The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) held a men's national ice hockey championship from 1968 to 1984 when ice hockey was dropped as an NAIA sport.

Early history

The NAIA Men's Ice Hockey Championship held a single elimination competition to determined the collegiate national champion from the inaugural 1968 to 1984. The tournament began as a four-team tournament but expanded to six and eight teams during the peak time-frame during the 1970s and early 1980s. The tournament returned to the 4-team format for the final two seasons with declining hockey participation at the NAIA level.[1] In total, the NAIA sponsored men's ice hockey as a championship sport for 17 years.[1] The schools were consolidated in the Northern United States and the tournament field primarily consisted between schools in Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin, with occasional contenders from New England and Alaska. NAIA ice hockey also had an international presence in the early years of the championship with membership in Ontario.[1] In total, ice hockey at the NAIA level consisted of between 30 and 50 schools. It was discontinued in 1984 after the NCAA created a Division III national championship.[1]

Tournament format history

1968–1972
4 teams (single elimination)
1973–1974
6 teams (single elimination)
1975–1982
8 teams (single elimination)
1983-1984
4 teams (single elimination)

Winners of the NAIA national ice hockey championship

YearChampionScoreRunner-up
1968Bemidji State5-4 (ot)Lake Superior State
1969Bemidji State6-2Lake Superior State
1970Bemidji State7-4Lake Superior State
1971Bemidji State6-2Lakehead
1972Lake Superior State9-3Gustavus Adolphus
1973Bemidji State3-2 (ot)Lakehead
1974Lake Superior State4-1Bemidji State
1975St. Scholastica7-1Gustavus Adolphus
1976Wisconsin–Superior8-5St. Scholastica
1977St. Scholastica3-2Gustavus Adolphus
1978Augsburg4-3Bemidji State
1979Bemidji State5-1Concordia Moorhead
1980Bemidji State4-3Michigan–Dearborn
1981Augsburg8-3Wisconsin–Superior
1982Augsburg6-3Bemidji State
1983Wisconsin–River Falls12-5Michigan–Dearborn
1984Wisconsin–Eau Claire6-1Michigan–Dearborn

Recent history

During the summer of 2015, a group of schools fielding the sport began working with the NAIA administrators in an effort to gain emerging sport status and work to eventually sponsoring the sport at the championship level again.[2][3] The NAIA requires a minimum of 15 schools to sponsor a sport at the varsity level to begin the process from emerging to championship categories.[4]

In 2016, several NAIA institutions that sponsor men's ice hockey teams announced the formation of a coaches association and a new division for NAIA ice hockey program to begin play during the 2017–18 season.[5] The division will initially operate under the guidance of the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) during the emerging sport phase of the process to regain NAIA championship sport status.[6] The new division will allow these NAIA schools to align their standards with the institution's other NAIA sports, including distinct differences from the other ACHA divisions in terms of player eligibility, operational procedures, and athletic financial aid.[7]

The Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) made history in July 2017, by adding men's ice hockey as conference sports effective the fall of 2017. The WHAC became the first conference in the NAIA to offer the sport as a conference championship sport.[8] Initially, the five conference members that sponsor ice hockey will participate in a conference championship.[8][9] In July 2017, Concordia University Ann Arbor announced that the university will begin an ice hockey program and begin competition in the NAIA Division and WHAC Hockey Conference in the 2018–19 season.[10]

In April 2020, Roosevelt University began to sponsor men's ice hockey after inheriting Robert Morris University's men's team and its ACHA membership because Robert Morris was integrated into Roosevelt a month before.[11]

Current WHAC men's ice hockey teams

Institution Location Enrollment Nickname Hockey Conference Affiliation
Aquinas College Grand Rapids, Michigan 2,100 Saints Wolverine–Hoosier
Cleary University Howell, Michigan 600 Cougars Wolverine–Hoosier
Concordia University Ann Arbor Ann Arbor, Michigan 1,200 Cardinals Wolverine–Hoosier
Indiana Institute of Technology Fort Wayne, Indiana 3,500 Warriors Wolverine–Hoosier
Lawrence Technological University Southfield, Michigan 4,000 Blue Devils Wolverine–Hoosier
Rochester University Rochester Hills, Michigan 1,084 Warriors Wolverine–Hoosier
University of Michigan–Dearborn Dearborn, Michigan 9,500 Wolverines Wolverine–Hoosier

Other NAIA schools fielding hockey teams

Institution Location Enrollment Nickname Current Hockey Affiliation
University of British Columbia Vancouver, British Columbia 50,304 Thunderbirds U Sports
Carroll College Helena, Montana 1,502 Fighting Saints ACHA
Dordt College Sioux Center, Iowa 1,300 Defenders ACHA
University of Jamestown Jamestown, North Dakota 967 Jimmies ACHA
Midland University Fremont, Nebraska 1,400 Warriors ACHA
Montana Tech Butte, Montana 2,694 Orediggers ACHA
Roosevelt University Chicago, Illinois 7,500 Lakers ACHA
St. Ambrose University Davenport, Iowa 3,607 Fighting Bees Independent club
University of Providence Great Falls, Montana 1,100 Argonauts ACHA
University of Victoria Victoria, British Columbia 16,961 Vikes BCIHL
Waldorf University Forest City, Iowa 600 Warriors ACHA

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "NAIA history and records". Retrieved July 7, 2017.
  2. ↑ "National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Ice Hockey". NAIA. August 2015. Retrieved December 10, 2015.
  3. ↑ "ICE HOCKEY – POTENTIAL FOR RETURN TO NAIA" (PDF). NAIA-ADA. September 2015. Retrieved December 10, 2015.
  4. ↑ "Emerging Sports Webinar". NAIA. October 8, 2014. Retrieved December 10, 2015.
  5. ↑ Patterson, Jared (Jan 16, 2017). "Waldorf to play NAIA hockey in 2017-18". Mason City Globe Gazette. Retrieved July 21, 2017.
  6. ↑ "NAIA Hockey Division Set To Begin Competition In 2017-18 Season". NAIA Hockey Coaches Association. November 16, 2016. Retrieved July 21, 2017.
  7. ↑ Evans, Paul (December 21, 2016). "Rising From The Ashes". Retrieved July 21, 2017.
  8. 1 2 "WHAC adds hockey and Tech gets tourney". The Journal Gazette. July 5, 2017. Retrieved July 21, 2017.
  9. ↑ "2017-18 MEN'S ICE HOCKEY". WHAC. 2017. Retrieved July 21, 2017.
  10. ↑ "HOCKEY TO BE ADDED TO CUAA ATHLETIC PROGRAM OFFERINGS". Concordia University Ann Arbor. June 23, 2017. Retrieved July 21, 2017.
  11. ↑ "Men's Hockey Is Coming to Roosevelt University This Fall". Roosevelt University Athletics. April 6, 2020. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
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