Undeniable: Non-NCAA Club College Hockey 🏒 has arrived at big P5 schools that don’t have an NCAA team.
The school “brands” are enough and the school sizes are enough, that it’s the real deal w or w/o NCAA status.
You know college “club” hockey has come a lonnnng way when it is not irrational that a student-athlete talented enough (hockey wise) to play NCAA (prob DIII) might choose to go to a college where NCAA hockey is not an option.
Put this in your pipe and smoke it…
2022 NCAA Champ Denver beat ACHA UNLV 10-0.
Last night’s NCAA Trny first round…
Minnesota over Canisius 9-2
Ohio State over Harvard 8-1
Penn State over Michigan Tech 8-0
Michigan over Colgate 11-1
I would be fascinated to know & I would definitely wager that ACHA programs at highly recognizable Universities can, could or already do have
-More merch sales than some NCAA schools
- More physically attending fans at games (we know this to true)
- Larger social media presence
The hidden message that we’ve known all along, is that ACHA teams can be funded, run and even play against NCAA teams (and be successful)…,without being NCAA.
This is what a quiet Saturday looks like when you’re a healthy scratch on an NCAA D1 team that is on the road playing. All of these guys played NAHL. It’s a humbling experience, it’s a job and it’s not a ton of fun. I’ve been there. Something to keep in mind.
@4LocalKidsSport
I’m going to say it....
For most players, unless money is no object, playing Club/Non-NCAA at a less expensive school that has your area of study is smarter life choice than playing NCAA DII/IIII or non-scholarship DI at a more expensive school.
Gotta feel for some of these ACHA DI men’s tourney teams. Single elimination. Drive 15 hours to meet in St Louis, lose, turn around drive 15 hrs. Might not the best setup to stretch $$$.
Have any schools that have NCAA DI/III teams played (even scrimmaged) their ACHA clubs?
And have any ACHA DI teams played the D2 or D3 team on their own campus.
IMO This should happen!
This is Williams at Trinity right now. Couple of the better NCAA DIII schools. Granted it’s winter break, but make no mistake… great education etc…but ACHA big schools can pull down a way better scene than this.
#scale
NCAA HOCKEY IS COMING TO DELAWARE 🚨
The University of Delaware announced that they will be adding women’s ice hockey as a varsity sport beginning with the 2025-26 season. 😱
When you’re an Ivy League school, your ACHA team is THE team on campus and you have your own historic barn right in old Philadelphia.
Club sports are college sports
@Class_Of_1923
@UPennHockey
ACHA is winding down for exams & break. I know long holiday break can be a hard time for some players going home situations that may not be great. For many, being at school & w the team is much preferred. To those players, I hope your exams go well & 2nd semester comes quick!
📣 Big news 📰 for ACHA!
Since Adidas lost jersey license for NHL to Fanatics, Adidas is taking its game to the ACHA and will be the official jersey of ACHA for next 10 years!
4/1/2023
It’s never in the conversation but should be, UPenn Class of ‘23 is definitely one of the best ACHA rinks there is. Certainly one of the most historic.
@hockeyhousepod
@UPennHockey
@Class_Of_1923
People get triggered as hell when you stack up NCAA D1 v NCAA D3 v ACHA1.
I could compare Canadian 🇨🇦USport hockey or CHL hockey or other junior hockey to NCAA D1 or D3 hockey and it would be 🦗 🦗 🦗.
NCAA DI Trny playing games in neutral sites on noon weekdays doesn’t look any different than an ACHA trny first or second round game also played at neutral sites during the day on weekdays (in terms of atmosphere).
TRUE STORY:
1/ The ACHA National championships for m&w has never been held in New England 🌲 (or Minnesota for that matter). The 2023 championships at Marlboro, MA is a huge deal to promote ACHA hockey in an area that has always just assumed all college hockey is NCAA hockey.
Club Hockey Has Always Been College Hockey
Hate to say it but my alma mater Villanova was an NCAA team 1983-1998 while Penn State was a club team until 2012. Even as an NCAA team 1983-1998, I’m not sure we ever beat PSU. Clubs stronger than NCAA teams is not new. True now.
Let’s face it, ACHA Twitter needs to be funnier, more fun, better chirping, more rock em sockem than our button up NCAA counterparts.
ACHA needs to be where the beauties are (and closet scholars).
How small is NCAA hockey 🏒 footprint and why does talent bleed over into ACHA hockey?
Exhibit A: This chart is a bit dated but not too much has changed in 5 years.
I say this over and over. It’s a tough gig to be an ACHA team in the shadow of an NCAA team on campus or a D2 or D3 in the shadow of an ACHA DI team on campus.
Hockey: For the Division II Ohio Bobcats hockey team, a feeling of underappreciation and lack of recognition is something that eats away at the hearts of club leaders.
FACT: There are 5 teams from Michigan out of the 20 in the ACHA Men’s DI national trny!
Might that have something to do with the fact that there are only 2 NCAA DIII hockey schools in Michigan (one being Adrian).
Yes, yes it might.
