The Western Collegiate Hockey Association is a college athletic conference which operates in the Midwestern United States. It participates as a women's ice hockey conference in the NCAA's National Collegiate division, the de facto equivalent of Division I in that sport.[a] Founded in 1951 as a men's ice hockey conference, it added a women's division in 1999, and continued to operate men's and women's divisions through the 2020–21 hockey season. After that season, the WCHA disbanded its men's division after seven of its 10 men's members left the conference to reestablish the Central Collegiate Hockey Association; the WCHA remained in operation as a women-only league. Each team plays 28 league games, each team playing four games against every other, two home games and two road games.
The women's WCHA tournament seeds all 8 teams, and conducts a standard 8-team tournament at a single site over 4 days. The winner receives the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. WCHA teams won the first 13 NCAA Tournament championships from its inception in 2001.[1]
Championships
editBy season
edit| Season | Regular season champion[2] | Tournament champion[2] | NCAA national champion[1] | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999–2000 | Minnesota–Duluth | Minnesota–Duluth | —[b] | Bemidji State, Minnesota, Minnesota–Duluth, Minnesota State, Ohio State, St. Cloud State and Wisconsin begin conference play |
| 2000–01 | Minnesota | Minnesota–Duluth | Minnesota–Duluth | NCAA begins awarding a national championship for women's ice hockey |
| 2001–02 | Minnesota | Minnesota | Minnesota–Duluth | |
| 2002–03 | Minnesota–Duluth | Minnesota–Duluth | Minnesota–Duluth | |
| 2003–04 | Minnesota | Minnesota | Minnesota | |
| 2004–05 | Minnesota | Minnesota | Minnesota | North Dakota begins conference play |
| 2005–06 | Wisconsin | Wisconsin | Wisconsin | |
| 2006–07 | Wisconsin | Wisconsin | Wisconsin | |
| 2007–08 | Minnesota–Duluth | Minnesota–Duluth | Minnesota–Duluth | WCHA championships later vacated due to ineligible player |
| 2008–09 | Minnesota | Wisconsin | Wisconsin | |
| 2009–10 | Minnesota & Minnesota–Duluth[c] |
Minnesota–Duluth | Minnesota–Duluth | Minnesota and Minnesota–Duluth were named regular season conference co-champions after finishing tied for first. Minnesota–Duluth got the top seed for the conference tournament. |
| 2010–11 | Wisconsin | Wisconsin | Wisconsin | |
| 2011–12 | Wisconsin | Minnesota | Minnesota | |
| 2012–13 | Minnesota | Minnesota | Minnesota | Undefeated season for Minnesota |
| 2013–14 | Minnesota | Minnesota | — | |
| 2014–15 | Minnesota | Wisconsin | Minnesota | |
| 2015–16 | Wisconsin | Wisconsin | Minnesota | |
| 2016–17 | Wisconsin | Wisconsin | — | Last season for North Dakota |
| 2017–18 | Wisconsin | Minnesota | — | |
| 2018–19 | Minnesota | Wisconsin | Wisconsin | |
| 2019–20 | Wisconsin | Ohio State | — | NCAA championship tournament canceled due to COVID-19 pandemic |
| 2020–21 | Wisconsin | Wisconsin | Wisconsin | |
| 2021–22 | Minnesota | Ohio State | Ohio State | St. Thomas began conference play |
| 2022–23 | Ohio State | Minnesota | Wisconsin | |
| 2023–24 | Ohio State | Wisconsin | Ohio State |
By school
edit| School | Regular season championships |
Tournament championships |
NCAA national championships |
Last regular season championship |
Last tournament championship |
Last NCAA national championship |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bemidji State | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — |
| Minnesota | 11 | 8 | 6 | 2022 | 2023 | 2016 |
| Minnesota–Duluth | 4 | 5 | 5 | 2010[c] | 2010 | 2010 |
| Minnesota State | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — |
| North Dakota | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — |
| Ohio State | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2024 | 2022 | 2024 |
| St. Cloud State | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — |
| St. Thomas | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — |
| Wisconsin | 9 | 10 | 7 | 2021 | 2024 | 2023 |
Notes
edit- ^ The NCAA officially uses the "National Collegiate" term to describe championship events that are open to members of more than one NCAA division. All such NCAA championship events use the term except men's ice hockey, in which the top-level championship is styled as a Division I championship because of the previous existence of a Division II championship in that sport.
- ^ Prior to the NCAA establishing a women's ice hockey championship in the 2000–01 season, the American Women's College Hockey Alliance held a national championship from the 1997–98 season to the 1999–2000 season. Minnesota won the AWCHA championship in 2000.
- ^ a b Minnesota and Minnesota–Duluth were named regular season co-champions in 2010
Location of women's WCHA tournaments
edit- 2000: Bloomington Ice Garden; Bloomington, Minnesota
- 2001: Rochester Recreation Center; Rochester, Minnesota
- 2002: Fogerty Arena; Blaine, Minnesota
- 2003: Ralph Engelstad Arena; Grand Forks, North Dakota
- 2004–2007: Ridder Arena; Minneapolis, Minnesota
- 2008: Duluth Entertainment Convention Center; Duluth, Minnesota
- 2009–2013: Ridder Arena; Minneapolis, Minnesota[2]
- 2014: Sanford Center; Bemidji, Minnesota[3]
- 2015: Ralph Engelstad Arena; Grand Forks, North Dakota
- 2016–2024: Ridder Arena; Minneapolis, Minnesota
- 2025: AMSOIL Arena, Duluth, Minnesota[4]
Footnotes
editReferences
edit- ^ a b "NC Women's Ice Hockey Championship History". National Collegiate Athletic Association. Archived from the original on May 15, 2013. Retrieved May 14, 2013.
- ^ a b c "WCHA History and Championships". Western Collegiate Hockey Association. Archived from the original on April 13, 2013. Retrieved May 14, 2013.
- ^ Marttila, Arlan. "Minnesota takes third straight WCHA tourney title with 3-1 win over North Dakota". USCHO.com. Retrieved March 23, 2014.
- ^ "Amsoil Arena to host 2025 Kwik Trip WCHA Final Five". wcha.com. 2024-03-09. Retrieved 2024-03-09.