Men's CCHA Hockey

CCHA Releases 2021-22 Conference Schedule

CCHA Releases 2021-22 Conference Schedule

The Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) announced its 104-game conference schedule on Thursday.

May 20, 2021 by FloHockey Staff
CCHA Releases 2021-22 Conference Schedule

The Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) announced its 104-game conference schedule on Thursday. All eight CCHA teams will play a 26-game conference slate with the regular season champion being awarded the prestigious MacNaughton Cup, recognized as the premiere conference trophy in collegiate hockey.

CCHA conference action begins Friday, Oct. 8 when the University of St. Thomas faces-off against Northern Michigan University for a pair of weekend games in Marquette. The Tommies will be the quickest to play six conference games, spanning three-straight weekends from Oct. 8 - Oct.23.

Lake Superior State University, defending WCHA playoff champions, will then host St. Thomas Oct. 15-16 for the Lakers’ CCHA opening series.

For the first time ever, St. Thomas will play host to an NCAA Division I Hockey conference game when Ferris State University visits Oct. 22-23.

The defending WCHA regular season champions, Minnesota State University, will begin their CCHA conference home slate Oct. 29-30 when the Mavericks host Northern Michigan. Minnesota State will also play St. Thomas as part of Hockey Day in Minnesota on Jan 22., hosting the weekend in Mankato at Blakeslee Stadium, home to MSU Football and the summer training camp home to the National Football League's (NFL) Minnesota Vikings from 1966-2017.

The first time that all eight CCHA teams will battle in conference play on the same weekend will be Nov. 19-20 across three different states as Bemidji State University hosts Michigan Tech and St. Thomas welcomes Minnesota State in Minnesota, Northern Michigan visits Ferris State in Michigan and Bowling Green State hosts Lake Superior State in Ohio. 

Michigan Technological University will welcome Bowling Green State University Feb. 11-12 for the Huskies’ famed Winter Carnival weekend, the annual celebration that takes place every winter in Houghton, Michigan. 

Along with the 2021-22 campaign being the first at the NCAA Division I level for St. Thomas, it will also be the 10th anniversary of the 2011-12 Ferris State Bulldogs who captured the CCHA regular season title and eventually reached the NCAA National Championship Game. 

The CCHA regular season will come to a conclusion Feb. 26 with the team earning the most points being awarded the prestigious MacNaughton Cup. 

The top four teams following regular-season action will host the opening round of the CCHA Playoffs March 4-6 with the winner of each best-of-three series advancing to the league semifinals. New this season, both semifinals (Mar. 12) and final (Mar. 19) will be played as a single game at respective campus sites of the highest seeded team. For the first time since 2013, the famed Mason Cup will be presented to the CCHA playoff champions, who will receive an automatic qualification to the 16-team NCAA Tournament. 

The NCAA Tournament opens play Mar 25-27 with regional sites in Albany, N.Y., Allentown, Penn., Loveland, Colo., and Worcester, Mass.

The 2022 Frozen Four is set to take place at TD Garden in Boston, Mass. on April 7 & 9.