JUST REMEMBER…
UNC - NC State Hockey have pulled more fans to a game than the games we are watching in NCAA DI men’s hockey final 8.
🏀 is cool too
@UNCHockey
@NCStateHockey
ACHA TEAM OF THE DAY!
We are going to start a little program and see how it goes! Going to be highlighting one team a day til whenever! Feel free to chime in with comments!
Upcoming...
July 16 - Syracuse Men
July 17 - Villanova Women
July 18 - Oregon Men
July 19 - Sault Women
There is a reason why ACHA hockey can “draw” a crowd especially at big schools, that don’t have an NCAA team.
People want to watch hockey 🏒 and if the ACHA team is the “only game in town” so to speak, folks will come out to that.
This is the NCAA DIII Men’s Hockey bracket 2022. Great hockey. Mostly in BFE. Here’s the deal…the fans and potential fans are at ACHA schools. The novelty is at ACHA schools. Go where the action is.
Here’s the thing…I’d be willing to wager the
@UNCHockey
@NCStateHockey
UNC - NC State game tonight out draws almost any NCAA DIII hockey 🏒 game in last decade.
Good luck to all the
@achahockey
players out there on exams! Remember, you went to college for a reason and it wasn’t to learn how to underline. Study 📚 hard! Back to the heart ♥️ of hockey 🏒 season in a few weeks!
Stunning pics from
@UJMensHockey
FB page. This scene looks like it is straight out of the turn the century when Hobey Baker was playing outside at St Paul School in NH. Beautiful.
❄️ 🌲 📚 🏒
TIP: If being in “the show” with a great fan culture @ ACHA level is the goal…
1. Don’t play at a school where there’s already an NCAA team (unless it’s Adrian, somehow they pull it off).
2. Don’t play on the ACHA D2 or D3 team at a school where there is an ACHA D1 team.
For all the chatter about this or that school having ambitions to go NCAA DI, Liberty University goes about its business quietly operating its ACHA program as if it is an NCAA DI program NOW.
Unless I’ve missed something, I’ve never heard Liberty make any change from ACHA.
I’ll say it out loud:
P5 ACHA hockey 🏒 programs are going to be able to outsell many if not most NCAA hockey programs merch on name brand recognition.
@4LocalKidsSport
Consider: NCAA M 🏒 v NCAA M 🏀
NCAA DI: 62 🏒
NCAA DIII: 84 🏒
(there is no NCAA DII or NAIA 🏒 )
NCAA DI men’s 🏀 TOURNAMENT alone has 68 teams
All told there are M 🏀
NCAA DI: 358
NCAA DII: 304
NCAA DIII: 424
This doesn’t even include NAIA or JuCo.
@hockeyhousepod
@theACC
@NCAAIceHockey
@TeamECH
The scary / weird thing is these sort of turnouts may actually be reason to NOT go NCAA.
What I mean is, why dump money / resources into something already cranking as it is?
Why buy the cow 🐄 when you can get the milk 🥛 for free?’
You know ACHA has arrived when it’s in The Hockey News.
Ty for share
@jtribs14
!
Great coverage
@IanKennedyCK
!
Five ACHA Players To Watch This Season - The Hockey News Womens News, Analysis and More
Thought: UAH is an example of a program moving from NCAA DI to ACHA could & should be a positive. Why? Let’s face it, playing NCAA DI teams from hinterlands like Bemidji or Robert Morris or N Michigan v P5 schools like Georgia or Auburn or Clemson bring names w weight is a +!
🚨🚨 MARK YOUR CALENDARS 🚨🚨
Because our schedule for the 2023-2024 season is finally live!! We can’t wait to see you!
#ChargeOn
Be sure to stay tuned as we have some exciting announcements coming up!
If I were a major / major university I would sell merch / pump social to the nth degree of non-NCAA clubs. Overhead is zero and it’s all return / marketing.
Outside of the major players in a given NCAA sport, half the time people don’t even know if the team is “club” or NCAA.
State and regional rivalries are everything. More and more of these events are popping up in ACHA and and creating some culture / history.
- I-5 Cup
- Savannah Tire Classic
- Crabpot Trny 🦀
What others are there? What other could there be? Texas? New England? Michigan? FLA?
Food for thought:
The following long time ACHA DI mens teams have never won it all…it is reallly hard to win a championship.
- Liberty
- U Arizona
- Michigan - Dearborn
ACHA Mens Hockey started in 1991-1992 and women started in 2000. The second generation of ACHA hockey is definitely underway with ACHA alum now having their ow. kids in ACHA, if not already finished. It’s not your father’s / mother’s ACHA. Literally. 2.0.
Im gonna say something. Love it or leave it…
The actual physical ACHA and DCVHC trophies 🏆 are waaay better than the plaques the NCAA gives out for all sports / levels.
In fact, for a $Billion organization/ industry the NCAA plaques are pretty chintzy.
ONLY in hockey do you have so few NCAA teams, but so much talent (including int’l), that players will play juniors until age 20, 21 to crack a “club” (read: ACHA) team roster!