Worcester Collegiate Hockey League

Worcester Collegiate Hockey League
ConferenceNCAA
Founded1966
Ceased1972
Sports fielded
DivisionDivision II
No. of teams5 (1966-70), 4 (1970-72)
RegionMassachusetts

The Worcester Collegiate Hockey League was an intercollegiate athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA's College Division. The league was created in 1966 between 4 schools from around Worcester, Massachusetts as well as Nichols College, a few miles to the south.

History

In 1966 a few colleges in the Worcester, Massachusetts area began sponsoring ice hockey as a varsity sport. The schools immediately banded together to form the Worcester Collegiate Hockey League and included the already existing programs at Assumption College and Nichols College. After one season four of the members joined ECAC 2 as well but continued to hold their own conference tournament. Holy Cross left the conference in 1970 to play a more rounded schedule in ECAC 2 play and after a year the three remaining ECAC teams became founding members of ECAC 3. Worcester Polytechnic Institute dropped its ice hockey program after 1972 and the conference was dissolved.

WCHL Tournament

The WCHL held a conference tournament each year of its existence.

Member schools

Location Athletic nickname Enrollment# Colors Founded Joined Left Succeeding Conference Current Conference
Assumption College Worcester, Massachusetts Greyhounds 2,753     1904 1966 1972 ECAC 3 Northeast–10
College of the Holy Cross Worcester, Massachusetts Crusaders 2,897   1843 1966 1970 ECAC 2 Atlantic Hockey
Nichols College Dudley, Massachusetts Bison 1,459     1815 1966 1972 ECAC 3 CCC
Worcester State College Worcester, Massachusetts Lancers 6,221     1874 1966 1972 ECAC 3 MASCAC
Worcester Polytechnic Institute Worcester, Massachusetts Engineers 4,177     1865 1966 1972 Dropped Program

# enrollment in 2018
† as of 2018

Membership timeline

Worcester Polytechnic InstituteWorcester State UniversityNichols CollegeAssumption College (Worcester)College of the Holy Cross

See also

References