Western Women's Collegiate Hockey League
Women's college hockey conference
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Western Women's Collegiate Hockey League (WWCHL) is an American Collegiate Hockey Association Women's Division 1 club level hockey-only college athletic conference for women's hockey teams. It is one of four ACHA Women's Division 1 conferences, along with the Central Collegiate Women's Hockey Association, Women's Midwest College Hockey, and the Eastern Collegiate Women's Hockey League. The league has a large footprint spreading across the western United States, featuring members in Arizona, Colorado and Utah.
| |
| Conference | ACHA |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2014 |
| Commissioner | Lindsey Ellis |
| Sports fielded | |
| Division | Women's Division 1 |
| No. of teams | 6 |
| Region | West |
| Website | https://www.wwchl.com/ |
| Locations | |
 | |
Among the ten members the conference has hosted, both Minnesota (2013) and Wisconsin (2002 and 2004) won ACHA national championships prior to joining the WWCHL, while Colorado and Colorado State also have lengthy histories pre-dating the conference's creation. The rest of the league roster, however, consists of newer programs, largely in emerging hockey locales. Denver began play, as the WWCHL itself did, for the 2014–15 season. Arizona State started its program in 2016–17[1] while Grand Canyon and the University of Utah did so in 2017–18 and 2019–20, respectively.[2]
Current membership
| Institution | Location | Nickname | Founded | Type | Enrollment | Colors | Primary Facility |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona State University | Tempe, Arizona | Sun Devils | 1885 | Public | 51,585 | Maroon and Gold[3] |
Mullett Arena |
| Colorado State University | Fort Collins, Colorado | Rams | 1870 | Public | 33,877 | Green and Gold |
Edora Pool Ice Center |
| Grand Canyon University | Phoenix, Arizona | Antelopes | 1949 | Private/Christian | 20,500 | Purple, Black and White[4] |
AZ Ice Arcadia |
| University of Colorado | Boulder, Colorado | Buffaloes | 1876 | Public | 35,528 | Silver, Black and Gold[5] |
CU Recreation Center |
| University of Denver | Denver, Colorado | Pioneers | 1864 | Private | 11,614 | Crimson and Gold[6] |
Joy Burns Ice Arena |
| University of Utah | Salt Lake City, Utah | Utes | 1850 | Public | 32,994 | Red, Silver and Black |
SLC Sports Complex |
Membership timeline
Playoff championship game results
| Year | Champion | Score | Runner-Up | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Minnesota | 3–2 (OT)[7] | Colorado State | Sun Prairie, Wisconsin |
| 2016 | Lindenwood–Belleville | 2–1 | Colorado | Boulder, Colorado |
| 2017 | Minnesota | 2–1[8] | Colorado | Tempe, Arizona |
| 2018 | Colorado | 5–2[9] | Minnesota | Fremont, Nebraska |
| 2019 | Midland | 3–2 (2OT)[10] | Colorado | Las Vegas, Nevada |
| 2020 | Colorado | 5–1[11] | Arizona State | Salt Lake City, Utah |
Regular season champions
- 2014–15 Colorado State
- 2015–16 Lindenwood–Belleville
- 2016–17 Lindenwood–Belleville
- 2017–18 Colorado
- 2018–19 Colorado
- 2019–20 Colorado
ACHA National Tournament appearances
Appearances made while a WWCHL member.
| School | Appearances | Years | Championships |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lindenwood–Belleville | 3 | 2016, 2017, 2018 | None |
| Minnesota | 3 | 2015, 2017, 2018 | None |
| Colorado | 2 | 2018, 2020 | None |
| Midland | 1 | 2019 | None |
World University Games selections
Since 2011, the American Collegiate Hockey Association has supplied players for the United States team at the World University Games women's hockey tournament, held biennially and as part of the multi-sport event for college and university student-athletes.
| Year | Location | Player | School | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015[12] | Granada, Spain | Molly O'Neil | Colorado State | Fifth Place |
| Whitney Thomas | Colorado | |||
| 2017[13] | Almaty, Kazakhstan | Jordan Anderson | Minnesota | Bronze Medal |
| Kathleen Ash | Colorado | |||
| Alexandra Brown | Lindenwood–Belleville | |||
| Leah MacArthur | Colorado | |||
| Lyndsay Oden | Minnesota | |||
| Becca Senden | Minnesota | |||
| Livia Twohig | Minnesota | |||
| 2019[14] | Krasnoyarsk, Russia | Kathleen Ash | Colorado | Fourth Place |
Notable ACHA award winners
| Year | Winner | School | Award |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014–15[15] | Kelsey Brown | Colorado | Community Playmaker |
| 2014–15 | Emera Danos | Colorado | Off-Ice MVP |
| 2015–16 | Katherine Hannah | Lindenwood–Belleville | Coach of the Year |
| 2018–19 | Jason White | Midland | Coach of the Year |
| 2018–19 | Kenzie Bertolas | Midland | Off-Ice MVP |