The Western Collegiate Hockey Association is a college athletic conference which operates in the Midwestern United States. It participates as a women's ice hockey conference in the NCAA's National Collegiate division, the de facto equivalent of Division I in that sport. Founded in 1951 as a men's ice hockey conference, it added a women's division in 1999, and continued to operate men's and women's divisions through the 2020–21 hockey season. After that season, the WCHA disbanded its men's division after seven of its 10 men's members left the conference to reestablish the Central Collegiate Hockey Association; the WCHA remained in operation as a women-only league. Each team plays 28 league games, each team playing four games against every other, two home games and two road games.
The women's WCHA tournament seeds all 8 teams, and conducts a standard 8-team tournament at a single site over 4 days. The winner receives the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. WCHA teams won the first 13 NCAA Tournament championships from its inception in 2001.
Championships By season Season Regular season champion Tournament champion NCAA national champion Notes 1999–2000 Minnesota–Duluth Minnesota–Duluth —Prior to the NCAA establishing a women's ice hockey championship in the 2000–01 season, the American Women's College Hockey Alliance held a national championship from the 1997–98 season to the 1999–2000 season. Minnesota won the AWCHA championship in 2000. Bemidji State, Minnesota, Minnesota–Duluth, Minnesota State, Ohio State, St. Cloud State and Wisconsin begin conference play 2000–01 Minnesota Minnesota–Duluth Minnesota–Duluth NCAA begins awarding a national championship for women's ice hockey 2001–02 Minnesota Minnesota Minnesota–Duluth 2002–03 Minnesota–Duluth Minnesota–Duluth Minnesota–Duluth 2003–04 Minnesota Minnesota Minnesota 2004–05 Minnesota Minnesota Minnesota North Dakota begins conference play 2005–06 Wisconsin Wisconsin Wisconsin 2006–07 Wisconsin Wisconsin Wisconsin 2007–08 Minnesota–Duluth Minnesota–Duluth Minnesota–Duluth WCHA championships later vacated due to ineligible player 2008–09 Minnesota Wisconsin Wisconsin 2009–10 Minnesota &Minnesota–DuluthMinnesota and Minnesota–Duluth were named regular season co-champions in 2010 Minnesota–Duluth Minnesota–Duluth Minnesota and Minnesota–Duluth were named regular season conference co-champions after finishing tied for first. Minnesota–Duluth got the top seed for the conference tournament. 2010–11 Wisconsin Wisconsin Wisconsin 2011–12 Wisconsin Minnesota Minnesota 2012–13 Minnesota Minnesota Minnesota Undefeated season for Minnesota 2013–14 Minnesota Minnesota — 2014–15 Minnesota Wisconsin Minnesota 2015–16 Wisconsin Wisconsin Minnesota 2016–17 Wisconsin Wisconsin — Last season for North Dakota 2017–18 Wisconsin Minnesota — 2018–19 Minnesota Wisconsin Wisconsin 2019–20 Wisconsin Ohio State — NCAA championship tournament canceled due to COVID-19 pandemic 2020–21 Wisconsin Wisconsin Wisconsin 2021–22 Minnesota Ohio State Ohio State St. Thomas began conference play 2022–23 Ohio State Minnesota Wisconsin 2023–24 Ohio State Wisconsin Ohio State 2024–25 Wisconsin Wisconsin Wisconsin 2025–26 Wisconsin Ohio State Wisconsin
By school School Regular seasonchampionships Tournament championships NCAA nationalchampionships Lastregular seasonchampionship Lasttournamentchampionship LastNCAA nationalchampionship Bemidji State 0 0 0 — — — Minnesota 11 8 6 2022 2023 2016 Minnesota Duluth 4 5 5 2010 2010 2010 Minnesota State 0 0 0 — — — North Dakota 0 0 0 — — — Ohio State 2 3 2 2024 2026 2024 St. Cloud State 0 0 0 — — — St. Thomas 0 0 0 — — — Wisconsin 11 11 9 2026 2025 2026
Notes
Location of women's WCHA tournaments 2000: Bloomington Ice Garden; Bloomington, Minnesota 2001: Rochester Recreation Center; Rochester, Minnesota 2002: Fogerty Arena; Blaine, Minnesota 2003: Ralph Engelstad Arena; Grand Forks, North Dakota 2004–2007: Ridder Arena; Minneapolis, Minnesota 2008: Duluth Entertainment Convention Center; Duluth, Minnesota 2009–2013: Ridder Arena; Minneapolis, Minnesota 2014: Sanford Center; Bemidji, Minnesota 2015: Ralph Engelstad Arena; Grand Forks, North Dakota 2016–2024: Ridder Arena; Minneapolis, Minnesota 2025: AMSOIL Arena, Duluth, Minnesota 2026: Lee & Penny Anderson Arena, Saint Paul, Minnesota
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