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60-485: From 1951 to 1999, it operated as a men-only league, adding women's competition in the 1999–2000 season. It operated men's and women's leagues through the 2020–21 season; during this period, the men's WCHA expanded to include teams far removed from its traditional Midwestern base, with members in Alabama, Alaska, and Colorado at different times. The men's side of the league officially disbanded after seven members left to form

120-573: A Most Valuable Player in Tournament which is voted on at the conclusion of the conference tournament. None of the individual awards conferred by the CCHA have been given for the entire existence of the conference. Only the Tournament MVP was awarded in the inaugural CCHA season, but that award was discontinued thereafter until 1982. Several of the aforementioned awards were revived along with

180-650: A club team that competed at the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) Division 1 level, primarily as a member of Eastern Collegiate Women's Hockey League (ECWHL). Penn State plays its home games at Pegula Ice Arena in University Park, Pennsylvania . Penn State's first women's hockey team – a club team called the "Lady Icers" – began play in the 1996–97 season, after students Ellen Bradley and Kathy Beckford recruited players from around campus and Vinnie Scalamogna,

240-594: A game-of-the-week, and signed the first national television contract for colleges in the United States. He brought in cable television partners which included the Pro Am Sports System and Fox Sports Net . He introduced instant replay to the CCHA in 1993, to be used at its league championships, and arranged for the CCHA Men's Ice Hockey Tournament finals to be played at Joe Louis Arena . He

300-481: A new CCHA for the 2021–22 season, citing a more compact geographic footprint and a desire to improve regional alignment, among other reasons. St. Thomas, a former D-III school, joined them later that year as the CCHA's newest member as well as the conference's eighth team. The CCHA began in 1971 as an NCAA conference composed of Bowling Green , Ohio , Ohio State and Saint Louis . After adding Lake Superior State for year two, both Ohio State and Ohio withdrew from

360-517: A new conference home; when no conference move materialized, the hockey program was dropped again (although UAH officially called it a "suspension"). In August 2020, Alaska Anchorage announced that it would drop hockey after the 2020–21 season. The University of Alaska Board of Regents offered the hockey team a chance at reinstatement in September if they could raise 2 seasons worth of expenses, approximately $ 3 million, by February 2021. The fundraising

420-593: A pair of goals each from Micayla Catanzariti and Shannon Yoxheimer. Behind a roster led by forward and captain Taylor Gross, forward Jenna Welch and goaltender Nicole Paniccia (each a transfer from the University of Connecticut ), and featuring eight Lady Icers holdovers (including Gross) along with 17 freshmen, PSU climbed to 5–8–1 overall on November 17, 2012 with its first-ever CHA win, 3–2 over fellow former ACHA program Lindenwood . The Nittany Lions skidded

480-459: A partial league schedule in the 2023–24 and 2024–25 seasons before playing a full league schedule in 2025–26. On May 15, 2024 St. Thomas announced they would leave the league following the 2025-26 season to become the tenth member of the NCHC. This will return the league to eight member schools. Team's records against current conference opponents. (As of the end of the 2020-21 season.) At

540-745: A third team added in 1995–96 . Additionally they vote to award up to 5 individual trophies to an eligible player at the same time. The WCHA also awards a Most Valuable Player in Tournament, which is voted on at the conclusion of the conference tournament. Only the Coach of the Year award has been bestowed in each year of the WCHA's existence, making it the oldest continually-awarded conference award in Division I ice hockey . WCHA schools have won 37 NCAA Men's Ice Hockey National Championships. * Prior to 1959

600-658: A third-place finish at the end of the 2001–02 season. Penn State concluded its time in the ACHA in February 2012, with eventual NCAA leader Josh Brandwene as head coach. That season, the Lady Icers played a mixed schedule, featuring ACHA and ECWHL opponents as well as eleven games against NCAA Division I and Division III teams. PSU finished the year by claiming the ECWHL regular season title, but then losing to Rhode Island in

660-592: Is a college ice hockey program that has represented Penn State University in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I since the 2012–13 season. The Nittany Lions were members of College Hockey America (CHA) from their first season through the 2023–24 season, after which CHA merged with the Atlantic Hockey Association to form Atlantic Hockey America . The program was preceded by

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720-469: The Broadmoor Trophy . On March 22, 2011, Minnesota and Wisconsin announced that their men's teams planned to leave the league in order to form a hockey Big Ten Conference in 2013–14, along with Penn State , which would start a varsity hockey program in 2012–13, and Central Collegiate Hockey Association members Michigan , Michigan State , and Ohio State . In response to the creation of

