College Hockey Overview
Collegiate hockey is gradually but surely increasing from a niche sport to one of the more popular winter sports in the NCAA. The first NCAA men’s hockey championship was awarded in 1948, as Michigan knocked off Dartmouth, 8-4. Since 1999, the Division I finals have been known as the Frozen Four.
Over the years, the Michigan Wolverines have won the most NCAA titles with nine, most recently in 1998. Tied for second are the University of Denver Pioneers (last in 2004 and 2005) and the North Dakota Fighting Sioux (2000) with seven championships each. The Wisconsin Badgers picked up their sixth crown in 2006, and the Minnesota Golden Gophers have clinched five (last won in 2002 and 2003).
NCAA Division I college hockey has a considerably different conference structure from football and basketball. Hockey-playing schools compete in six different conferences, the largest being the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA), Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) and Hockey East. Also participating are the ECAC Hockey League, Atlantic Hockey, and College Hockey America.
