South Eastern Collegiate Hockey Conference
| South Eastern Collegiate Hockey Conference | |
|---|---|
| SECHC | |
 | |
| Established | 2008 |
| Association | ACHA |
| Members | 10 |
| Sports fielded |
|
| Region | Southeastern United States |
| Headquarters | Atlanta, Georgia |
| Commissioner | Justin Bradford |
| Website | SECHC official website |
The South Eastern Collegiate Hockey Conference (SECHC) is an ACHA is a non-varsity ice hockey conference in the Southern United States. The league's mission is to develop and advance collegiate ice hockey. The members of the SECHC are all ACHA ice hockey programs and member universities of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) in NCAA athletics.[1][2] Of the 14 members of the SEC, ten teams are members of the SECHC and play in the South and Pacific regions of ACHA Division 3.[3]
The SECHC plays a six-game minimum conference schedule. Within those six games each team must play at least four other SECHC opponents. Playoff positioning is determined by a coaches poll that comes out every two weeks.
Teams
After the 2012–13 season Arkansas moved from the South Region of Division 3 to the Pacific but remained a member of the conference.[4]
Following the 2014–15 season, both Arkansas and Alabama moved up to the ACHA Division 1 rank. Arkansas continues to field a Division 3 team that competes in the SECHC in addition to their Division 1 team. Alabama discontinued their participation in the SECHC as they no longer fielded a Division 3 team.
Of the remaining SEC schools:
- Alabama used to compete in the SECHC but has since moved up and competes as an ACHA Division 1 team.
- Kentucky has an ACHA Division 2 team. Kentucky has never competed in the SECHC.
- Missouri has an ACHA Division 2 team in the MACHA conference. Missouri has never competed in the SECHC.
- Texas A&M has an ACHA Division 2 team in the College Hockey Southwest conference. Texas A&M has never competed in the SECHC.
The following schools will join the SECHC for the 2019-20 season:
| School | Location | Founded | Affiliation | Enrollment | Nickname[5] | Home Arena |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Alabama (UAH) | Huntsville, AL | 1950 | Public | 9,000 | Chargers | |
| Florida State University | Tallahassee, FL | 1851 | Public | 42,000 | Seminoles | Columbus Civic Center |
| Clemson University | Clemson, SC | 1889 | Public | 24,387 | Tigers | The Pavilion / Bon Secours Wellness Arena |
| Middle Tennessee State University | Murfreesboro, TN | 1911 | Public | 21, 913 | Blue Raiders | Ford Ice Center |
| Kennesaw State University | Kennesaw, GA | 1963 | Public | 35,000 | Owls | Town Center Kennesaw |
Membership timeline
Conference champions
The SECHC Championship Tournament is held every year in February at the conclusion of the regular season and after the ACHA South Regionals. After the 2014–15 season the cross-divisional playoff format was abandoned. For the 2015–16 season there was just one division within the SECHC and the first round of the playoffs featured the #1 seed vs the #8 seed, the #2 seed vs the #7 seed, etc.
| Year | Champion |
| 2017 | Arkansas |
| 2016 | Georgia |
| 2015 | Arkansas |
| 2014 | Arkansas |
| 2013 | Arkansas |
| 2012 | Alabama |
| 2011 | Arkansas |
| 2010 | Arkansas |
| 2009 | Tennessee |
Venues
Venues for the teams vary from community ice rinks to civic-center sized arenas. As the conference has expanded and interest in hockey has grown in the Southern United States teams have sought larger venues for games. The 2010-11 SECHC Championship Tournament was held at the 8,500 seat Columbus Civic Center.[6] Two teams, Georgia and Florida along with in-state rivals Georgia Tech and Florida State, as well as a Thursday game played between in-state rivals South Carolina and Citadel play a yearly tournament at the Savannah Civic Center.[7]
ACHA Division 3 Nationals teams
The SECHC has sent 11 teams to the ACHA Division 3 National Tournament. While no SECHC team has ever made it out of pool play, Arkansas in 2014 had the best success going 2-1 in their pool but losing the goals against tie breaker to the eventual champion Adrian College.
2009 Host City: Rochester, NY
- Tennessee (Finished 11th)
- Hope College (L 3-5)
- Colorado (W 7-6)
- Dordt College (L 1-4)
- Albany (W 6-5)
2010 Host City: Fort Myers, FL
- Florida (Finished 12th)
- College of the Canyons (L 3-8)
- Saginaw Valley State (L 1-14)
- Robert Morris (W 8-6)
- Arkansas (Finished 13th)
- Colorado (L 1-7)
- Hope College (L 2-5)
- Fredonia State (L 2-4)
2012 Host City: Vineland, NJ
- Alabama (Finished 16th)
- California (PA) (L 3-7)
- Hope College (L 1-9)
- Cal State Northridge (L 6-7 OT)
2013 Host City: Springfield, MO
- Mississippi (Finished 13th)
- Colorado State (W 2-1)
- Farmingdale State (L 2-5)
- Adrian College (L 0-9)
- Alabama (Finished 14th)
- Iowa State (W 4-2)
- California (PA) (L 5-7)
- Michigan-Flint (L 1-7)
2014 Host City: Coral Springs, FL
- Arkansas (Finished 7th)
- Adrian College (L 3-4)
- Neumann (W 14-6)
- Central Florida (W 6-2)
- Mississippi (Finished 15th)
- California (PA) (L 2-8)
- Davenport (L 2-10)
- Aurora (L 3-9)
2015 Host City: Pelham, AL
- Arkansas (Finished 8th)
- Fairfield (W 6-2)
- Calvin College (W 9-2)
- Florida Gulf Coast (L 1-6)
- Alabama (Finished 9th)
- Michigan State (T 4-4)
- Pittsburgh-Johnstown (W 6-1)
- Colorado State, (L 6-7 OT)
- Mississippi (Finished 15th)
- Oakland (L 4-7)
- California (PA) (L 3-7)
- Metro State (L 1-6)
See also
References
- ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2010-12-05. Retrieved 2010-12-03.
- ↑ http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/2010/11/21/1353982/college-hockey-clash-roundup-alabama.html%5Bpermanent+dead+link%5D
- ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2010-12-14. Retrieved 2010-12-03.
- ↑ http://arkansas.sechchockey.com/?p=909
- 1 2 http://www.sechchockey.com/teams
- ↑ http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/2011/02/06/1449329/college-hockey-sechc-tournament.html
- ↑ http://savannahnow.com/sports/2012-01-11/real-sec-flavor-savannah-tire-hockey-classic#.Tw7-z1yfSHc