Ferris State and Lake Superior State are among seven NCAA Division I college hockey programs that announced on Tuesday the creation of a new Division I men’s hockey conference for the 2021-22 season.
Ferris State and LSSU are joined by fellow Western Collegiate Hockey Association member institutions Bemidji State, Bowling Green, Michigan Tech, Minnesota State and Northern Michigan in the creation of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association – reviving the old moniker of the famed collegiate hockey league that existed from 1971-2013.
The new league has been facilitated through the assistance of Dr. Morris Kurtz, an athletics and hockey consultant.
“It’s been inspiring to lead this group as it is comprised of institutions rich in history and tradition, with a strong commitment to academic and athletic excellence,” Kurtz said. “As noted from inception, they have a real vision for where they are going with the new league, as they focus on improving regional alignment while building natural rivalries and enhancing the student-athlete and fan experience.
“After extensive discussion and significant due diligence, it made sense to everyone involved to move in this direction. The name conveys the current geographic alignment of our members and the CCHA brand has a tremendous amount of equity and goodwill associated with it. What’s old is new again and we look forward to refreshing the brand and identity to fully capture the energy and passion of the institutions it represents.”
The next steps for the league are to establish branding and logos as well as commencing a search for the league’s first commissioner, which the schools plan to have in place by July 1.
All seven institutions submitted formal letters of withdrawal from the WCHA in June 2019. All will continue to play in the WCHA for the 2020-21 season.
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