View source for Women's Midwest College Hockey

{{Infobox sports league
| name         = Women's Midwest College Hockey
| logo         = Women's_Midwest_College_Hockey_Logo.png
| logo_size    = 250
| founded      = 2019
| conference   = ACHA
| division     = Women's Division 1
| teams        = 7
| sports       = [[Ice Hockey]]
| region       = [[Midwest]], [[Mid-Atlantic (United States)|Mid-Atlantic]]
| commissioner = Jason White
| map          = WMCH_State_Map.svg
| map_size     = 200
}}

'''Women's Midwest College Hockey''' (WMCH) is an [[American Collegiate Hockey Association]] Women's Division 1 club level [[ice hockey|hockey]]-only college athletic conference for women's hockey teams. It is one of four ACHA Women's Division 1 conferences, along with the [[Central Collegiate Women's Hockey Association]], [[Eastern Collegiate Women's Hockey League]], and [[Western Women's Collegiate Hockey League]]. The league features seven of the top ACHA programs from across the country regardless of geographic considerations, with its membership ranging from [[Lynchburg, Virginia]] in the southeast to [[Minot, North Dakota]] in the northwest.

WMCH began play during the 2019–20 season with teams that had won four of the last seven national championships (Minnesota in 2013, Liberty in 2015, 2018, and 2019), and each of its members had participated in their respective national tournaments within the past two seasons (Minot State did so in Division 2, the rest in Division 1). The conference lived up to that billing by earning four of the eight available bids to the 2020 ACHA National Tournament, before it was canceled due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic]].

==Current membership==

{| class="sortable wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
!Institution
!Location
!Nickname
!Founded
!Type
!Enrollment
!Colors
!Primary Facility
|-
|[[Liberty University]]
|[[Lynchburg, Virginia]]
|[[Liberty Flames|Flames]]
|1971
|Private<br>(Baptist)
|15,000<br>(residential)
|Blue, White and Red<ref>{{cite web|title=Colors & Fonts|url=https://www.liberty.edu/web-services/web-policy/|publisher=Liberty University|access-date=May 13, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190513214327/https://www.liberty.edu/web-services/web-policy/|archive-date=May 13, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> <br />{{college color boxes|Liberty Flames}}
|[[LaHaye Ice Center]]
|-
|[[Maryville University]]
|[[St. Louis, Missouri]]
|[[Maryville Saints|Saints]]
|1872
|Private
|4,609
|Red, Black and White<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.maryville.edu/marketing/brandassets/ |title=MU – Graphic Identity |publisher=MaryvilleSaints.com |accessdate=2015-12-19}}</ref><br/>{{color box|#CC0033}}&nbsp;{{color box|##FFFFFF}}&nbsp;{{color box|#000000}}
|[[Maryville University Hockey Center]]
|-
|[[Lindenwood University]]
|[[St. Charles, Missouri]]
|[[Lindenwood Lions|Lions]]
|1827
|Private
|7,465
|Black and Gold<br/>{{color box|#000000}}&nbsp;{{color box|#AE9F56}}
|[[Centene Community Ice Center]]
|-
|[[McKendree University]]
|[[Lebanon, Illinois]]
|[[McKendree Bearcats|Bearcats]]
|1828
|Private<br>(Methodist)
|2,499
|Purple and White<br/>{{color box|#53247F}}&nbsp;{{color box|#FFFFFF}}
|[[McKendree Metro Rec Plex]]
|-
|[[Midland University]]
|[[Fremont, Nebraska]]
|[[Midland Warriors|Warriors]]
|1883
|Private<br>(Lutheran)
|1,400
|Orange and Blue<br/>{{Color box|#F58026}}&nbsp;{{Color box|#002A5C}}
|[[Sidner Ice Arena]]
|-
|[[University of Minnesota]]
|[[Minneapolis, Minnesota]]
|[[Minnesota Golden Gophers|Golden Gophers]]
|1851
|Public
|47,783
|Maroon and Gold<ref>{{cite web|title=Our Brand: How to Convey It|url=https://www.ur.umn.edu/brand/requirements-and-guidelines/color-and-type/index.php#color|publisher=University of Minnesota|accessdate=December 28, 2016}}</ref><br />{{color box|#7A0019}}&nbsp;{{color box|#FFCC33}}
|[[Mariucci Arena]]
|-
|[[Minot State University]]
|[[Minot, North Dakota]]
|[[Minot State Beavers|Beavers]]
|1913
|Public
|3,560
|Red, Green and Black<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.minotstateu.edu/publications/graphic-identity.shtml |title=MSU – Graphic Identity |publisher=Minotstateu.edu |accessdate=2015-12-19}}</ref><br/>{{color box|#CC0033}}&nbsp;{{color box|#006341}}&nbsp;{{color box|#000000}}
|[[Maysa Arena]]
|}

