National Collegiate Roller Hockey Association
Current season, competition or edition: 2012–13 NCRHA season | |
Sport | Inline hockey |
---|---|
Founded | August 1, 2003 |
Inaugural season | 2003–04 |
Director | Brennan Edwards |
Country | United States |
Headquarters | Torrance, California, United States |
Continent | North America |
Related competitions |
Division I Division II Division III Junior College Division B Division |
Official website | NCRHA.org |
The National Collegiate Roller Hockey Association (NCRHA) is an "incorporated not-for-profit corporation" which operates a national collegiate inline hockey league consisting of five divisions of competition (Division I, Division II, Division III, Junior College Division and B Division). Headquartered in Torrance, California, the NCRHA is the national governing body of college inline hockey. The National Collegiate Roller Hockey Championships is held annually to determine the national champions at the end of each season.
The league was organized on August 1, 2003, after the suspension of operations of its predecessor organization, the Collegiate Roller Hockey League (CRHL), which had been founded 1998. The NCRHA draws many highly skilled players from all over the United States. The NCRHA is not affiliated with the governing body of most college athletics, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).
History
The origins of the National Collegiate Roller Hockey Association can be traced back to the spring of 1994 when it was developed as an in-line program to the Pacific Collegiate Hockey Association, a collegiate ice hockey league in California. While the league was small with only three teams, Cal Poly Pomona became the first league champion that year. The other two teams participating were USC and UCLA. Only a few months later the league grew in popularity and added two new schools, El Camino College and Moorpark College. But not only did the team selection get bigger, but so did the league itself. In the 1994-95 season, the PCHA renamed itself the Collegiate Inline Hockey Association, and became reorganized.
After renaming the league, the CIHA would experience massive growth by adding two new schools, University of San Diego and UC Santa Barbara in the spring of 1995. By the fall of 1995, Cal Poly, Ventura College, Pepperdine, Cal State Fullerton, UC Irvine and UNLV all joined the still young league.
By the spring of 1996, even more teams were joining the league as Pierce College and Loyola Marymount signed on to play. The league also decided to once again change its appearance and name and so from after the spring of 1996, the league would now be recognized as the National Collegiate Inline Hockey Association. Not only did the name change, but so did the season layout to a single, yearly championship that would not only encompass the West Coast, but the entire nation.
The first national championships were held in Las Vegas, Nevada for the fall season of 1996. The tournament was held in unison with the National In-line Hockey Association. El Camino College defeated Purdue 4-3 in a shootout to win the first NCIHA National Championships. In their first season of competition, Saddleback College won the 2nd NCIHA National Championships again held in Las Vegas, by defeating UNLV 9-3. The event was hosted by USA Hockey Inline.
In 1998, the 3rd NCIHA National Championships were held once again in Las Vegas for the third straight year. Missouri-St. Louis would defeat Cal Poly 3-0 in the championship game. The 1998 event was hosted by Roller Hockey International-Amateur.
Due to the expansion, the NCIHA had witnessed not only in the west coast but nationwide, the league decided to implement a different internal organization and so the Western Collegiate Inline Hockey League became a region of the newly formed Collegiate Roller Hockey League. The WCIHL and four other leagues nationwide would be separated to play in regional tournaments, but then meet up at the national level to determine which team would be the best in the United States. Teams would be broken into two divisions, Division I and Division III. In 1999, the CRHL National Championship Tournament I took place in Chicago, Illinois. Michigan State would defeat UC Santa Barbara 5-4 in the Division I championship game on a goal scored by captain Mike Mackert. Grossmont College would earn the championship in Division III play.
In 2000, CRHL National Championship Tournament II was played in Ellenton, Florida, a census-designated place south of Tampa. Michigan State repeated as Division I champion defeating Colorado State 5-4 in the championship on a goal scored with 3.9 seconds left by Ed Kruschka. St. Charles Community College defeated Elgin Community College 12-5 for the D-III championship.
In 2001, the CRHL expanded with a Division II division. In 2003, the league came to the decision to add a Premier Division for its more well established clubs such as Lindenwood, Michigan State, Ohio State and Michigan. The decision proved unsuccessful.
On August 1, 2003, the Atlantic Collegiate Roller Hockey Association, Eastern Collegiate Roller Hockey Association, Great Plains Collegiate Inline Hockey League, Southwest Collegiate Hockey League, Southeast Collegiate Roller Hockey Association and Western Collegiate Roller Hockey League parted from the national governing body, the CRHL, and announced the creation of the National Collegiate Roller Hockey Association. By September 1, 2003, the Midwest Collegiate Roller Hockey League and newly formed Rocky Mountain Collegiate Roller Hockey Association had joined as Member Organizations of the NCRHA, bringing the total to eight. In March 2005, the ACRHA and the SCRHA merged to form a new organization the Southeastern Collegiate Roller Hockey League.
