College Hockey East (CHE) is a mixed

American Collegiate Hockey Association The American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) is a college ice hockey association. The ACHA's purpose is to be an organization of collegiate affiliated non-varsity programs, which provides structure, regulates operations, and promotes qualit ...

(ACHA) Division 2 and Division 3 league for universities in the Western Pennsylvania region.

History

College Hockey East was originally named the Western Pennsylvania Intercollegiate Hockey Association (WPIHA), which was organized during a dinner meeting hosted by Carnegie Mellon University at Skibo Hall on March 26, 1971. The meeting was attended by team representatives of the following colleges and universities: Carnegie Mellon University, Duquesne University, Gannon University, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Penn State University-West, University of Pittsburgh, Saint Vincent College, and Slippery Rock University. Robert W. McCurdy, who then was serving as the Director of Student Activities at Carnegie Mellon, led the meeting with the help of Clifford C. Wise. During that session, the WPIHA was officially founded. McCurdy was elected as the first Commissioner of the league, and Wise was elected the first WPIHA Secretary. Representatives from Saint Francis did not attend the first organizational meeting, but their team joined the league shortly after its formation. The league began its first official season of intercollegiate competition in the fall of 1971. There were 8 teams in the league, including Carnegie Mellon, Duquesne, IUP, Penn State West, Pitt, Saint Francis, Saint Vincent, and Slippery Rock. Despite helping found the organization, Gannon University (then Gannon College) did not enter a team in the WPIHA until a few years later. McCurdy served as the WPIHA Commissioner for the first three seasons of the association. Following his tenure, Sam Orr commissioned the WPIHA for one season before handing the reigns over to Jack McKinnon, who served as Commissioner from 1975 to 1979. It was during McKinnon’s tenure that the WPIHA officially became the Western Pennsylvania Collegiate Hockey Association (WPCHA) in 1975. Michael G. Kaleina from Saint Vincent College was elected the fourth Commissioner of the WPCHA in 1979. Kaleina remained the league's Commissioner from 1979 to 2002, during which time the WPCHA and Western Pennsylvania saw its first big growth of college hockey. The 2002-03 season marked the end of an era and the start of a new legacy. On April 21, 2002, the WPCHA was officially renamed to College Hockey East (CHE) in an effort to forge new relationships with a broader scale of colleges and universities beyond the limits of Western Pennsylvania. Under the guidance of new Commissioner Charles R. Kuzniewski II, the league expanded into Ohio and New York, adding to the existing teams in Pennsylvania and West Virginia. With help from Associate Commissioner Thomas P. Harper and IUP Head Coach Samuel Kelly, the College Hockey Association (CHA) was formed in 2004 as an extension of the CHE, offering a place to play for new and developing programs. Robert Morris University (then Robert Morris College) changed the landscape of collegiate hockey in the region by winning the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) Men's Division 3 National Championship in 2002. In turn, this took the profile of the entire CHE and its teams from a regional level to a national scale, and in 2006, all CHE members also became members of the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) at the Division 3 level, creating a national affiliation that many CHE teams were already pursuing. From that point forward, CHE teams annually made appearances in the ACHA Regional and National Tournaments, and California University of Pennsylvania won the ACHA Men's Division 3 National Championship in 2008. Many CHE players and coaches also began to garner regional and national awards and recognition for their accomplishments. After 10 seasons of continuously directing the league to new heights, Kuzniewski passed the torch in 2011 to new Commissioner DJ Craven, who had played 5 seasons in the CHE with Penn State Behrend and served as the team's General Manager. In Craven's two seasons as the CHE Commissioner, he initiated a new revision of the league's by-laws and oversaw the addition of the CHE Select Team, a squad of the CHE's top players that competed against all-star teams from other ACHA Division 3 leagues in a post-season showcase. The league welcomed its seventh Commissioner on June 2, 2013, when David L. Fryer, Jr. took the helm. Fryer was already an experienced CHE administrator in various roles with the league, so the CHE didn't miss a beat. Fryer immediately merged the CHA under the CHE umbrella as a second division of play, and by the start of the following season, the CHE had expanded that division to 13 teams. So Fryer restructured the league to include a new, third division of play for the colleges whose teams were generally in their infancy, allowing all CHE programs to be in a competitive division of teams with similar goals. With the assistance of Associate Commissioner Jamison P. Roth, Fryer also created the CHE's first women's division in that same 2014-15 campaign. The CHE adopted four women's teams who had withdrawn from a different league due to a shared desire to solidify their programs and increase their competitiveness nationally. Those teams were California University of Pennsylvania, University of Delaware, Pennsylvania State University, and West Chester University. Together, those teams and the CHE set out to grow the sport for female athletes at the collegiate club level in the eastern US. Behind Fryer's leadership, that mission quickly became a reality, as the CHE hosted 10 women's teams at the start of the 2017-18 season, despite the loss of one founding member to a higher division of play. The CHE women's teams were also very competitive nationally, with several teams qualifying each season for the ACHA Women's Division 2 National Tournament each season and two teams (Penn State and West Chester) advancing to the national championship games in back-to-back seasons. With nearly 50 seasons in existence, College Hockey East is one of the oldest conferences of club hockey programs in the country. But the CHE shows no signs of slowing down, as it continues to grow and promote the great game of ice hockey at colleges and universities throughout the eastern United States. The CHE has produced two ACHA Division 3 National Championship teams. In 2002

