Trenton, NJ – The Colonial States College Hockey Conference (CSCHC) is excited to announce plans for the upcoming 2021-22 season. The conference’s seventh season will see it welcome two new members, Stockton University and Bryn Athyn College, as well as the introduction of a new format that will enhance the level of competitive play while also limiting the amount of travel for each team. Additionally, initial details for playoff plans, including location and qualification methods, have been finalized.
Colonial Commissioner Andrew Ducko is excited to welcome both players back to the ice and Bryn Athyn as the newest member of the conference.
“We look forward to working with Bryn Athyn, and are excited to have them as a part of our league. I think the school’s support of the hockey program is evident, and it will help them build their program within the ACHA.”
This season, the Colonial will split it’s 12 member teams into two divisions. These divisions, named the Liberty and Independence divisions, will have individual standings and their own qualification methods into the 2021 Colonial Cup playoffs. Additionally, the separate groups will use different regular season scheduling methods. The breakdown of these two groups is as follows:
Liberty Division
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Bryn Athyn College
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Millersville University
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Rutgers University
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University of Scranton
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Stockton University
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The College of New Jersey (TCNJ)
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University of Pennsylvania (UPenn)
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West Chester University
The larger of the two groups, the teams in the Liberty Division will play one-another twice, home and away, and play Independence teams once amounting to a 18-game regular season. This group includes both the Stockton Ospreys and Bryn Athyn Lions who will make their debuts in the Colonial this fall.
Independence Division
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Monmouth University
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New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT)
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Princeton University
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Seton Hall University
The four teams within the Independence Division will play one-another three times with one additional game against each of the teams in the Liberty Division. This amounts to a 17-game regular season for a group which includes previous conference champion Princeton.
At this time, conference members may also schedule non-Colonial opponents at their own discretion. These games will be announced by each school individually.
Following the conclusion of the regular season a seven-team playoff will be hosted at Loucks Ice Center in Lawrenceville, NJ between February 18-20th. The top six teams in the Liberty Division will qualify for the tournament with the school finishing first overall receiving a bye into the semifinals. The seventh seed in the tournament will go to the highest finishing team in the Independence Division.
The basic format of the playoffs is as follows:
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Quarterfinals (Feb. 18)
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1st Place receives bye to Semifinals
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2nd vs 7th, 3rd vs 6th, 4th vs 5th.
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Semifinals (Feb. 19)
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1st Place vs Lowest Remaining Seed
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Highest Remaining Seed vs Second Highest Remaining Seed
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Colonial Cup Championship Game (Feb. 20)
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Semifinal Winners
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Any changes or updates to either the regular season or playoff formats will be shared on league social media and on the Colonial website. News regarding the ACHA Division 2 Southeast Regionals, which the Colonial Cup champions earn an automatic berth into, will be announced at a later date.
Cc: Michael Battista/@MichaelB_96