Atlantic Coast Collegiate Hockey League
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 | |
| Founded | 1995 |
|---|---|
| Commissioner | Mike Walley (since 2012) |
| Division | ACHA / AAU |
| No. of teams | 80 |
| Headquarters | North Carolina |
| Region | Southeast |
| Official website | Official website |
The Atlantic Coast Collegiate Hockey League (ACCHL) is a non-NCAA collegiate ice hockey league in the mid-atlantic and southeast regions of the United States. The Mission of the ACC Hockey League is to provide student-athletes an option to compete in organized intercollegiate ice hockey without the high expenses of NCAA level hockey.
All teams in Men's Division I compete out of the ACHA. All teams in Men's Division II compete out of the ACHA Southeast Region in Division II with some being dual within Division II of the AAU. All teams in the Women's Division compete out of the ACHA Southeast Region in Division II. All teams in Men's Division II 'A' compete in the AAU as part of the Division III level with some being dual within Division III of the ACHA. All teams in Men's Division III compete in the AAU as part of the FED Division. Mike "Sheriff" Walley is the current executive director of the league.[1]
Liberty became the first school from the conference to win a National Championship, winning the 2026 AAU Men's Division III title.
Men's Division I
| Division | Institution | Location | Nickname | Arena | Team colors | Primary conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Division | University of Delaware | Newark, DE | Blue Hens | Fred Rust Ice Arena | CUSA (D-I) | |
| University of Pittsburgh | Pittsburgh, PA | Panthers | Alpha Ice Complex | ACC (D-I) | ||
| Stony Brook University | Stony Brook NY | Seawolves | The Rinx | CAA (D-I) | ||
| State University of New York at Oswego (SUNY Oswego) |
Oswego, NY | Lakers | Deborah F. Stanley Arena | SUNYAC (D-III) | ||
| Syracuse University | Syracuse, NY | Orange | Tennity Ice Skating Pavilion | ACC (D-I) | ||
| South Division | University of Alabama | Tuscaloosa, AL | Crimson Tide | Pelham Civic Center | SEC (D-I) | |
| University of Kentucky | Lexington, KY | Wildcats | Lexington Ice Center | SEC (D-I) | ||
| University of Louisville | Louisville, KY | Cardinals | Iceland Sports Complex | ACC (D-I) | ||
| University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | Chapel Hill, NC | Tar Heels | Orange County Sportsplex | ACC (D-I) | ||
| North Carolina State University | Raleigh, NC | Wolfpack | Wake Competition Center | ACC (D-I) |
Men's Division II
Women's Division II
| Division | Institution | Location | Nickname | Arena | Team colors | Primary conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Division | Georgetown University | Washington, D.C. | Hoyas | The Gardens Ice House | Big East (DI) | |
| George Washington University | Washington, D.C. | Colonials | The St. James | A-10 (DI) | ||
| University of Virginia | Charlottesville, VA | Cavaliers | LaHaye Ice Center | ACC (DI) | ||
| West Chester University | West Chester, PA | Golden Rams | Ice Line Quad Rinks | PSAC (DII) | ||
| South Division | High Point University | High Point, NC | Panthers | Greensboro Ice House | Big South (DI) | |
| University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | Chapel Hill, NC | Tar Heels | Orange County Sportsplex | ACC (DI) | ||
| North Carolina State University | Raleigh, NC | Wolfpack | Wake Competition Center | ACC (DI) | ||
| Virginia Tech | Blacksburg, VA | Hokies | LancerLot Sports Complex | ACC (DI) |
Men's Division III
League Expansion
- 2010: George Washington, Maryland join Men's Division II
- 2012: Elon joins Men's Division II
- 2013: Navy, Wake Forest join Men's Division II
