WCHA Men's & Women's Hockey To Delay Start Of 2020-21 Season

WCHA Men's & Women's Hockey To Delay Start Of 2020-21 Season

The WCHA has delayed the start of the men's and women's seasons due to COVID-19.

Sep 10, 2020 by FloHockey Staff
WCHA Men's & Women's Hockey To Delay Start Of 2020-21 Season

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. – Sept. 10, 2020 – The Men’s League of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association will delay the start of its 2020-21 season, WCHA Men’s League Commissioner Bill Robertson announced today.

“We continue to engage in thorough evaluation and discussion of various options for safely opening the 2020-21 season, both nationally and within the WCHA, as the health and safety of everyone associated with our league is our top priority,” Robertson said. “There was a strong desire to open the season as scheduled on October 3, but that is not possible given the realities we are facing. While we are still finalizing plans for our season at this point, we owe it to our student-athletes, coaches, officials and great fans to acknowledge the fact we will not begin play on time.”

With 10 teams in five states, WCHA member institutions are currently operating under multiple state, local, university system, institutional and NCAA COVID-19 mandates. Delaying the start of the season will provide league and member administrators the opportunity to continue detailed discussions regarding the implementation of a return to play plan that addresses the diverse guidelines all WCHA institutions must adhere to and recognizes the rapidly-evolving medical and safety environments that exist today.

The new 2020-21 league schedule and details regarding non-league play and the WCHA postseason tournament will be announced later this fall.

About the Western Collegiate Hockey Association Men’s League

The Western Collegiate Hockey Association, among the most historic, tradition-rich and successful conferences in all of collegiate athletics, will mark its 69th season of men’s competition in 2020-21. The 10-team NCAA Division I conference consists of the University of Alabama in Huntsville (Chargers), the University of Alaska Anchorage (Seawolves), the University of Alaska (Nanooks), Bemidji State University (Beavers), Bowling Green State University (Falcons), Ferris State University (Bulldogs), Lake Superior State University (Lakers), Michigan Technological University (Huskies), Minnesota State University (Mavericks) and Northern Michigan University (Wildcats). For more information, visit wcha.com.