NCAA Division I independent schools (ice hockey)

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Location of Division I
hockey independents

NCAA Division I independent schools are teams that compete in NCAA ice hockey but are not members of a conference. There are several current schools who, at one time or another, competed as Division I independents.

Current independent programs

Men

School	Years	Subsequent conference	Notes
Arizona State Sun Devils[1]	2015–present	–	The Sun Devils moved up from club hockey in the ACHA to full varsity status. Arizona State will start playing a full Division I schedule in 2016–17, and expects to be in a hockey conference for 2017–18.

Women

School	Years	Subsequent conference	Notes
Sacred Heart Pioneers[2]	2003–present	–	The Pioneers moved up from Division III (where they were a member of the ECAC East) in 2003. Its men's team plays in Atlantic Hockey, which does not sponsor women's hockey.

Current programs which were at one point independent

Men

School	Years	Subsequent conference	Notes
Air Force Falcons[3]	1968–1999	CHA	Joined Atlantic Hockey in 2006
Alabama–Huntsville Chargers[4]	1987–1992 1998–1999 2010–2013	Division II CHA WCHA	The Chargers first competed as a Division I independent between stints in Division II. After winning 2 championships and finishing as runners-up twice more, UAH returned to Division I in 1998, spending one season as an independent before becoming a charter member of College Hockey America. Following the demise of the men's side of CHA, and being denied entry to the CCHA,[5] the Chargers were independent for three seasons (2010–11 to 2012–13)[6] until joining the Western Collegiate Hockey Association beginning in the 2013–14 season.[7]
Alaska–Anchorage Seawolves[8]	1979–1985 1988–1993	GWHC WCHA	The Seawolves competed as an independent following the demise of the Great West Hockey Conference. The school joined the Western Collegiate Hockey Association in 1993. UAA received NCAA tournament bids in 1990, 1991, and 1992 while an independent.
Alaska–Fairbanks Nanooks[9]	1925–1926 1932–1973 1988–1994	dropped program Division II CCHA	The Nanooks re-joined Division I in 1985 in the Great West Hockey Conference, and went independent following the conference's demise. They joined the Central Collegiate Hockey Association in 1994. Joined the WCHA in 2013.
American International Yellow Jackets[10]	1948–1998	MAAC
Army Black Knights[11]	1903–1961 1973–1984 1991–1999	ECAC ECAC CHA	Joined Atlantic Hockey in 2000
Bemidji State Beavers[12]	1947–1950 1959–1967	dropped program Division III	Bemidji returned to Division I in 1999 as a charter member of College Hockey America, and moved to the WCHA for 2010–11.
Boston College Eagles[13]	1917–1961	ECAC	Currently competes in Hockey East
Boston University Terriers[14]	1917–1961	ECAC	Currently competes in Hockey East
Brown Bears[15]	1897–1961	ECAC
Clarkson Golden Knights[16]	1920–1961	ECAC
Colgate Raiders[17]	1915–1917 1920–1961	dropped program ECAC
Colorado College Tigers[18]	1937–1951 1958–1959	MCHL WCHA	Joined the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) in 2013
Cornell Big Red[19]	1900–1901 1902–1903 1906–1961	dropped program dropped program ECAC
Dartmouth Big Green[20]	1905–1961	ECAC
Denver Pioneers[21]	1949–1951 1958–1959	MCHL WCHA	Joined the NCHC in 2013
Harvard Crimson[22]	1897–1961	ECAC
Holy Cross Crusaders[23]	1966–1998	MAAC
Lake Superior State Lakers[24]	1966–1972	CCHA	Joined the WCHA in 2013
Maine Black Bears[25]	1977–1984	Hockey East
UMass Minutemen[26]	1908–1961 1993–1994	Division II Hockey East	Dropped program from 1979 until 1993
Merrimack Warriors[27]	1984–1989	Hockey East	Moved up from Division II in 1984. Merrimack received an NCAA tournament invitation in 1988 while an independent.
Miami RedHawks[28]	1978–1980	CCHA	Joined the NCHC in 2013
Michigan Wolverines[29]	1922–1951 1958–1959	MCHL WCHA	Moved to CCHA in 1981. Joined the new Big Ten men's hockey league in 2013.
Michigan State Spartans[30]	1921–1930 1949–1951 1958–1959	dropped program MCHL WCHA	Moved to CCHA in 1981. Joined the new Big Ten men's hockey league in 2013.
Michigan Tech Huskies[31]	1919–1951 1958–1959	MCHL WCHA	Played in the CCHA from 1981–84. Re-joined the WCHA in 1984
Minnesota Golden Gophers[32]	1921–1951 1958–1959	MCHL WCHA	Joined the new Big Ten men's hockey league in 2013
Minnesota–Duluth Bulldogs[33]	1930–1932 1946–1965	dropped program WCHA	Joined the NCHC in 2013
Minnesota State Mavericks[34]	1996–1999	WCHA	after moving up from Division II and before joining the WCHA.
New Hampshire Wildcats[35]	1924–1961 1964–1966	ECAC ECAC	Currently competes in Hockey East
Niagara Purple Eagles[36]	1997–1999	CHA	Niagara began varsity hockey in 1997, and became a charter member of the CHA in 1999. They moved to Atlantic Hockey for 2010–11.
North Dakota Fighting Hawks[37]	1929–1936 1946–1951 1958–1959	dropped program MCHL WCHA	Joined the NCHC in 2013
Northeastern Huskies[38]	1929–1961	ECAC	Currently competes in Hockey East
Northern Michigan Wildcats[39]	1976–1977	CCHA	Joined the WCHA in 2013
Notre Dame Fighting Irish[40]	1912–1927 1968–1971 1984–1991	dropped program WCHA CCHA	Left the CCHA in 2013 for Hockey East.
Ohio State Buckeyes[41]	1963–1971 1973–1975	CCHA CCHA	Joined the new Big Ten men's hockey league in 2013
Penn State Nittany Lions	2012–2013	Big Ten	In September 2010, Penn State announced they would add men's and women's NCAA Division I hockey programs in 2012, competing in their first season as an independent.[42] In March 2011, the Big Ten Conference announced that Michigan, Michigan State, and Ohio State would leave the CCHA, and Minnesota and Wisconsin announced that they would leave the WCHA to form a Big Ten hockey conference to begin play in the 2013–14 season.[43]
Princeton Tigers[44]	1900–1961	ECAC
Providence Friars[45]	1926–1927 1952–1954 1955–1961	dropped program Northeast League ECAC	Currently competes in Hockey East
RPI Engineers[46]	1901–1950	Tri-State League	Moved to the ECAC in 1961
RIT Tigers[47]	2005–2006	Atlantic Hockey	Played first year of its probation period after joining Division I as an independent.
Sacred Heart Pioneers[48]	1993–1998	MAAC
St. Cloud State Huskies[49]	1931–1942 1987–1990	dropped program WCHA	Dropped their program during World War II, resumed in 1946 in Division II. Joined the NCHC in 2013.
St. Lawrence Saints[50]	1925–1930 1938–1961	dropped program ECAC
Union Dutchmen[51]	1903–1949	dropped program	Suspended their program from 1949–1975, resumed in Division III, before moving back to Division I in the ECAC in 1991.
Wisconsin Badgers[52]	1921–1935 1963–1969	dropped program WCHA	Joined the new Big Ten men's hockey league in 2013
Yale Bulldogs[53]	1895–1961	ECAC