- 2015: James Madison, Saint Joseph's, UNC Charlotte join Men's Division II
- 2018: West Virginia, UNC Wilmington join Men's Division II
- 2019: Richmond joins Men's Division II
- 2022: Penn State, Rowan join Men's Division II Premier; Denison, East Carolina, Princeton join Men's Division II Elite; Loyola Maryland joins Men's Division III[2]
- 2023: Delaware, Maryland, Rider join Men's Division II Premier; Stevenson joins Men's Division II Elite & Men's Division III; George Mason, West Chester join Men's Division II 'A'; Johns Hopkins, UMBC, Millersville, York College join Men's Division III; High Point (second team) joins Men's Division III
- 2024: High Point (first team) joins Men's Division II Elite; TCNJ, Wake Forest (second team), Widener join Men's Division III; North Carolina & West Chester join the Women's Division
- 2025: The conference announced an ACHA Men's Division I league with teams including Alabama, Louisville, Delaware, Oswego State, Pittsburgh, Stony Brook and Syracuse. North Carolina, North Carolina State join Men's Division I; The conference announced a Men's Southeastern Division (SEC) with teams including Alabama (second team), Auburn, Georgia, Ole Miss, South Carolina, Tennessee; Georgia Tech joins Men's Division II Elite; Georgia (second team) joins Men's Division II 'A'; High Point (first team), Wake Forest (first team), West Virginia join Men's Division II Premier; Stevenson joins Men's Divison II 'A' ; James Madison (second team) joins Men's Division III; Denison departs, joins the TSCHL & TCNJ departs, joins the CSCHC
- 2026: Penn State departs, joins the TSCHL & Rider departs, joins the SECHL; Florida joins Men's Division II in the Southeastern Division
Tournament Championships
The 2026 ACCHL playoff tournaments features the top eight teams qualifying from the Men's Division I and the M2 Premier Division as the winner is awarded the Admiral's Cup. The M2 Elite Division features the top ten teams qualifying with seeds 7-10 participating in Play-In Games; the winner is awarded the Admiral's Cup. The Women's Division features the top six teams qualifying with seeds 1 & 2 getting a bye into the Semi-Finals; the winner is awarded the Commodore's Cup. The M2A Division features the top twelve teams qualifying with seeds 1-4 receiving first-round byes; the winner is awarded the Commodore's Cup. The M3 Division has the top six teams qualify with the 1 & 2 seeds getting a bye into the Semi-Finals; the winner is awarded the Commissioner's Cup.
Men's Division 1
| Year | Admiral's Cup Champion | Runner-up | Regular season champion | Tournament Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Stony Brook (1) | Syracuse | Pittsburgh (1) | Newark, DE |
Men's Division 2 Premier
| Year | Admiral's Cup Champion | Runner-up | Regular season champion | Tournament Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Virginia (1) | North Carolina | Virginia Tech (1) | Fort Bragg, NC |
| 1997 | Liberty (1) | North Carolina | Virginia (1) | Charlottesville, VA |
| 1998 | Duke (1) | Virginia | Virginia (2) | Charlottesville, VA |
| 1999 | Maryland (1) | North Carolina | Virginia (3) | Charlottesville, VA |
| 2000 | Virginia (2) | Maryland | Virginia (4) | Ashburn, VA |
| 2001 | Maryland (2) | NC State | NC State (1) | Laurel, MD |
| 2002 | Liberty (2) | Maryland | NC State (2) | Laurel, MD |
| 2003 | NC State (1) | Maryland | NC State (3) | Raleigh, NC |
| 2004 | Duke (2) | Virginia | Duke (1) | Charlottesville, VA |
| 2005 | Georgetown (1) | Virginia | Virginia (5) | Hillsborough, NC |
| 2006 | Duke (3) | Georgetown | Duke (2) | Charlottesville, VA |
| 2007 | Georgetown (2) | Duke | Georgetown (1) | Arlington, VA |
| 2008 | Georgetown (3) | Duke | Virginia Tech (2) | Roanoke, VA |
