Western Women's Collegiate Hockey League

Western Women's Collegiate Hockey League
ConferenceACHA
Founded2014
CommissionerLindsey Ellis
Sports fielded
DivisionWomen's Division 1
No. of teams6
RegionWest
Official websitehttps://www.wwchl.com/
Locations
Location of teams in {{{title}}}

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.

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

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Institution Location Nickname Founded Type Enrollment Colors Primary Facility
Arizona State University Tempe, Arizona Sun Devils 1885 Public 51,585 Maroon and Gold[3]
    		Oceanside Ice 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

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University of UtahGrand Canyon UniversityArizona State UniversityUniversity of Wisconsin–MadisonUniversity of MinnesotaMidland UniversityLindenwood–Belleville Lynx women's ice hockeyUniversity of DenverColorado State UniversityUniversity of Colorado Boulder

Playoff championship game results

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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

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  • 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

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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

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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

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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

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Modrich, Stefan (August 16, 2015). "ASU to add women's club hockey in 2016". The State Press. Retrieved May 17, 2017.
  2. ^ "ACHA approves Utah for Women's Division 1 team". universityofutahhockey.com. Retrieved 2019-10-24.
  3. ^ "W.P. Carey Brand Book" (PDF). May 28, 2015. Retrieved May 3, 2017.
  4. ^ "Brand Standards | Media & Branding | Grand Canyon University". Grand Canyon University. Retrieved April 17, 2016.
  5. ^ "Typography/Color". University of Colorado Boulder. Retrieved December 31, 2016.
  6. ^ University of Denver Brand: Visual Guide (PDF). Retrieved April 16, 2016.
  7. ^ "Championship Game Result". Western Women's Collegiate Hockey League. February 22, 2015. Retrieved May 17, 2017.
  8. ^ "Championship Game Result". Western Women's Collegiate Hockey League. February 27, 2017. Retrieved May 17, 2017.
  9. ^ "Championship Game Result". Western Women's Collegiate Hockey League. February 25, 2018. Retrieved February 25, 2018.
  10. ^ "Midland University - No. 12 Warriors Win WWCHL Title; Clinch Berth to Nationals". www.midlandathletics.com. Retrieved 2019-10-24.
  11. ^ "Arizona State University vs University of Colorado: 1-5". pointstreak.com. Retrieved 2020-04-16.
  12. ^ "2015 U.S. Women's National University Team Announced". usawomenshockey.com. Retrieved May 27, 2017.
  13. ^ "2017 U.S. Women's National Univ. Team Unveiled". teamusa.usahockey.com. 3 January 2017. Retrieved May 27, 2017.
  14. ^ "2019 WWUG Roster". usahockey.com. Retrieved April 16, 2020.
  15. ^ "Past Awards". American Collegiate Hockey Association. Retrieved May 17, 2017.
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