Robert Morris University Robert Morris University (RMU) is a private university in Moon Township, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1921 and is named after Robert Morris, known as the "financier of the mericanrevolution." It enrolls nearly 5,000 students and offers 60 b ...

beat

University of Wyoming The University of Wyoming (UW) is a public land-grant research university in Laramie, Wyoming. It was founded in March 1886, four years before the territory was admitted as the 44th state, and opened in September 1887. The University of Wyoming ...

3-2 to become the first. In 2008

California University of Pennsylvania Pennsylvania Western University, California (commonly known as PennWest California) is a public university campus in California, Pennsylvania and one of three campuses of Pennsylvania Western University, part of the Pennsylvania State System o ...

beat

San Diego State University San Diego State University (SDSU) is a public research university in San Diego, California. Founded in 1897 as San Diego Normal School, it is the third-oldest university and southernmost in the 23-member California State University (CSU) system ...

7-3 to become the second.

Current Teams

Men's D3 *

Akron Akron () is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Summit County. It is located on the western edge of the Glaciated Allegheny Plateau, about south of downtown Cleveland. As of the 2020 Census, the city prop ...

* California (PA) *

Case Western Reserve Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) is a private research university in Cleveland, Ohio. Case Western Reserve was established in 1967, when Western Reserve University, founded in 1826 and named for its location in the Connecticut Western Reser ...

Duquesne University Duquesne University of the Holy Spirit ( or ; Duquesne University or Duquesne) is a private Catholic research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Founded by members of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit, Duquesne first opened as the Pittsbu ...

Indiana University of Pennsylvania Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) is a public research university in Indiana County, Pennsylvania. As of fall 2021, the university enrolled 7,044 undergraduates and 1,865 postgraduates, for a total enrollment of 9,009 students. The univ ...

Kent State University Kent State University (KSU) is a public research university in Kent, Ohio. The university also includes seven regional campuses in Northeast Ohio and additional facilities in the region and internationally. Regional campuses are located in As ...

* Pittsburgh-Johnstown * Robert Morris *

Saint Vincent College Saint Vincent College is a private Benedictine college in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1846 by Boniface Wimmer, a monk from Bavaria, it is operated by the Benedictine monks of Saint Vincent Archabbey, the first Benedictine monastery in the ...

West Virginia University West Virginia University (WVU) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Morgantown, West Virginia. Its other campuses are those of the West Virginia University Institute of Technology in Beckley, Potomac State College ...

Men's D4 * California (PA) *

Carnegie Mellon University Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. One of its predecessors was established in 1900 by Andrew Carnegie as the Carnegie Technical Schools; it became the Carnegie Institute of Technology ...

The College of Wooster The College of Wooster is a private liberal arts college in Wooster, Ohio. Founded in 1866 by the Presbyterian Church as the University of Wooster, it has been officially non-sectarian since 1969 when ownership ties with the Presbyterian Church ...

Women's D2 * Brockport *

University at Buffalo The State University of New York at Buffalo, commonly called the University at Buffalo (UB) and sometimes called SUNY Buffalo, is a public research university with campuses in Buffalo and Amherst, New York. The university was founded in 1846 ...

Mercyhurst University (Seize the day) , former_names = Mercyhurst College (1926–2012) , established = , type = Private university , religious_affiliation = Roman Catholic (Sisters of Mercy) , endowment = $31.8 million , faculty = 136 full-time , administrat ...

* Niagara *

Ohio State The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best public ...

Oswego State University State University of New York at Oswego (SUNY Oswego or Oswego State) is a public college in the City of Oswego and Town of Oswego, New York. It has two campuses: historic lakeside campus in Oswego and Metro Center in Syracuse, New York. SUN ...

University of Pittsburgh The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a public state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The university is composed of 17 undergraduate and graduate schools and colleges at its urban Pittsburgh campus, home to the universit ...

RIT Rit is a brand of dye A dye is a colored substance that chemically bonds to the substrate to which it is being applied. This distinguishes dyes from pigments which do not chemically bind to the material they color. Dye is generally applied i ...