| 2009 | Virginia Tech (1) | Duke | Virginia Tech (3) | Roanoke, VA |
| 2010 | Virginia Tech (2) | Georgetown | Maryland (1) | Arlington, VA |
| 2011 | NC State (2) | Maryland | Maryland (2) | Hillsborough, NC |
| 2012 | Georgetown (4) | Maryland | Georgetown (2) | Hillsborough, NC |
| 2013 | Georgetown (5) | NC State | NC State (4) | Laurel, MD |
| 2014 | Georgetown (6) | NC State | NC State (5) | Annapolis, MD |
| 2015 | North Carolina (1) | Georgetown | NC State (6) | Annapolis, MD |
| 2016 | George Washington (1) | NC State | NC State (7) | Charlottesville, VA |
| 2017 | Virginia (3) | NC State | Virginia (6) | Charlottesville, VA |
| 2018 | Charlotte (1) | Wake Forest | George Washington (1) | Charlottesville, VA |
| 2019 | NC State (3) | Virginia | NC State (8) | Winston-Salem, NC |
| 2020 | NC State (4) | Wake Forest | NC State (9) | Winston-Salem, NC |
| 2021 | *NC State (5) | Virginia Tech | N/A (COVID) | Winston-Salem, NC |
| 2022 | NC State (6) | North Carolina | Virginia Tech (4) | Winston-Salem, NC |
| 2023 | Penn State (1) | North Carolina | Penn State (1) | Winston-Salem, NC |
| 2024 | Rowan (1) | UNC Wilmington | Rider (1) | Winston-Salem, NC |
| 2025 | Penn State (2) | Virginia Tech | Penn State (2) | Winston-Salem, NC |
| 2026 | Virginia Tech (3) | Maryland | Rowan (1) | Winston-Salem, NC |
Men's Division 2 Elite
| Year | Admiral's Cup Champion | Runner-up | Regular season champion | Tournament Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | West Virginia (1) | Charlotte | Saint Joseph's (1) | Winston-Salem, NC |
| 2024 | West Virginia (2) | Denison | Denison (1) | Winston-Salem, NC |
| 2025 | Wake Forest (1) | West Virginia | High Point (1) | Winston-Salem, NC |
| 2026 | Saint Joseph's (1) | Virginia | Saint Joseph's (2) | Winston-Salem, NC |
Women's Division 2
| Year | Commodore's Cup Champion | Runner-up | Regular season champion | Tournament Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | NC State (1) | West Virginia | West Virginia (1) | Winston-Salem, NC |
| 2023 | Georgetown (1) | NC State | Georgetown (1) | Winston-Salem, NC |
| 2024 | High Point (1) | Virginia Tech | Virginia (1) | Winston-Salem, NC |
| 2025 | High Point (2) | Virginia Tech | High Point (1) | Springfield, VA |
| 2026 | High Point (3) | Virginia Tech | High Point (2) | Springfield, VA |
Men's Division 2A
| Year | Commodore's Cup Champion | Runner-up | Regular season champion | Tournament Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Christopher Newport (1) | College of Charleston | Chesapeake, MD | |
| 2021 | *Coastal Carolina (1) | Liberty | N/A (COVID) | Winston-Salem, NC |
| 2022 | Coastal Carolina (2) | Liberty | Liberty (1) | Lynchburg, VA |
| 2023 | Coastal Carolina (3) | Liberty | Liberty (2) | Winston-Salem, NC |
| 2024 | High Point (1) | Rowan | Rowan (1) | Winston-Salem, NC |
| 2025 | Liberty (1) | Coastal Carolina | Rowan (2) | Winston-Salem, NC |
| 2026 | Liberty (2) | William & Mary | Liberty (3) | Lynchburg, VA |
Men's Division 3
| Year | Commissioner's Cup Champion | Runner-up | Regular season champion | Tournament Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | William & Mary (1) | Appalachian State | William & Mary (1) | Lynchburg, VA |
| 2023 | Loyola Maryland (1) | William & Mary | William & Mary (2) | Winston-Salem, NC |
| 2024 | William & Mary (2) | Johns Hopkins | William & Mary (3) | Winston-Salem, NC |
| 2025 | William & Mary (3) | The Citadel | William & Mary (4) | Springfield, VA |
| 2026 | Johns Hopkins (1) | North Florida | Johns Hopkins (1) | Winston-Salem, NC |
- For the 2020-2021 season, league playoffs were held despite numerous programs not competing due to the COVID pandemic.