780-579: The Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference effective with the end of the 2020–21 school year due to perceptions by many members that it had grown too strong for that conference in multiple sports. The Summit League offered the Tommies a D-I home, and backed the school's bid to directly transition from D-III. The now women-only WCHA has 8 members following the 2021 arrival of St. Thomas. The men's side of

840-561: The Neumann University Knights , coaching there from 2009 until 2011. In September 2011, Penn State was accepted into College Hockey America for the 2012–13 season, becoming the fifth member of the conference after Wayne State abruptly ended their women's hockey program, dropping league membership to only four teams for the 2011–12 season. The Nittany Lions launched their NCAA era with a 5–3 victory over Vermont at Gutterson Fieldhouse on October 6, 2012, helped by

900-624: The University of Notre Dame to resurrect its hockey program in 1992. Building on Bowling Green State's national title in 1984, the CCHA established itself further as the Michigan State Spartans won their second national championship and first as a member of the CCHA in 1986, and the Lake Superior State Lakers won the 1988 national championship, their first NCAA championship. The Lake Superior State Lakers would continue their NCAA success by winning both

960-503: The University of Wisconsin from the WCHA , as well as Penn State. The next school slated to leave the CCHA in 2013 was Miami University which became a charter member of the NCHC on July 15, 2011. Western Michigan accepted an invitation to join the new league just over two months later on September 22. The demise of the CCHA was further accelerated when five members decided to move to

1020-677: The Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA), which itself had been depleted by the Big Ten and NCHC. The conference's last game before its hiatus was the final of the 2013 CCHA Men's Ice Hockey Tournament at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit , where Notre Dame beat Michigan 3–1 to win the Mason Cup championship. On February 18, 2020, seven schools who had applied to leave the WCHA announced they would form

1080-535: The 1992 and 1994 NCAA ice hockey championships and finishing as the national runner-up in 1993. In addition to the success of the Lakers and Spartans, the Michigan Wolverines began a streak of 22 consecutive tournament appearances in 1991 and won national titles in 1996 and 1998. While the conference and most of its teams were stable throughout the early 21st century, the CCHA suffered a mortal blow at

1140-558: The 2021–22 season; a previous incarnation, which the current CCHA recognizes as part of its history, existed from 1971 to 2013. Four of its nine members are located in the state of Michigan , with three in Minnesota and one each in Ohio and South Dakota . It has also had teams located in Alaska , Illinois , Indiana , Missouri and Nebraska over the course of its existence. The CCHA

1200-457: The Anchorage and Fairbanks athletic programs being combined into a single program. While both campuses continued to sponsor men's ice hockey in the 2019–20 season, the future of at least one of the teams beyond that point was then seen as uncertain at best. Later developments saw many of the budget cuts pulled back, as well as a temporary halt to work on a single UA system accreditation; this led

1260-614: The Big Ten men's hockey conference, Denver , Colorado College , North Dakota , Nebraska-Omaha , Minnesota Duluth , and St. Cloud State left the WCHA to join Miami University and Western Michigan of the CCHA to create the National Collegiate Hockey Conference . Facing membership at 4 teams for the 2013–14 season, the WCHA conference added one of its former members, Northern Michigan of

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1320-506: The CCHA, on July 15, 2011. On August 25, 2011, the WCHA announced that it had invited the University of Alaska Fairbanks, Bowling Green, Ferris State, and Lake Superior State to join beginning in the 2013–14 season. On August 26, 2011, Alaska-Fairbanks, Ferris State, and Lake Superior State accepted their invitations and joined Northern Michigan in the WCHA in 2013. After much deliberation, on October 4, 2011, Bowling Green decided to join

1380-701: The Nittany Lions regressed to four wins overall and were once again swept by RIT in the first round of the CHA playoffs. In the 2014–15 season, PSU posted its first winning record (17–16–4), highest CHA standings position (tied for third) and first CHA playoff series win (against Lindenwood) before falling to Syracuse in the CHA semifinals, thanks largely to the Minnetonka, MN -native duo of Laura Bowman and Amy Petersen, who combined for 27 goals. One season highlight

1440-479: The UA system to announce that athletics at both campuses would continue as is through the 2020–21 school year. In November 2019, Alabama–Huntsville submitted a withdrawal letter to the WCHA, stating that it also planned to leave after the 2020–21 season. At the time, UAH was discussing potential future options with the two Alaska campuses. However, UAH subsequently dropped hockey effective immediately on May 22, 2020, due to

1500-419: The University of Alaska system, a move that was seen as potentially ending intercollegiate athletics entirely at both the Anchorage and Fairbanks campuses. The cuts led the UA system to start the process of consolidating the three-campus system into a single accredited institution (though retaining the existing campuses), with the system president telling local media that a single accreditation would likely lead to

