The Lindenwood University men's ice hockey team received an at-large bid to the 2014 American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) Men's Division I National Championship tournament. The 20 teams in the tournament were revealed in a live broadcast reveal of the bracket on Monday evening. The tournament will be held at the Fred Rust Ice Arena on the University of Delaware campus in Newark Del. March 6-11.
Lindenwood fell from 13th to 16th in the latest ranking after the Lions were swept by Robert Morris University-Chicago in last weekend of the regular season. Arizona State held the top position and earned the first seed for the national championship tournament. Seeding for the national championship tournament is based on the final computer ranking and the automatic bids for the conference champions. This is the third year of the 20-team, single elimination format. Those teams in seed order from number one to 20 include: Arizona State, Oklahoma, Robert Morris-Chicago, Liberty, Stony Brook, Adrian, Ohio, Delaware, Minot State, Iowa State, Central Oklahoma, Davenport, Navy, Oakland, Arizona, Rhode Island, Lindenwood, Illinois, Syracuse, and West Virginia.
2014 ACHA Men's Division 1 National Championship Information
The Central States Collegiate Hockey League (CSCHL) led the conferences with five teams earning bids to nationals. The Western Collegiate Hockey League (WCHL) was second with four teams in the conference's inaugural season. The Eastern States Collegiate Hockey League (ESCHL) and Great Lakes Collegiate Hockey League (GLCHL) each placed three teams in the tournament. Two independent programs made the field; while College Hockey Mid-America (CHMA), Eastern Collegiate Hockey Association (ECHA) and Northeast Collegiate Hockey League (NECHL) each had one team qualify for nationals.
Lindenwood will face tough competition on the way to the championship game. The Lions will open the tournament against 16th seeded Rhode Island in the preliminary round. If the team wins, Lindenwood would face the top overall seed, Arizona State. Overall, the Lions will need to win four games to play for the 2013 ACHA Division 1 National Championship on Thursday, March 11.
2014 National Tournament teams:
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Arizona State (WCHL)
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Oklahoma
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Robert Morris Illinois (CSCHL) Clinched Autobid
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Liberty
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Stony Brook (ESCHL) Clinched Autobid
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Adrian (GLCHL) Clinched Autobid
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Ohio
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Delaware (HOST)
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Minot State
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Iowa State
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Central Oklahoma
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Davenport
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Navy (ECHA) Clinched Autobid
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Oakland
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Arizona
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Rhode Island
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Lindenwood
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Illinois
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Syracuse (NECHL) Clinched Autobid
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West Virginia (CHMA) Clinched Autobid
Two teams ranked in the current top 20 were bumped out:
#19 Buffalo
#20 Mercyhurst
Before the trip to nations, Lindenwood University will host the CSCHL playoffs for the first time in school history. The 2014 conference playoffs begin February 21 and run through February 23 at the Lindenwood University Ice Arena in Wentzville, Mo.
Lindenwood enters the conference tournament with a 12-18-2 overall record and an 9-8-2 conference record. The Lions finished fourth in the final CSCHL regular season standing. Robert Morris-Chicago won the team's first ever CSCHL regular season title, Ohio University finished second while Iowa State came in third. Lindenwood finished ahead of Illinois and Indiana in conference standings. The CSCHL maintained its position as one of the top ACHA Division I conferences with five of the six CSCHL teams earning bids to nationals.
Final 2013-14 Central States Collegiate Hockey League Standings
2014 Central States Collegiate Hockey League Tournament Information
The CSCHL playoffs will begin Friday evening with two opening round games, Iowa State versus Indiana at 4:00 p.m. and Lindenwood versus Illinois at 7:30 p.m. Robert Morris will face the lowest advancing seed at 4:00 p.m. Saturday, followed by Ohio versus the highest advancing seed. The winners of the Saturday evening games will play in the conference championship game on Sunday at 2:00 p.m.
Purchase Tickets Here
Fans can purchase tickets online via the Lindenwood University Spirit Shoppe. All advanced tickets can be picked up at the will-call window of the Lindenwood Ice Arena prior to the start of the game. Tickets are available for $7.00 per game or $15.00 for a weekend pass.
