The Northern Collegiate Hockey Association was created during the early 1980s from a combination of college teams belonging to the now-defunct International College Hockey Association and the Western Intercollegiate Hockey Association. Since its inception in 1980, the league has grown into a closely-knit group of eight strong NCAA Div.II- III collegiate hockey programs featuring heated rivalries and intense competition.

The league officially formed on June 1, 1980, when formal approval came from the administrators of the six charter members: Bemidji State University, Mankato State University, St. Cloud State University, UW-Eau Claire, UW-River Falls and UW-Superior.

League play began on an unoffical basis during the 1980-81 campaign with the six teams playing an unbalanced schedule. The 1981-82 season marked the first formal schedule of NCHA play.

The College of St. Scholastica entered the league in 1983-84 to bring the team total to seven. St. Cloud State dropped out after the 1986-87 season to move up to the NCAA Div. I level, but with the addition of the UW-Stevens Point at the same time, the number of league teams stayed at seven. St. Scholastica dropped out of the league following the 1990-91 season. More changes came at the end of the 1991-92 season when Mankato State stepped up to the Div. I level and left the league. Lake Forest College was admitted in 1992-93. In the spring of 1994 St. Norbert College joined and St. Scholastica was readmitted to make it an eight team league. UW-Stout joined the NCHA in 1996-97. After the 1999 season Bemidji State left the conference after moving to the Div. I ranks.

At the April 10, 2000 spring meeting the NCHA added a women's division. Lake Forest, UW-Eau Claire, UW-River Falls, UW-Stevens Point and UW-Superior were the five women's teams that joined the league. UW-Superior started a varsity women’s program in 1998-99 and UW-River Falls had a varsity program for the first time in 1999-2000. The Lake Forest, UW-Eau Claire and UW-Stevens Point teams were all be in their first year of competition in 2000-2001.

"This is an exciting time for women's collegiate ice hockey and for the NCHA in general," said then NCHA President Frank O'Brien. "We look forward with great anticipation to beginning our first season with women's ice hockey."

The NCHA women's four team playoff championship is held at the site of the highest seeded team that can host the event. The fourth place team plays the first place team and the third place team plays the second place team in two semifinal games. Third place and championship games are also held. The NCHA regular season and/or playoff championship team(s) do not receive automatic berths into the NCAA Div. III tournament. An NCHA team would have to be picked as an at large participant to the national tourney.

In the men's division the NCHA currently plays a 14-game balanced schedule. Each team will face the seven other teams twice with each team hosting one game. A league post-season tournament was instituted in 1985-86 and now consists of eight teams playing best of three (two games, plus a mini-game if needed) series in the first round. After a weekend off, the NCHA Peters Cup Tournament is held which has a four team finals tournament at the site of the highest remaining seeded team that can host the championships.

Year after year, the NCHA is recognized as one of the top small-college hockey leagues in the country. UW-Superior won its first men's NCAA Div. III national title in 2002. Four NCHA men's teams have won NCAA Div. III titles; UWS (2002), UW-River Falls (1988, 1994), UW-Stevens Point (1989, 1990, 1991, 1993) and Bemidji State (1984, 1986). BSU also won four NCAA Div. II tiles (1993, 1994, 1995, 1997). In 1993 and 1994 it was an all NCHA final. In 1993 UWSP beat UWRF, 4-3 in overtime, and in 1994 UWRF beat UWS, 6-4.

With the mission of providing quality competition for student-athletes, the NCHA's caliber of play has risen to the point where member institutions are producing both quality players and teams. Joel Otto, a member of the 1989 Stanley Cup champion Calgary Flames, played for Bemidji State from 1981-85. In addition to the national championships, NCHA teams also play a rugged non-conference schedule with many schools playing NCAA Div. I squads.

NCHA Women's Champions

NCHA Men's Champions

Year	Regular season	Playoff champion
2004-05	St. Norbert	St. Norbert
2003-04	St. Norbert	St. Norbert
2002-03	St. Norbert	St. Norbert
2001-02	St. Norbert	UW-Superior^
2000-01	UW-Superior	UW-Superior
1999-2000	UW-Stevens Point	UW-Superior
1998-99	St. Norbert	St. Norbert
1997-98	St. Norbert	St. Norbert
1996-97	St. Norbert	UW-Superior
1995-96	UW-River Falls	UW-River Falls
1994-95	Bemidji State	Bemidji State*
1993-94	UW-Superior	UW-Superior^
1992-93	UW-Stevens Point	UW-Stevens Point*
1991-92	UW-Stevens Point	UW-Stevens Point
1990-91	Mankato State/Bemidji State	UW-Stevens Point*
1989-90	UW-Stevens Point	UW-Stevens Point*
1988-89	UW-Stevens Point	UW-Stevens Point*
1987-88	UW-River Falls	UW-River Falls*
1986-87	Mankato State/St. Cloud State	Bemidji State
1985-86	Mankato State/Bemidji State	Bemidji State*

1984-85 Bemidji State
1983-84 Bemidji State*
1982-83 Bemidji State
1981-82 Bemidji State
* NCAA Champions

^UW-Superior won Div. III National Championship; UW-River Falls won 1994 Div. III National Championship; Bemidji State won NCAA Div. II National Championships in 1993, 1994, 1995 and 1997.