New York Collegiate Hockey Association
# New York Collegiate Hockey Association

The New York Collegiate Hockey Association was an intercollegiate athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA's Second Division. The league was created in 1977 between 6 then-existing SUNYAC schools as well as Buffalo and Elmira.

## History

With the NCAA instituting a Division II Championship beginning with the 1977–78 season 8 upstate New York schools formed the NYCHA to have a better chance at securing one of the bids. So as to not lose those member schools, ECAC 2 began holding two separate conference tournaments the same year, (East and West), allowing those 6 teams to compete with other established division II schools for an NCAA bid. Plattsburgh State left the conference in 1981 and was replaced by RIT. The Conference added Canisius and Hobart over each of the succeeding two seasons but by 1986 the effort to keep the conference as a separate entity stopped and the NYCHA was dissolved.

For the duration of the conference all teams played one another twice during the season in conference games.

## Member schools

| | Location | Athletic nickname | $Enrollment^#$ | Founded | Joined | Left | Succeeding Conference | Current $Conference^†$ |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| State University of New York at Brockport | Brockport, New York | Golden Eagles | 8,275 | 1867 | 1977 | 1986 | ECAC West | SUNYAC |
| University at Buffalo | Buffalo, New York | Bulls | 30,648 | 1846 | 1977 | 1986 | ECAC West | Dropped Program |
| Canisius College | Buffalo, New York | Ice Griffs | 3,464 | 1870 | 1982 | 1986 | ECAC West | Atlantic Hockey |
| State University of New York College at Cortland | Cortland, New York | Red Dragons | 7,234 | 1868 | 1977 | 1986 | ECAC West | SUNYAC |
| Elmira College | Elmira, New York | Soaring Eagles | 1,170 | 1855 | 1977 | 1986 | ECAC West | UCHC |
| State University of New York at Geneseo | Geneseo, New York | Knights | 5,585 | 1871 | 1977 | 1986 | ECAC West | SUNYAC |
| Hobart College | Geneva, New York | Statesmen | 2,237 | 1822 | 1983 | 1986 | ECAC West | NEHC |
| State University of New York at Oswego | Oswego, New York | Lakers | 8,909 | 1861 | 1977 | 1986 | ECAC West | SUNYAC |
| State University of New York at Plattsburgh | Plattsburgh, New York | Cardinals | 6,358 | 1889 | 1977 | 1981 | ECAC 2 | SUNYAC |
| State University of New York at Potsdam | Potsdam, New York | Bears | 4,325 | 1816 | 1977 | 1986 | ECAC West | SUNYAC |
| Rochester Institute of Technology | Henrietta, New York | Tigers | 16,842 | 1829 | 1981 | 1986 | ECAC West | Atlantic Hockey |

# enrollment in 2018 † as of 2018

* ↑ Canisius changed their nickname to 'Golden Griffins' in 2001.
