The demise of the Robert Morris program after the 2020–21 season reduced the then-CHA's membership to five, one fewer than the six required to qualify for an automatic bid.
[5][6] Clarkson became the first non-WCHA team to win the national championship when it defeated the Minnesota Golden Gophers in the 2014 Frozen Four, and has since won titles in 2017 and 2018.
The NEWHA formed in 2017 as a scheduling alliance between the sport's six then-existing National Collegiate (Division I/II) independents, all located in New England.
Shortly before the 2018–19 season, the remaining five members formally organized as a conference and began the process of gaining full NCAA recognition.
[10] In the meantime, LIU Brooklyn announced it would add women's ice hockey effective in 2019–20, and would join the NEWHA at that time.
[16] Another Division II school, Assumption, joined the NEWHA for administrative purposes alongside Stonehill in 2022–23, but did not start varsity play until 2023–24.
[17] The Western Collegiate Hockey Association is an NCAA Division I women's-only conference operating in the northern Midwest states of Ohio, Minnesota, and Wisconsin.