1560-414: The WCHA as well in 2013. On January 17, 2013, the WCHA admitted Alabama–Huntsville to the league, effective in the 2013–14 season. This realignment activity only affected the men's side of the WCHA. Even after Penn State took the ice with both men's and women's teams, the Big Ten still had only four members with varsity women's hockey (Michigan and Michigan State field only men's teams). This meant that

1620-505: The WCHA following the 2012–13 campaign. Northern Michigan University , returning to the WCHA after leaving in 1997, was the first to make the announcement on July 20, followed by Alaska, Ferris State and Lake Superior State on August 26 and Bowling Green on October 4. Notre Dame accepted an invitation to the Hockey East Association in a press conference on October 5, 2011. On June 28, 2019, seven schools from

1680-400: The WCHA that they would leave the league after the 2020–21 season, potentially forming a new men's hockey conference. In February 2020, these seven schools announced they would form a new CCHA. At the time the seven Midwestern members announced their plans to leave, the two Alaska teams were facing a crisis following the veto by state governor Mike Dunleavy of over $ 100 million in funding for

1740-535: The WCHA. WCHA teams also won the first 13 NCAA women's titles , which were first awarded in 2001. In 2006, WCHA member Wisconsin was the first school to capture both the men's and women's Division I ice hockey championships in the same season. The men's regular season conference champion was awarded the MacNaughton Cup , while the league's tournament champion winning the WCHA Final Five took home

1800-656: The assistant manager of the Penn State Ice Pavilion (then the university's sole ice facility), as coach. The Lady Icers' first game, a 5–4 win over the Susquehanna Rockettes (an adult club team), took place on February 1, 1997. The team was intermittently successful over its 16 years of existence, winning six conference regular season or playoff titles and qualifying for the ACHA National Tournament six times, peaking with

1860-692: The chief allegations concerned the handling of the 2014 complaint, with Murphy and Shaw claiming that Green promised confidentiality to the group filing the complaint before subsequently burying the issue and turning their names over to Brandwene, who cut them – actions that would appear to be in violation of Penn State athletics guidelines. Several stories of emotional abuse were included as well. One anonymous former player said that Brandwene told her to lose weight in order to play more, while Shaw recounted an incident in which Brandwene physically knocked her stick from her hands while saying "don't worry, you won't be needing that today." Shaw also said that Brandwene ruined

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1920-615: The completion of a new 5,782-seat, $ 89 million ice arena to replace the undersized and aging 1,350-seat Penn State Ice Pavilion , which was deemed inadequate for long-term NCAA play. Pegula Ice Arena opened in September 2013, after the Nittany Lions played their first NCAA season in the Ice Pavilion . In May 2011 the university hired Brandwene as the first varsity women's hockey head coach. On June 21, 2011, former Lady Icers head coach Mo Stroemel and Gina Kearns joined Brandwene's staff as assistants. Kearns had been an assistant with

1980-429: The conclusion of each regular season schedule the coaches of each CCHA team vote which players they choose to be on the three All-Conference Teams: first team, second team and rookie team. Additionally they vote to award up to 9 of the 12 individual trophies to an eligible player at the same time (depending upon the year). The CCHA also awards a Perani Cup, a Humanitarian Award, which are awarded rather than voted upon, and

2040-405: The conclusion of the 2013–14 season, a group of thirteen players spoke with Penn State Associate Athletic Director Charmelle Green to "express their frustration with Brandwene and concerns about the future of the program." Seven of this group were subsequently cut from the team, including Jessica Desorcie, Darby Kern, Cara Mendelson, Brooke Meyer, Katie Murphy, Birdie Shaw and Madison Smiddy. Murphy

2100-409: The conference had 10 members in its final season of 2020–21, at which time only two schools, Bemidji State and Minnesota State, had both men's and women's teams in the conference. At the conclusion of each regular season schedule the coaches of each WCHA team vote which players they choose to be on the two to four All-Conference teams: first team and second team with a rookie team added in 1990–91 and

2160-462: The conference, leaving the CCHA with a scant 3 members. Despite the trouble, the three teams rode out the rough patch and the league began to grow with the addition of Western Michigan and the return of Ohio State. Up until 1976 the NCAA had only offered bids to the tournament from teams in either ECAC Hockey or the WCHA . Because those were the only two Division I conferences for most years there

2220-408: The end of the decade. Pennsylvania State University announced on September 17, 2010 the transition of its men's and women's American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) programs to NCAA Division I status in 2012. Just over a month earlier, then-commissioner Tom Anastos publicly stated that the CCHA would strongly consider adding Penn State as the conference's 12th member. Instead, the league

