MEN'S HOCKEY: CCHA to add 9th member; report links Augustana as addition

The Bemidji Pioneer, Minn.
·1 min read

May 16—DEEPHAVEN — The Central Collegiate Hockey Association is set to grow on Tuesday.

The CCHA will announce "plans for expansion" and will welcome a ninth member to the league at 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 17, at a virtual press conference.

The league did not name what school will become the new member, but John Buccigross, an ESPN anchor and college hockey insider, tweeted that the addition will be Augustana.

The Vikings are on pace to play their first season in the fall of 2023. Construction has begun on campus for Midco Arena at a cost of $50 million.

In the course of less than a year, Augustana has gone from having no hockey team on campus to announcing in June 2021 that it would be adding men's hockey, breaking ground on a new arena in October and

hiring Garrett Raboin to be the Vikings' first head coach in April.

The CCHA completed its first season as a revamped league in 2021-22 with eight league members: Bemidji State, Bowling Green, Ferris State, Lake Superior State, Michigan Tech, Minnesota State and St. Thomas.