CSS Men’s Hockey to Join the MCHA in 2013-14

June 19, 2012

Northland Sports Online

In a press conference on Tuesday held at St. Norbert College, it was announced that The College of St. Scholastica and St. Norbert men’s hockey programs will be joining the Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association (MCHA) beginning with the 2013-14 season.

Back in February, the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) hockey programs currently in the Northern Collegiate Hockey Association (NCHA) decided to separate and form their own conference under the WIAC name in 2014-15. Then two months later, both the NCHA and WIAC decided to part ways in 2013-14 to accommodate scheduling.

This left St. Scholastica and St. Norbert as the only two remaining members of the NCHA following the 2012-13 season. With options of joining the WIAC or pursuing membership in either the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) or MCHA; both CSS and SNC decided that joining the MCHA was the best move at this time.

“We were pleased and honored to accept an invitation from the MCHA for men’s hockey,” said CSS Athletic Director Don Olson. “We feel that philosophically and athletically it will be an excellent fit for the CSS men’s hockey program and the MCHA.”

With both the Saints and the Green Knights moving to the MCHA after this upcoming season, that will mean the MCHA will be the only West Region conference to have four different teams qualify for the NCAA Tournament the past four seasons (CSS-2009, SNC/Adrian-2010, SNC/Adrian-2011, SNC/MSOE-2012). In fact, St. Norbert and Adrian played in the NCAA Championship game in the 2011 and the Green Knights are the two-time reigning NCAA Champions after also winning this past season.

“We are very excited to be joining these teams in a conference we feel is very committed to winning,” said St. Scholastica men’s hockey coach Mark Wick. “This move will continue to allow us to compete at a national level as we feel this will be the best conference in the western region.”

Both the CSS and St. Norbert women’s hockey programs will remain in the NCHA. Other women’s teams already in the NCHA include MCHA men’s members Adrian College (Mich.), Concordia University (Wis.), Finlandia University (Mich.), Lake Forest College (Ill.) and Marian University (Wis.).

Other men’s teams in the MCHA include Lawrence University (Wis.) the Milwaukee School of Engineering and Northland College.

The men open their season on Friday, October 26th at Bridge Rival University of Wisconsin-Superior. The women begin at home on Friday, November 2nd when they host Concordia University (Wis.).

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