Women

School	Years	Subsequent conference	Notes
Clarkson Golden Knights[54]	2003–2004	ECAC	Played the first year of their program as an independent before joining the ECAC
Connecticut Huskies[55]	2000–2001	ECAC	Played the first year of their program as an independent before joining the ECAC, and moving to Hockey East in 2002.
Lindenwood Lady Lions	2011–2012	CHA	The university competed as an independent for the 2011–12 season during the transition process of joining the NCAA from NAIA, during which, the team was reclassifying from ACHA Division I to NCAA Division I. Lindenwood placed an application in Fall 2011 and was accepted as a member of CHA starting in the 2012–13 season.[56]
North Dakota Fighting Hawks[57]	2002–2004	WCHA	Played the first years of their program as an independent before joining the WCHA
Quinnipiac Bobcats[58]	2002–2004	CHA	Left the ECAC after 2002 and spent two years playing as an independent before joining the CHA. They returned to the ECAC after one season in the CHA.
RPI Engineers[59]	2005–2006	ECAC	Moved up from Division III (where they were a member of the ECAC East) in 2005.

Defunct teams

Men

School	Years	Subsequent conference	Notes
Boston State Warriors[60]	1962–1982	dropped program	Program dropped when school merged with UMass Boston, who field a Division III team, in 1982.
Carnegie Tech Tartans[61]	1905–1910 1920–1921	dropped program dropped program
Illinois Fighting Illini[62]	1937–1943	dropped program
UIC Flames[63]	1981–1982	CCHA	Moved up from Division II in 1981. Program folded in 1996.
Iona Gaels[64]	1967–2003 1998–2002	dropped program	Dropped their program after the 2002–2003 season after 5 seasons in Division I.
Fairfield Stags[65]	1974–1999	MAAC
MIT Engineers[66]	1906–1975	dropped program
Northern Arizona Lumberjacks[67][68]	1980–1985	GWHC	Folded their program after one season in the GWHC.
Penn Quakers[69]	1898–1930	dropped program
Pittsburgh Panthers[70]	1896–1909	Intercollegiate League	varsity hockey was played intermittently from at least 1896, varsity program dropped presumably around 1916, if not earlier.
Syracuse Orange[71]	1911–1913 1923–1928 1939–1940	dropped program dropped program dropped program
U.S. International Gulls[68][72]	1979–1985	GWHC	Dropped their program in 1988.
Villanova Wildcats[64]	1929–1932 1982–1998	dropped program	Dropped their program after the 1997–1998 season for Title IX reasons.

See also

• List of NCAA Division I ice hockey programs

References

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