College Hockey America Tourney @ IRA in GR

rapids hockey · Post by **rapids hockey** » Sun Jun 27, 2004 6:28 pm

I don't know how many of you know of this, I just found it when I was looking for college hockey schedules. I am definetly coming back for this tourney. Who knows, maybe I'll D.J. it. RELEASE DATE: May 21, 2004 College Hockey America commissioner R.H. "Bob" Peters has announced that the 2005 Wells Fargo CHA Championship will be held at the IRA Civic Center in Grand Rapids, Minn., to be hosted by Bemidji State University. The league championship, which will be held March 11-13, will be the first time NCAA Division I hockey has come to Grand Rapids, which lies in the heart of Minnesota's historic Iron Range and boasts a rich tradition of hockey. "The College Hockey America Conference is proud to collaborate with the City of Grand Rapids in bringing an NCAA Division I post-season championship tournament to Northern Minnesota for the first time," Peters said. "Grand Rapids is steeped in hockey tradition and that in itself was a strong reason to select Grand Rapids as the host city for this event." Wells Fargo has joined College Hockey America in sponsoring the event and Kevin Beito, Wells Fargo Community Banking President for Grand Rapids, stated that they are elated to be hosting the first of the six NCAA Division I conference championships in 2005. "It is an honor and a pleasure to be part of the CHA tournament," he said. "It is a great opportunity to host a tournament of this caliber that includes nearby Bemidji State University and the other CHA schools. "This means that we will be bringing hockey players, along with their families and fans, from all over the country to Grand Rapids. This is a wonderful economic opportunity for our community and its businesses." The 2005 Wells Fargo CHA Championship will get underway Friday, March 11. The top two teams in the league's regular-season standings will receive byes in the first round while the fourth- and fifth-place teams open tournament play at 3:05 p.m. CST. The third- and sixth-place teams will meet in the other quarterfinal game at 7:05 p.m. Tournament semifinals will be held March 12 with the top seed in the tournament playing the winner of Friday's afternoon game at 3:05 p.m.. The second seed in the tournament will play Friday's evening winner at 7:05 p.m. The championship game, which will determine the CHA's automatic qualified for the NCAA Championship, will be held Sunday at 7:05 p.m.