separated from the ACCHL and became its own stand-alone league.
The BRHC has advanced four of its members to the ACHA National Tournament since 2003.
As of the summer of 2017, the BRHC was restructured to form the East Coast Collegiate Hockey Association with the intent to improve the quality of its brand of ACHA Division III hockey in the mid-Atlantic and Southern region. The league transitioned back into the ACCHL for the start of the 2019–2020 season.

Teams

Former teams

The last year as BRHC, in 2017, conference's membership had tripled since 2007, making it the largest collegiate hockey conference in the United States.
Colonial Division
SchoolLocationFoundedAffiliationNicknameColors
Christopher Newport UniversityNewport News, VA1961PublicCaptains
East Carolina UniversityGreenville, NC1907Public Pirates
University of North Carolina-WilmingtonWilmington, NC1947Public Seahawks
Radford UniversityRadford, VA1910PublicHighlanders
Virginia Commonwealth UniversityRichmond, VA1838PublicRams
Coastal Carolina UniversityConway, SC1954PublicChanticleers
George Mason UniversityFairfax, VA1949 as branch of University of Virginia, independent university by 1972PublicPatriots

Atlantic Division- North Region
SchoolLocationFoundedAffiliationNicknameColors
American UniversityWashington D.C.1893Private/MethodistEagles
Catholic UniversityWashington D.C.1887Private/Roman CatholicCardinals
Marymount UniversityArlington, VA1856Private/Roman CatholicSaints
Northern Virginia Community CollegeAnnandale, VA1964Community CollegeNighthawks
College of William and MaryWilliamsburg, VA1693PrivateTribe

Atlantic Division- South Region
SchoolLocationFoundedAffiliationNicknameColors
Old Dominion UniversityNorfolk, VA1930PublicMonarchs
University of RichmondRichmond, VA1930PrivateSpiders
Appalachian State UniversityBoone, NC1899Public Mountaineers
Johnson & Wales UniversityCharlotte, NC2004Private/Non-profitWildcats
The CitadelCharleston, SC1839Public Military CollegeBulldogs

Conference champions

The championship tournament is held every year on the third weekend of February. In 2015 it was held at Chilled Ponds in Chesapeake, Virginia.
YearChampion
2001-02Charleston
2002-03Appalachian State
2003-04Richmond
2004-05Richmond
2005-06Richmond
2006-07Richmond
2007-08Old Dominion
2008-09VCU
2009-10Appalachian State
2010-11William & Mary
2011-12Liberty
2012-13James Madison
2013-14James Madison
2014-15Catholic University
2015-16Northern Virginia Community College
2016-17Citadel
2017-18Richmond