ACHA
The American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) is the sanctioning body for non-NCAA club ice hockey in the United States. The organization provides structure, regulations and promotes the quality of collegiate ice hockey. Teams separated into three men's and two women's divisions with over 300 teams from across the United States. The majority of the ACHA schools don't offer NCAA hockey, there are some schools that offer both a club team in the ACHA and a varsity team in the NCAA. ACHA teams attract considerable on-campus attention and the quality of play is considered quite high, especially in the top division.
Strict NCAA requirements, large operating budgets, and Title IX issues are major reasons why many universities opt to field teams in the ACHA instead of the NCAA.
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