National Collegiate Hockey Association


The National Collegiate Hockey Association was a national organization of men's college- and university-level ice hockey programs in the United States. The NCHA used to be known as the Collegiate Ice Hockey Association and the National Association of Intercollegiate Hockey. The association was primarily composed of American Collegiate Hockey Association Division III teams from the Northeast.
WWW ncha.us

History

The NAIH was formed in 2011 as an alternative to the ACHA for hockey teams that wanted a lower cost for membership and a high level of competition. However, many teams in the NCHA were also members of the ACHA.
In the spring of 2013, the NAIH changed its name to the CIHA and after the 2013-14 season changed its name to the NCHA.
In July 2014, the NCHA was sanctioned by the United Hockey Union, a branch of Amateur Athletic Union.

Teams

For the 2015–16 season, the NCHA had four conferences: North Eastern, South Eastern, South Wwestern and the Independent Conference. The champion of each conference received an automatic bid to Nationals.

Founders Cup Champions

The 2012–13 season was the first year the NAIH held a national tournament. The national championship trophy was dubbed the Founders Cup.
[|thumb|National Collegiate Hockey Association championship trophy The Founder's Cup.jpg]
YearNational ChampionRunner-upResultHost/Location
2012–13Western WashingtonLe Moyne College2-1 Buffalo, New York
2013–14Pittsburgh-GreensburgUC San Diego2-0Newark, Ohio
2014–15St. John Fisher CollegePittsburgh-Greensburg8-5Newark, Ohio
2015–16University at BuffaloPenn State Altoona4-2Newark, Ohio
2016–17University at BuffaloUnion College5-2Amherst, New York