The Tri-State Collegiate Hockey League (TSCHL) is an ACHA Division II level ice hockey league. ACHA Division II level consists of players with previous Jr. A, AAA or Midget Major experience, along with high caliber high school experience. The level can range from varsity high school up to NCAA Division III skills, depending on the programs.
The TSCHL was formed in 2010 and consisted of eight teams for its first season. Only the Dayton remains in the league from the inaugural season, however, founding member club Cincinnati rejoined 'The T' in 2023 after a three-year absence.
A number of the league's current members were part of the now defunct Great Lakes Intercollegiate Hockey Association (GLIHA), while others in the past joined from the College Hockey East and the Midwest Collegiate Hockey League (MCHL). All 11 members currently compete within the ACHA Division II Southeast Region. The league is separated into two divisions, beginning in the 2021–2022 season, for only the second time in its history. The only other time was in the 2018–2019 season.
Indiana won the ACHA Men's Division II National Championship in 2024, becoming the first team from the league to do so.
Former logo of the TSCHL. Used until the conclusion of the 2018–19 season.
League teams play a 13-game league schedule with 2 games against each division opponent and one game against the opposite division, in addition to non-league games against other ACHA DI, DII & DIII teams. The TSCHL season concludes with an eight-team bracket league tournament at the end of the regular season in mid-late February, the top four teams from each division qualify.
Since the 2015–16 season, the conference has awarded the playoff tournament champion the automatic bid to the ACHA Division II Southeast Regional tournament. The tournament is held in late February with the teams ranked #3–14 in the region (including auto-bid teams) competing in a single-elimination format.
2016: #6 Ohio defeated #7 Rowan; lost to #3 Miami / #9 Louisville (BID) defeated #12 Princeton; lost to #4 Penn State in Overtime.[5]
2017: #7 Ohio defeated #6 Cincinnati; defeated #3 Toledo / #8 Louisville (BID) lost to #5 Penn State.[6]
2018: #11 Ohio (BID) lost to #10 Rider in Overtime / #4 Cincinnati defeated #9 Maryland; lost to #5 Toledo / #6 Miami defeated #7 Rowan; lost to #3 Liberty.
2019: #4 Cincinnati defeated #10 Ohio State; defeated #7 Miami / #7 Miami defeated #6 Delaware; lost to #4 Cincinnati / #10 Ohio State defeated #11 Virginia; lost to #4 Cincinnati.
2020: #7 Miami defeated #6 Penn State; defeated #5 Rowan / #8 Ohio State lost to #5 Rowan in double Overtime.[7]
2021: ACHA did not hold the regional tournament due to the shortened seasons caused by COVID-19.
2022: #4 Miami lost to #11 Ohio State / #7 Indiana defeated #14 North Carolina; defeated #6 Penn State; defeated #13 Pennsylvania / #8 Kentucky lost to #13 Pennsylvania / #11 Ohio State defeated #10 Rider; defeated #4 Miami; defeated #9 Cincinnati.
2023: #3 Kentucky defeated #13 Pennsylvania; defeated #11 North Carolina / #4 Indiana defeated #12 Louisville; defeated #6 Ohio / #5 Miami lost to #11 North Carolina in Overtime / #6 Ohio defeated #7 Penn State; lost to #4 Indiana / #8 Michigan lost to #13 Pennsylvania / #12 Louisville defeated #9 Rowan; lost to #4 Indiana.
2024: #3 Indiana defeated #14 Pennsylvania; defeated #8 NC State / #4 Miami defeated #10 Rider; defeated #5 Kentucky / #5 Kentucky defeated #9 Penn State in Overtime; lost to #4 Miami / #6 Ohio lost to #8 NC State / #11 Louisville lost to #10 Rider.
In the 2016–17 season, Ohio became the first team from the conference to advance to the ACHA Division II National Tournament that is held in March. In the 2021–2022 season, the conference sent two teams to the tournament for the first time. At the 2024 ACHA Division II National Tournament, Indiana & Miami became the first two teams from the conference to advance to the National Championship as Indiana won the game in Overtime.
2017: Ohio (SE #4) finished 0–3 in Pool A; lost to William Paterson (NE #1) 6–3, Grand Valley State (Central #2) 3–0 & UNLV (West #3) 3–1.
2019: Cincinnati (SE #3) finished 3–0 in Pool D; defeated Lindenwood (Central #2) 3–1, Northern Arizona (West #1) 5–4 (OT) & Keene State (NE #4) 6–3; lost in the National Semi-Finals to Florida Gulf Coast (SE #1) 3–2.
2020: Miami (SE #4) was to compete in Pool D; playing against Massachusetts (NE #1), Sault College (Central #2) and MSU Denver (West #3); tournament was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[8]
2022: Indiana (SE #3) finished 0–3 in Pool D; lost to Northeastern (NE #2) 7–5, Mary (West #1) 4–1 & Wisconsin (Central #4) 5–2 / Ohio State (SE #4) finished 0–3 in Pool C; lost to Massachusetts (NE #1) 8–1, Dakota College (West #2) 5–3 & Trine (Central #3) 4–3 (OT).
2023: Kentucky (SE #3) finished 0–2–1 in Pool C; lost to Saint Thomas (Central #2) 3–0, Mary (West #1) 3–1 & tied Bentley (NE #4) 1–1 / Indiana (SE #4) finished 2–1 in Pool D; defeated Lindenwood (Central #1) 2–1, Montana State (West #2) 6–4 & lost to New Hampshire (NE #3) 5–3; lost in the National Semi-Finals to Iowa (Central #4) 2–1 in double Overtime.
2024: Indiana (SE #4) finished 2–1 in Pool B; defeated Weber State (West #2) 4–2, lost to Northeastern (NE #1) 5–2 & defeated Michigan State (Central #4) 7–3; defeated Lindenwood (Central #1) in National Semi-Finals 3–1; defeated Miami (SE #4) in National Championship 5–4 in Overtime / Miami (SE #4) finished 2–1 in Pool A; defeated Montana State (West #1) 3–0, Keene State (NE #2) 7–5 and lost to Concordia Wisconsin (Central #3) 7–6; defeated Florida Gulf Coast (SE #1) in National Semi-Finals 3–2; lost to Indiana (SE #3) in National Championship 5–4 in Overtime.
^Komma, Matt. "Field of 16 Set for ACHA D2 Nationals – University of Utah Hockey". universityofutahhockey.com. Retrieved 14 May 2020. Liberty took the final spot at Nationals by beating Ohio and Penn State to round out the field of 16 that is coming to Utah for Nationals.
