ACHA hockey championships
UD to host 2014 American Collegiate Hockey Association championships
1:11 p.m., Aug. 13, 2012--The road to the American Collegiate Hockey Association title for both men and women will run through the University of Delaware campus in Newark in 2014.
UD and the Delaware Sports Commission won the bid for the 2014 ACHA Men’s Division 1 national championship, to be held Feb. 28-March 5, as well as the Women’s Division 1 and 2 national championships, to be held March 6-10.
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"For Delaware to host both the men’s and women’s tournaments in the same year is a major coup," said David Arthur, executive director of the Delaware Sports Commission. "It will be an honor to have the best male and female players and teams in collegiate hockey vie for their respective championships in the First State."
Both tournaments will be held at UD’s Fred Rust Ice Arena and the Gold Ice Arena.
The single-elimination men’s tournament will consist of 20 teams, made up of between 20-25 players.
The Division 1 women’s tournament takes the top eight teams and splits them into two pools that eventually meet in the championship round. The Division 2 women’s tournament also uses a round robin format for the preliminary round.
A total of 16 women’s teams will hit the ice at UD.
Both tournaments average about 2,000 spectators each and are expected to generate $1.4 million in economic impact.
"The ACHA is pleased to see the national tournament return to Delaware," said Chris Wilk, executive director of the ACHA. "We hope to capitalize on the success of the 2011 tournament with the men's Division 1 and both women's tournaments played on the same ice in 2014."
Bruce Thompson, assistant director of Recreation Services at UD, said it’s an honor to have the ACHA championships return to the University. "We are thrilled that our programs will have a chance to compete on a national stage in front of our own fans," Thompson said.
The men’s Division 1 national championship rotates to different schools each year, and was last hosted at UD in 2011. This is the first time UD will be the site of the women’s event.
"UD has a successful track record for playing host to these types of tournaments. Newark has ample hotel accommodations and is situated right off I-95," Arthur said. "They combine to make for an attractive sports destination."
In 2012, the men’s tournament was held in Cleveland, with UD emerging as the national champion in a 5-1 victory over Oakland University.