2280-482: The financial impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic on its athletic department. On May 29, 2020, UAH President Darren Dawson announced that men's hockey would return for the 2020–21 season after more than $ 750,000 in private contributions were made in the week prior. This reprieve proved temporary, as the school and its hockey supporters agreed that the continuation of the sport beyond 2020–21 would be contingent on finding

2340-485: The league in 2021–22. The awards presented by the original CCHA for best offensive and defensive defenseman were merged into a single award for best defenseman, and the original CCHA's award for best defensive forward was folded into the award for best forward. 1970s All-Decade Team 1980s All-Decade Team 1990s All-Decade Team 2000-2013 All-Decade Team Penn State Nittany Lions women%27s ice hockey Penn State Nittany Lions women's ice hockey

2400-575: The league's playoff championship game. After years of speculation the program transitioned to the NCAA Division I level along with the PSU men's ice hockey team for the 2012–13 season. The move was made possible thanks to a Penn State-record $ 88 million (later increased to $ 102 million) donation, announced on September 17, 2010, from Terrence Pegula , a Penn State alumnus and billionaire hockey fan, and his wife Kim. The donation primarily paid for

2460-426: The move; the remaining three WCHA members, Alabama-Huntsville , Alaska and Alaska–Anchorage , all geographic outliers in the WCHA, were notably absent. On February 18, 2020 these seven schools announced they would begin competing in a new CCHA in 2021–22. Later that year, the University of St. Thomas , a former D-III school who had been granted a waiver by the NCAA earlier in the year to transition directly to D-I,

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2520-567: The respect for him that I should have for a head coach because he’s not a good coach." Over the days following Murphy's comments, others formerly involved with the program, including strength and conditioning coach Rob McLean as well as outgoing transfer players Katie Zinn and Taylor McGee also spoke critically of Brandwene. The program again found itself the subject of negative headlines in March 2016, as Murphy, Mendelson, Shaw and others told or retold their stories to The Daily Collegian . One of

2580-479: The rest of the way through, managing only two wins (both against NCAA Division III Chatham University ) over the final 21 games of the season, including a sweep by RIT in the first round of the CHA playoffs. The 2013–14 season again began with a win at Vermont and a split in the team's first Pegula Ice Arena games, on October 18 and 19, 2013 against Union . However, despite eight ties or overtime losses and thanks largely to scoring just 1.36 times per game,

2640-494: The revived Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA); the WCHA remains in operation as a women-only league. WCHA member teams won a record 38 men's NCAA hockey championships, most recently in 2011 by the Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs . A WCHA team also finished as the national runner-up a total of 28 times. WCHA teams also won the first 13 NCAA women's titles , which were first awarded in 2001. The league

2700-446: The spirit of intercollegiate athletics. The current Western Collegiate Hockey Association was founded for the 1959–60 season after the former WIHL schools concluded that the region needed a strong league. Despite this, Denver and Minnesota would not play each other until 1973, when the league took over scheduling from the individual members. The 2005 NCAA Frozen Four hockey tournament finals were noteworthy when all four teams came from

2760-738: The sport for her, to the point where she wouldn't allow her kids to play. As with the 2014 situation, others came forward in the following days, including 2011–12 ACHA team players Katie Vaughan, Ashton Schaffer and Abbey Dufoe. Vaughan said that "it became clear to me that this man has a destructive personality and he meant the team no well-being" while recalling a conversation involving Brandwene pressing her about personal issues. Both she and Schaffer detailed other instances of emotional manipulation that almost caused them to end decade-plus playing careers, while Dufoe flatly said that "no one should be treated like that." One father of an anonymous current player said that his daughter would transfer if Brandwene

2820-658: The teams that formed the WCHA played in the MCHL or the WIHL. WCHA schools have won 19 NCAA Women's Ice Hockey National Championships. Central Collegiate Hockey Association The Central Collegiate Hockey Association ( CCHA ) is a college athletic conference in the Midwestern United States that participates in the NCAA 's Division I as a hockey -only conference. The current CCHA began play in

2880-410: The ten-member WCHA began the process of withdrawing from the conference, with the intent of forming a new conference for the 2021–22 season. These seven schools were Bemidji State, Bowling Green (who had retained the rights to the CCHA name), Ferris State, Lake Superior State, Michigan Tech, Minnesota State and Northern Michigan. The seven schools cited a more compact geographic footprint as one reason for