ACC Fall Classic
From 2009 to 2020, NC State hosted the Stephen Russell Tournament at some point every season to commemorate the loss of their goaltender, Stephen Russell, who had died. The team retired Russell's #20 in his honor.
Starting in the 2021–2022 season, the ACC began to host what is now the annual fall tournament for all M2 member teams for a three-game league weekend. The tournament takes place at The St. James in Springfield, Virginia. The league will typically invite two non-members from ACHA Men's Division II to come participate as well. In 2022, the ACC began awarding a Men's Premier and Elite winner separately as well as a Women's winner which is held on a different weekend.
The current tournament features a conglomerate scoring system of winning periods (2 points per period) and whole games (4 points = W, 2 points = OT/SOW, 1 point = OT/SOL, and 0 points = L). The totals are added for a final score.
| Year | Tournament Champion |
|---|---|
| 2013 | NC State |
| 2014 | North Carolina |
| 2015 | NC State |
| 2016 | James Madison |
| 2017 | James Madison |
| 2018 | Virginia |
| 2019 | NC State |
| 2020 | NC State |
| 2021 | NC State |
| 2022 | Rowan (Premier) | Denison (Elite) | Virginia Tech (Women's) |
| 2023 | Rider (Premier) | George Washington (Elite) | Virginia (Women's) |
| 2024 | Penn State (Premier) | Saint Joseph's (Elite) | Virginia (Women's) |
| 2025 | Penn State (Premier) | Saint Joseph's (Elite) | High Point (Women's) |
ACHA Men's Division II Southeast Regionals
The ACHA hosts their regional tournaments towards the end of February. Four regions (Northeast, Southeast, Central and West) see teams ranked #1-16 compete in a single elimination, two-day weekend for four berths to the Men's Division II National Tournament.
- 2020: #9 Wake Forest defeated #12 The College of New Jersey in Overtime; defeated #4 NC State; lost to #3 Cincinnati.
- 2021: ACHA did not hold the regional tournament due to the shortened seasons caused by COVID-19.
- 2022: #3 NC State lost to #13 Pennsylvania / #14 North Carolina lost to #7 Indiana.
- 2023: #7 Penn State defeated #14 Rider; lost to #6 Ohio / #9 Rowan lost to #12 Louisville / #11 North Carolina defeated #10 NC State; defeated #5 Miami Ohio in Overtime; lost to #3 Kentucky.
- 2024: #7 North Carolina lost to #14 Pennsylvania / #8 NC State defeated #13 Rowan; defeated #6 Ohio; lost to #3 Indiana / #9 Penn State defeated #12 UNC Wilmington; lost to #5 Kentucky in Overtime / #10 Rider defeated #11 Louisville; lost to #4 Miami Ohio.
- 2025: #4 Penn State lost to #9 Indiana / #5 Virginia Tech lost to #8 Ohio in double Overtime / #6 NC State lost to #7 Miami Ohio in Overtime / #11 North Carolina lost to #10 Louisville / #14 Rider lost to #7 Miami Ohio.
- 2026: #7 Penn State defeated #10 Rowan; defeated #3 Ohio / #9 South Carolina lost to #8 Liberty in Overtime / #11 Tennessee defeated #6 Indiana; lost to #1 Florida Gulf Coast / #14 Virginia Tech lost to #3 Ohio / #15 Georgia lost to #2 Tampa / #16 UNC Wilmington lost to #1 Florida Gulf Coast.