===Membership timeline===
<timeline>
DateFormat = mm/dd/yyyy
ImageSize = width:750 height:auto barincrement:20
Period = from:01/01/2019 till:07/01/2021
TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal
PlotArea = right:150 left:0 bottom:50 top:5

Colors = 
 id:barcolor value:rgb(0.9,0.9,0.9)
 id:line value:black
 id:bg value:white

PlotData=
 width:15 textcolor:black shift:(5,-5) anchor:from fontsize:s

 bar:1 color:barcolor from:01/01/2019 till:end text:[[Liberty University|Liberty]] (2019–present)
 bar:2 color:barcolor from:07/01/2020 till:end text:[[Lindenwood University|Lindenwood]] (2020–present)
 bar:3 color:barcolor from:01/01/2019 till:07/01/2020 text:[[Lindenwood–Belleville Lynx women's ice hockey|Lindenwood–Belleville]] (2019–20)
 bar:4 color:barcolor from:01/01/2019 till:end text:[[McKendree University|McKendree]] (2019–present)
 bar:5 color:barcolor from:01/01/2019 till:end text:[[Midland University|Midland]] (2019–present)
 bar:6 color:barcolor from:01/01/2019 till:end text:[[University of Minnesota|Minnesota]] (2019–present)
 bar:7 color:barcolor from:01/01/2019 till:end text:[[Minot State University|Minot State]] (2019–present)
 bar:8 color:barcolor from:10/01/2020 till:end text:[[Maryville University|Maryville University]] (2020–present)

ScaleMajor = gridcolor:line unit:year increment:1 start:01/01/2019

</timeline>

== Playoff championship game results ==

[[File:WMCH_Championship_Trophy.png|thumb|right|The WMCH championship trophy]]

{|class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"

! scope="col" width="80px" | Year
! scope="col" width="150px" | Champion
! scope="col" width="80px" | Score
! scope="col" width="150px" | Runner-Up
! scope="col" width="150px" | Location
|-
| 2020 || Liberty || 2–1<ref>{{Cite web| title = Smibert's late goal lets Lady Flames hoist WMCHL trophy | author =  | publisher = Liberty University | date = March 8, 2020 | url = https://www.liberty.edu/campusrec/clubsports/index.cfm?PID=25954&newsID=3316&TeamID= | accessdate = April 17, 2020}}</ref>  || Minot State || [[St. Louis, Missouri]]
|}

===Regular season champions===

{{div col|colwidth=22em}}
*2019–20 Liberty<sup>†</sup>
{{div col end}}

<sup>†</sup> The WMCH did not formally declare a regular season champion. Liberty was the top-seeded team for the league playoffs due to having the highest ACHA ranking of the members.

==ACHA National Tournament appearances==

Appearances made while a WMCH member.

{|class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"

! scope="col" width="180px" | School
! scope="col" width="100px" | Appearances
! scope="col" width="180px" | Years
! scope="col" width="100px" | Championships
|-
| Liberty || 1 || 2020 || None
|-
| Lindenwood–Belleville || 1 || 2020 || None
|-
| McKendree || 1 || 2020 || None
|-
| Minot State || 1 || 2020 || None
|}

==See also==
*[[American Collegiate Hockey Association]]
*[[Lindenwood–Belleville Lynx women's ice hockey]]
*[[Minot State Beavers women's ice hockey]]
*[[List of ice hockey leagues]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://www.facebook.com/wmchl Women's Midwest College Hockey Facebook Page]
*[https://www.liberty.edu/campusrec/clubsports/index.cfm?PID=25959&TeamID=3 Liberty Women's Hockey]
*[https://mckbearcats.com/index.aspx?path=whock McKendree Women's Hockey]
*[http://www.midlandathletics.com/sport/0/41.php Midland Women's Hockey]
*[https://mnwomensclubhockey.wixsite.com/clubhockey Minnesota Women's Club Hockey]
*[https://msubeavers.com/sports/womens-ice-hockey Minot State Women's Hockey]
*[https://maryvillesaints.com/sports/whock2 Maryville Saints Women's Hockey]

{{ACHA Women's Division 1}}
{{Women's ice hockey leagues in North America}}

[[Category:ACHA Division 1 conferences]]
[[Category:Women's ice hockey leagues in the United States|3]]