United Collegiate Hockey Conference
 | |
| Association | NCAA |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2016 |
| Commissioner | Chuck Mitrano (since 2016) |
| Sports fielded |
|
| Division | Division III |
| Headquarters | Rochester, New York |
| Region | Eastern United States |
| Official website | theuchc |
| Locations | |
 | |
The United Collegiate Hockey Conference (UCHC) is a college athletic conference which operates in Maryland, New York, and Pennsylvania in the eastern United States. It participates in NCAA Division III as a hockey-only conference.
History[edit]
The conference was announced in 2016 as an association of 10 schools and league play began for the 2017–18 academic year, with nine each playing in the men's and women's divisions. The majority of the member schools were previously members of the now-defunct ECAC West hockey conference. Wilkes University was also announced as a future member for both the men's and women's divisions for the start of the 2018–19 academic year,[1] the same time when charter men's member Nazareth College began varsity women's play in the UCHC.[2] The following season, Alvernia University joined for its first season of varsity women's play.[3] In July 2021, Arcadia University new men's and women's programs were accepted into the league.[4] A year later, Alvernia added its men's team to the conference lineup.[5]
In 2023, the conference was split in two when the Middle Atlantic Conferences agreed to add Neumann and Wilkes as affiliate members in ice hockey.[6] This bought the number of members programs above the NCAA-minimum of six for an at-large bid. As a result, the MAC announced it would begin officially sponsoring ice hockey and left the UCHC with just four team for the upcoming season.[7] In short order, Brockport State and Geneseo State announced that their men's teams would be joining the UCHC for the 2024–25, allowing the conference to retain its own automatic bid for the NCAA tournament.[8] A few months later, the conference added four more schools beginning in 2025 with Albertus Magnus, Elmira and St. John's Fischer each adding men's and women's hockey while Hilbert's women's team would join.[9]
The league did not have an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Men's Ice Hockey Championship or the NCAA Division III Women's Ice Hockey Championship for the 2017–18 season but the Men's league gained the bid for the 2018–19 season and the Women's league did for the 2019-20 season.[10]
Members schools[edit]
Current members[edit]
| School | Location | Nickname | Founded | Affiliation | Enrollment | Year Joined | Primary Conference | Colors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chatham University | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | Cougars | 1869 | Private | 2,300 | 2017-18 | PAC | |
| Manhattanville University | Purchase, New York | Valiants | 1841 | Private | 2,700 | 2017-18 | Skyline | |
| Nazareth University | Pittsford, New York | Golden Flyers | 1924 | Private | 2,800 | 2017-18 (men) 2018-19 (women) |
Empire 8 | |
| State University of New York at Brockport | Brockport, New York | Golden Eagles | 1867 | Public | 7,924 | 2024-25 | Empire 8 | |
| State University of New York at Geneseo | Geneseo, New York | Knights | 1871 | Public | 4,910 | 2024-25 | Empire 8 | |
| Utica University | Utica, New York | Pioneers | 1946 | Private | 4,400 | 2017-18 | Empire 8 |
Future Members[edit]
| School | Location | Nickname | Founded | Affiliation | Enrollment | Year Joining | Primary Conference | Colors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albertus Magnus College | New Haven, Connecticut | Falcons | 1925 | Private | 1,200 | 2025-26 | GNAC | |
| Elmira College | Elmira, New York | Soaring Eagles | 1855 | Private | 1,170 | 2025-26* | Empire 8 | |
| Hilbert College | Hamburg, New York | Hawks | 1957 | Private | 800 | 2025-26 | AMCC | |
| St. John Fisher University | Pittsford, New York | Cardinals | 1948 | Private | 2,700 | 2025-26 | Empire 8 |
* Elmire was previously a member of the UCHC.
Membership timeline[edit]
Former members[edit]
| School | Location | Nickname | Founded | Affiliation | Enrollment | Year Joined | Year Left | Current Conference | Colors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alvernia University | Reading, Pennsylvania | Golden Wolves | 1958 | Private | 2,872 | 2019-20 (women) 2022-23 (men) |
2023-24 | MAC | |
| Arcadia University | Glenside, Pennsylvania | Knights | 1853 | Private | 2,473 | 2021-22 | 2023-24 | MAC | |
| King's College | Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania | Monarchs | 1946 | Private/Catholic | 2,300 | 2017-18 | 2023-24 | MAC | |
| Lebanon Valley College | Annville, Pennsylvania | Flying Dutchmen | 1866 | Private/Methodist | 1,750 | 2017-18 | 2023-24 | MAC | |
| Neumann University | Aston, Pennsylvania | Knights | 1965 | Private/Catholic | 3,000 | 2017-18 | 2023-24 | MAC | |
| Stevenson University | Baltimore County, Maryland | Mustangs | 1947 | Private | 3,700 | 2017-18 | 2023-24 | MAC | |
| Wilkes University | Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania | Colonels | 1933 | Private | 5,000 | 2018-19 | 2023-24 | MAC | |
| William Smith College | Geneva, New York | Herons | 1908 | Private | 2,229 | 2017-18 | 2021-22 | NEHC |
Champions[edit]
Men[edit]
|
Women[edit]
|
Arenas[edit]
| School | Arena | Capacity |
|---|---|---|
| Alvernia | The Body Zone Santander Arena (alternate) |
n/a 7,000 |
| Arcadia | Hatfield Ice Arena | n/a |
| Chatham | Frozen Pond Arena | n/a |
| Elmira | Murray Athletic Center | 3,200 |
| King's | Revolution Ice Centre | 500 |
| Lebanon Valley | Hersheypark Arena | 7,286 |
| Manhattanville | PlayLand Ice Casino | n/a |
| Nazareth | Bill Gray's Regional Iceplex | 3,000 |
| Neumann | IceWorks Skating Complex | n/a |
| Stevenson | Reisterstown Sportsplex | n/a |
| Utica | Adirondack Bank Center | 3,860 |
| Wilkes | Toyota SportsPlex | 3,860 |
References[edit]
- ^ "United Collegiate Hockey Conference to debut next season". D3Hockey.com. Retrieved May 14, 2018.
- ^ "Nazareth to add women's ice hockey". nazathletics.com. Nazareth College. Retrieved May 14, 2018.
- ^ "Alvernia Will Add Women's Ice Hockey as 27th Varsity Sport" (Press release). Alvernia Golden Wolves. March 2, 2018. Retrieved July 15, 2021.
- ^ "Arcadia University to Add Men's and Women's Ice Hockey for 2021-22" (Press release). Arcadia Knights. June 26, 2019. Retrieved July 15, 2021.
- ^ "Alvernia Announces the Addition of Men's Ice Hockey in 2022-23" (Press release). Middle Atlantic Conference. August 3, 2020. Retrieved July 15, 2021.
- ^ "Wilkes and Neumann join the MAC as Associate Members in Ice Hockey". Wilkes Colonels. October 12, 2023. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
- ^ "MAC Ice Hockey to Become an Automatic Qualifier Sport in 24-25". Lebanon Valley Flying Dutchmen. September 1, 2023. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
- ^ "Brockport & Geneseo Ice Hockey Set to Join UCHC in 2024-25". Brockport Golden Eagles. September 6, 2023. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
- ^ "Albertus Magnus, Elmira, Hilbert, St. John Fisher to join UCHC men's, women's hockey conferences for 2025-26 season". USCHO. May 15, 2024. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
- ^ "UCHC Men get Automatic Bid". D3Hockey.com.