ACHA Men's Division I National Tournament
The ACHA hosts the Men's Division I National Tournament every March, hosting 24 teams with the Top-8 teams receiving first-round byes in a single elimination bracket.
- 2026: Stony Brook (#18) lost to Arizona (#15) 4-0.
ACHA Men's Division II National Tournament
The ACHA hosts the Men's Division II National Tournament every March, hosting 16 teams. Those teams are put into four separate pools with a team from each region. Winner of each pool advances to the Final Four.
- 2019: NC State (SE #4) finished 1–2 in Pool A; lost to Massachusetts (NE #1) 7–2, defeated Northern Colorado (West #2) 6-5 and lost to Trine (Central #3) 9–1.
- 2021: NC State (#2) finished 2–1 in Pool A; defeated Providence (#4) 6–4, Davenport (#3) 5-3 and lost to Mary (#1) 5–1.
- 2026: Penn State (SE #4) finished 2-1 in Pool B; defeated Niagara (NE #1) 5-1, lost to Schoolcraft College (Central #2) 4-2 and defeated Montana State (West #3) 6-2; lost to Florida Gulf Coast (SE #1) in National Semi-Final 6-2.
AAU Men's Division II National Tournament
The AAU hosts the Men's Division II National Tournament every March, hosting 12 teams (32 teams prior to 2025) in a double-elimination format. The overall winner is the AAU Division II College Hockey National Champion.
- 2022: Christopher Newport (#16) finished 2-1 to win Pool A; lost to Central Florida (#17) 3-1, defeated Salisbury (#32) 5-2 and Tampa (#1) 4-3 in Overtime; lost to Ramapo (#9) in the Quarter's 9-2 / Liberty (#12) finished 0–3 in Pool E; lost to Buffalo State (#21) 7-3, College of Charleston 4-2 and Babson (#5) 9-3 / East Carolina (#18) finished 1–2 in Pool B; lost to St. Bonaventure (#15) 9-4, Farmingdale State (#2) 7-2 and defeated Penn State Harrisburg (#31) 6-1 / College of Charleston (#28) went 1–2 in Pool E; lost to Babson (#5) 9-4, defeated Liberty 4-2 and lost to Buffalo State (#21) 11-5.
- 2023: Liberty (#4) finished 0-2-1 in Pool G; tied Fordham (#26) 3-3 in Overtime, lost to Alabama (#18) 5-1 and South Carolina (#10) 7-6 in Overtime / High Point (#32) finished 1-2 in Pool A; lost to St. Bonaventure (#1) 5-0 and Georgia (#16) 7-0 and defeated Massachusetts Maritime Academy (#24) 7-2.
- 2024: High Point (#3) finished 3-0 in Pool C; defeated Farmingdale State (#18) 3-0, Alabama Huntsville (#13) 6-4 and Central Florida (#8) 5-3; defeated Clemson (#11) in the Quarters 6-4; lost to Florida (#2) in the Semi's 9-3 / Liberty (#6) finished 0-3 in Pool E; lost to Clemson (#11) 5-2, Vanderbilt (#16) 5-4 and Bishop's (#5) 6-3.
- 2025: High Point (#3) finished 3-0 in Pool C; defeated Georgia Tech (#18) 7-1, Miami FL (#13) 6-1 and Penn State Harrisburg (#8) 5-2; defeated South Florida (#5) in the Quarter's 5-3; defeated Tampa (#6) in the Semi's 5-2; lost to Florida Atlantic (#1) in National Championship 5-2 / Wake Forest (#11) finished 0-3 in Pool A; lost to Farmingham State (#10) 6-3, Florida Atlantic (#1) 5-0 and Lynn (#20) 5-4 / Richmond (#16) was to play in Pool E but dropped out prior.
- 2026: Elon (#12) lost to Bishop's University (#1) 9-2 and defeated Delaware (#7) 5-3, Maine (#5) 4-3; defeated Cortland (#6) in the Quarter's 4-3; lost to Anna Maria College (#2) in the Semi's 9-3.