2940-531: The tournament in its first three season of CCHA play but it was founding member Bowling Green that won the conference's first national championship in 1984 . Bill Beagan served as commissioner of the CCHA from 1985 to 1998. He implemented a pre-season training camp for referees, despite the officials going on strike in protest. He developed a working relationship with the NHL to develop future officials in collegiate hockey. He sought to have CCHA games televised as

3000-475: The women's side of the WCHA remained intact for the immediate future. The next change in the conference membership came shortly after the 2016–17 season, when North Dakota announced that it would drop women's hockey. During the 2019 offseason, the future of the men's side of the WCHA fell into serious doubt when its seven Midwestern members—Bemidji State, Bowling Green, Ferris State, Lake Superior State, Michigan Tech, Minnesota State, and Northern Michigan—notified

3060-441: Was a December 2014 sweep of then-No. 6 Mercyhurst, the Nittany Lions' first and second wins against a ranked team and against the perennially-powerful Lakers. However, the team slid slightly backwards in 2015–16, matching the previous season's CHA standings placement and playoff results (a first-round sweep of RIT followed by a triple-overtime loss to Syracuse in the semifinals) but finishing only 12–19–6 overall. A few weeks after

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3120-430: Was announced to be joining the new CCHA as a member on July 29, 2020, bringing the membership up to an even eight teams. Don Lucia , a former head coach at Alaska, Colorado College , and Minnesota , was named as commissioner of the new CCHA on June 17, 2020. A new league logo was introduced shortly thereafter. On May 17, 2022, Augustana University was announced as the league's ninth member. The Vikings will play

3180-651: Was credited with coining the phrase, "Road to the Joe", in reference to end-of-year tournament culminating at the Joe Louis Arena. Prior to Beagan's arrival, the CCHA had not been a profitable association. After 10 years as commissioner, the league had made $ 4 million. Profits were shared with the schools, which were reinvested into hockey programs and new arenas. On-ice results improved during his tenure, and CCHA teams won six NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament championships. In addition, Beagan convinced

3240-520: Was disbanded after the 2012–13 season as the result of a conference realignment stemming from the Big Ten Conference (of which three CCHA schools; Michigan, Michigan State, and Ohio State, were primary members) choosing to sponsor Division I ice hockey beginning in the 2013–14 season. The remaining CCHA members received invitations to other conferences, such as the newly formed National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC), Hockey East , and

3300-540: Was divided into 2 parts: $ 1.5 million in cash, and the remainder in firm pledges. As of December 2020, the team had begun fundraising for the needed money. The men's WCHA would fold after the 2020–21 season, but the women's WCHA announced a further expansion effective in 2021–22 with the arrival of St. Thomas , a Twin Cities school that received NCAA approval to directly transition from Division III to Division I. St. Thomas had been expelled from its longtime D-III home of

3360-580: Was founded in 1951 as the Midwest Collegiate Hockey League ( MCHL ), then was known as the Western Intercollegiate Hockey League ( WIHL ) until 1958. The WIHL disbanded in 1958 after Minnesota and the three Michigan schools withdrew in protest of Colorado College, Denver and North Dakota recruiting overage Canadians. While this didn't violate NCAA rules, the four "M" schools felt it violated

3420-496: Was left to deal with the imminent departures of Michigan, Michigan State and Ohio State when the Big Ten Conference disclosed on March 21, 2011 its intention to establish a men's ice hockey circuit to begin play in the 2013–14 season, as the conference now had enough hockey teams to earn an automatic bid in the NCAA tournament for its champion. Joining the existing CCHA members were the University of Minnesota and

3480-420: Was no controversy but, after the CCHA had proved to be more than just a flash in the pan, the tournament had to change. Beginning with the 1977 Championship the NCAA allowed itself the freedom to add up to four additional teams to the tournament with the understanding that the CCHA tournament champion would receive one of the additional bids. Bowling Green won the first tournament game for the conference but it

3540-498: Was not until Northern Michigan reached the championship game in 1980 that the league began to gain acceptance. 1981 saw a major shift in college ice hockey with four teams from the WCHA defecting to the CCHA. The move was done as a way to reduce travel costs as well as provide the new team with a better chance at making the NCAA Tournament (many of the CCHA teams were still seen as lesser programs). Michigan State made

3600-485: Was the most outspoken of the cuts, telling Penn State student newspaper The Daily Collegian that "[Brandwene] talked to us like we were children. Three or four weeks he would go without even looking at me or without even talking to me. He’s a bully. That’s the best word I can think of for him," and that "The girls don’t respect the coach because he hasn’t earned our respect at all. He’s been my coach for three years and I tried my hardest to respect him and I still don’t have

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