Conference Champions

Men's D3 *2023 - California (PA) *2022 - Indiana (PA) *2021 - No Season due to the

Covid-19 Pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

*2020 - California (PA) *2019 - California (PA) *2018 - California (PA) *2017 - California (PA) *2016 - California (PA) *2015 - California (PA) *2014 - Pittsburgh-Johnstown *2013 - California (PA) *2012 - California (PA) *2011 - California (PA) *2010 - California (PA) *2009 - California (PA) *2008 - California (PA) *2007 - California (PA) *2006 - Indiana (PA) *2005 - Pittsburgh-Johnstown *2004 - Indiana (PA) *2003 - Pittsburgh-Johnstown *2002 -

Penn State #Redirect Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with campu ...

*2001 - Washington & Jefferson *2000 - Robert Morris *1999 -

Allegheny College he, תגל ערבה ותפרח כחבצלת , mottoeng = "Add to your faith, virtue and to your faith, knowledge" (2 Peter 1:5)"The desert shall rejoice and the blossom as the rose" (Isaiah 35:1) , faculty = 193 ...

*1998 - Robert Morris *1997 -

*1996 -

*1995 -

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

*1994 -

West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the Bur ...

*1983 -

*1978 -

Saint Francis University Saint Francis University (SFU) is a private Catholic university in Loretto, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1847 and conducted under the tradition of the Franciscan Friars of the Third Order Regular. The university is situated on in the fore ...

Men's D4 *2023 - Robert Morris *2022 -

*2021 - No Season due to the

*2020 -

University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg The University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg (Pitt-Greensburg or UPG) is a state-related liberal arts college in Greensburg, Pennsylvania. It is a baccalaureate degree-granting regional campus of the University of Pittsburgh. Opened in 1963, Pitt ...

*2019 -

*2018 -

Penn State Altoona Penn State Altoona is a commonwealth campus of The Pennsylvania State University located in Logan Township, Pennsylvania. It is one of four full-fledged four year institutions in the Commonwealth Campus network. The full-time student count was ...

*2017 -

*2016 -

*2015 -

*2014 -

*2013 - California (PA) *2012 - California (PA) *2011 -

St. John Fisher College St. John Fisher University is a private liberal arts college in Pittsford, New York. It is named after John Fisher, an English Catholic cardinal and saint. It was named St. John Fisher College until July 1, 2022. History St. John Fisher Univers ...

*2010 -

Canisius College Canisius College is a private Jesuit college in Buffalo, New York. It was founded in 1870 by Jesuits from Germany and is named after St. Peter Canisius. Canisius offers more than 100 undergraduate majors and minors, and around 34 master's ...

*2009 -

*2008 -

Hilbert College Hilbert College is a private Franciscan college in Hamburg, New York. The college is named after Mother Colette Hilbert of the Franciscan Sisters of Saint Joseph, who founded the school in 1957 to train teachers. Hilbert College enrolls approxi ...

*2007 -

*2006 -

Youngstown State University Youngstown State University (YSU or Youngstown State) is a public university in Youngstown, Ohio. It was founded in 1908 and is the easternmost member of the University System of Ohio. The university is composed of six undergraduate colleges an ...

*2005 -

Community College of Allegheny County Community College of Allegheny County (CCAC) is a public community college in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. With four campuses and four centers, the college offers associate degrees, certificates, and diplomas. History The Pennsylvania legis ...

Men's D5 *2018 -

*2017 -

Edinboro University of Pennsylvania PennWest Edinboro is a campus of Pennsylvania Western University, a multi-campus public university in Pennsylvania. Located in the town of Edinboro, the campus has more than 4,600 enrolled students. History Edinboro University was founded ...

*2016 -

Case Western Reserve University Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) is a private research university in Cleveland, Ohio. Case Western Reserve was established in 1967, when Western Reserve University, founded in 1826 and named for its location in the Connecticut Western Reser ...

Women's D2 *2023 - Niagara *2022 - Pitt *2021 - No Season due to the

*2020 -

*2019 -

Liberty University Liberty University (LU) is a private Baptist university in Lynchburg, Virginia. It is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Conservatives of Virginia (Southern Baptist Convention). Founded in 1971 by Jerry Falwell Sr. and Elmer L. Towns, Liberty i ...

*2018 -

*2017 -

*2016 -

West Chester University West Chester University (also known as West Chester, WCU, or WCUPA, and officially as West Chester University of Pennsylvania) is a public research university in and around West Chester, Pennsylvania. The university is accredited by the Middle ...

*2015 - California (PA) *2014 - California (PA)

References

External links

CHE site

{{ACHA Division 3 ACHA Division 3 conferences

History

Current Teams

Conference Champions

See also

References

External links