Northern Arizona dropped its hockey program after the season when its venue, the Walkup Skydome, required numerous repairs to the ice rink.
[3] During the 1987–88 season, the conference announced intentions to expand to 9 teams and gain an automatic bid to the NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Championship.
They invited three schools who had recently moved up from Division II: Alabama–Huntsville, Merrimack, and St.
[4] At the end of the season, US International dropped its varsity hockey program, citing high travel costs; three years later, the university declared bankruptcy.
After the CCHA disbanded at the end of the 2012–13 season due to major conference realignment, the Alaska schools reunited in the WCHA.