Organizational structure
Executives
- Executive Director: Brennan Edwards
- Director, League Operations & Officiating: Rob Coggin
Board of Directors
- ECRHA Representative: Kevin Murphy
- GPCIHL Representative: Tom Fussner
- MCRHL Representative: Jeff Nolan
- RMCRHA Representative: Derek Thede
- SCHL Representative: Jerid Nemergut
- SECRHL Representative: Edward Luther
- WCRHL Representative: Patrick Moyer
Game
Each National Collegiate Roller Hockey Association game is played between two teams, 4 skaters aside, and is 36 minutes long. The game is composed of three 12–stopped clock periods with an intermission of one–minute between periods. At the end of the 36–minute regulation time, the team with the most goals wins the game. If at the end of regulation time, both teams are tied with the same number of goals, the game shall go to a 3 on 3-five minute sudden death overtime. If neither team scored after the 5 minutes have elapsed, a winner shall be declared by a shootout.
Ties do not occur during tournament format (such as regional and national championship tournaments) where a winner must be declared to advance to the next round of play. In these cases, sudden-death 12–minute four-on-four periods are played until one team scores. The first team to score a goal in the overtime period shall be declared the winner and advance to the next round.
Inline hockey rink
National Collegiate Roller Hockey Association games are played on a rectangular inline hockey rink with rounded corners surrounded by walls and Plexiglas. As nearly as possible, it measures 80 by 180 feet (24.38 by 54.86 meters) in the NCRHA, with the minimum size of 65 by 145 feet (19.81 by 44.20 meters) and a maximum of 100 by 200 feet (30.48 by 60.96 meters). The center line divides the rink in half, which divides floor into two attacking zones. Near the end of both ends of the rink, there is a thin red goal line spanning the width of the floor, which is used to judge goals.
Season structure
The National Collegiate Roller Hockey Association season is divided into an exhibition season (October), a regular season (from October through February), regional championships (March) and the National Collegiate Roller Hockey Championships. During the exhibition season, teams usually play other teams in their member organization. During the regular season, clubs play each other in a predefined schedule. The regional championships are tournaments to determine member organization champions and automatic qualifiers for the National Collegiate Roller Hockey Championships. The final remaining team is crowned the national champion.
In the regular season, with the current NCRHA is divided into five divisions, and again geographically split into seven member organizations. Schedules are determined by member organizations, as well as each team. Each team plays the majority of games against intra-organizational opponents. Some teams play select games against inter-organizational opponents.
The NCRHA's regular season standings are based on a point system instead of winning percentages. Points are awarded for each game, where two points are awarded for a win, one point for a tie, and zero points for a loss. At the end of the regular season, most organizations hold a regional championship to determine its champion.
Regional champions along with a set number of at-large teams qualify for the National Collegiate Roller Hockey Championships. Teams are grouped into pools and play a round robin with teams in their respective pool to qualify for a single elimination tournament, with the remaining team being crowned national champion.
Team alignment
The current league organization divides the teams into five divisions: Division I, Division II, Division III, Junior College Division, and B Division. Teams are also group geographically into seven Member Organizations. The current organization has roots in the 2006–07 season when the Southeastern Collegiate Roller Hockey League was formed.
