Members 10 Headquarters Pittsburgh, PA | Region Northeast | |
Established 1971 as WPIHA 2002 as CHE;used to be WPCHA and WPIHA Sport ACHA Division 2/3 hockey States 2 - Pennsylvania, New York | ||
College Hockey East (CHE) is a mixed American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) Division 2 and Division 3 league for universities in the Western Pennsylvania region.
Contents
History
The league began in 1971 as the Western Pennsylvania Intercollegiate Hockey Association (WPIHA). The WPIHA was renamed the "Western Pennsylvania Collegiate Hockey Association" (WPCHA) a couple of years later, and this name lasted until the end of the 2002 season when the league was renamed "College Hockey East", reflecting the growth of the league outside of Pennsylvania. Membership in CHE has been fluid, with many teams coming and going over the years. Some programs have become more prominent, whereas others have folded completely or scaled back dramatically. However, under the current leadership, CHE has established itself as a premier ACHA D-3 conference, and members are more committed to staying. University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown has the longest continuous tenure in CHE, followed by Indiana University of Pennsylvania's second team and St. Vincent College; the three of them joined CHE in the mid-to-late 1990s. The other teams have joined since 2000 or have had some interruption in their membership. The CHE has produced two ACHA Division 3 National Championship teams. In 2002 Robert Morris University beat University of Wyoming 3-2 to become the first. In 2008 California University of Pennsylvania beat San Diego State University 7-3 to become the second.
Teams
North Division
South Division
East Division