List of member organizations
Member Organization | Abb | Location | Founded | Active Schools | Championships | Location | Venue |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Eastern Collegiate Roller Hockey Association | ECRHA | Houston, TX | 1998 | 38 | ECRHA Regional Championships | Feasterville-Trevose, PA | Sportsplex |
Great Plains Collegiate Inline Hockey League | GPCIHL | Ballwin, MO | 2003 | 15 | GPCIHL Regional Playoffs | Ballwin, MO | Midwest Sport Hockey |
Midwest Collegiate Roller Hockey League | MCRHL | Dublin, OH | 2003 | 13 | MCRHL Regional Championships | Shelby Township, MI | The New Rink |
Rocky Mountain Collegiate Roller Hockey Association | RMCRHA | Thornton, CO | 2004 | 7 | RMCRHA Regional Playoffs | Lakewood, CO | Rocky Mountain Roller |
Southeastern Collegiate Roller Hockey League | SECRHL | Orlando, FL | 2005 | 24 | SECRHL Regional Championship | Snellville, GA | SGAA Dual Deck Hockey Arena |
Southwest Collegiate Hockey League | SCHL | Denton, TX | 1995 | 11 | SCHL Championships | Houston, TX | Houston Indoor Sports |
Western Collegiate Roller Hockey League | WCRHL | Torrance, CA | 1994 | 22 | WCRHL Regional Championship Tournament | Corona, CA | The Rinks Corona Inline |
Past Champions
Division I
Division II
Junior College Division
Division III
Year | Champion | Score | Runner-Up | Location | Semi-Finalist #1 | Semi-Finalist #2 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2004 | Lindenwood | 10-2 | St. Louis CC - Meramec | Anaheim, CA | Cal Poly San Luis Obispo | Eastern Michigan |
2005 | Lindenwood | 3-2 | Eastern Michigan | Fort Collins, CO | Cal Poly San Luis Obispo | Western Michigan |
2006 | Lindenwood | 10-1 | St. Louis CC - Meramec | Morrisville, NC | Cal Poly San Luis Obispo | Eastern Michigan |
2007 | Lindenwood | 13-2 | St. Louis CC - Meramec | St. Louis, MO | Suffolk CC | Michigan State |
2008 | Lindenwood | 5-1 | Central Florida | Colorado Springs, CO | UC Santa Barbara | Michigan State |
2009 | Lindenwood | 8-2 | Penn State | Feasterville, PA | Central Florida | Buffalo |
2010 | Penn State | 6-2 | Central Florida | San Jose, CA | Lindenwood | UC Santa Barbara |
2011 | Lindenwood | 7-6 (OT) | West Chester | Middleton, WI | Central Florida | Michigan State |
2012 | Lindenwood | 7-1 | West Chester | Kearns, UT | Arizona State | Colorado |
2013 | Lindenwood | 5-3 | Arizona State | Ft. Myers, FL | Central Florida | Michigan State |
2014 | Lindenwood | 4-3 | Michigan State | Aston, PA | Arizona State | Slippery Rock |
NCRHA Winterfest
Year | Champion | Score | Runner-Up | Location | Semi-Finalist #1 | Semi-Finalist #2 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2001 | Michigan State | Missouri | Las Vegas, NV | Penn State Altoona | Colorado State | |
2002 | Michigan State | 3-2 (OT) | Ohio State | Las Vegas, NV | Penn State | RIT |
2003 | Michigan State | 5-1 | Central Florida | Las Vegas, NV | Cal Poly San Luis Obispo | RIT |
2004 | Michigan State | 6-5 (OT) | Central Florida | Las Vegas, NV | Towson | South Florida |
2005 | Eastern Michigan | 6-4 | Michigan State | Wixom, MI | Missouri-St. Louis | Central Florida |
2006 | Lindenwood | 8-2 | St. Charles CC | St. Peters, MO | North Carolina State | Eastern Michigan |
2007 | Florida International | 6-5 (OT) | West Point | Key West, FL | Missouri-Rolla | Colorado |
2008 | West Point | 4-3 | Missouri-Rolla | Key West, FL | Colorado | Florida International |
2009 | Eastern Michigan | 5-4 | Florida International | Key West, FL | Missouri S&T | Key West |
- 2001-2004 - Event was held at NARCH Winternationals
- 2005 - Event was renamed NCRHA Winter Invitational
- 2007 - Event was renamed NCRHA Winterfest
See also
- List of NCRHA seasons
- NCRHA - Goal Scoring Champion
- NCRHA - Assist Champion
- NCRHA - Scoring Champion
- National Collegiate Roller Hockey Association Program of the Year
- National Collegiate Roller Hockey Association Player of the Year
- National Collegiate Roller Hockey Association Coach of the Year
- NCRHA Collegiate Roller Hockey National Championships Most Valuable Player
- NCRHA Collegiate Roller Hockey National Championships Most Valuable Goaltender
- NCRHA Collegiate Roller Hockey National Championships Playmaker
- NCRHA Collegiate Roller Hockey National Championships All-Tournament Teams
- NCRHA Collegiate Roller Hockey National Championships All-Revision Team
- IRC National Rankings
External links
- Official Site
- Eastern Collegiate Roller Hockey Association
- Great Plains Collegiate Inline Hockey League
- Midwest Collegiate Roller Hockey League
- Rocky Mountain Collegiate Roller Hockey Association
- Southeastern Collegiate Roller Hockey League
- Southwest Collegiate Hockey League
- Western Collegiate Roller Hockey League