Robert DeGregorio, Commissioner for College Hockey America (CHA), announced today that the Lindenwood University women's hockey team has officially submitted an application to the CHA for admission to the conference for the 2012-13 season.

“The directors have accepted the application of Lindenwood University for admission into the CHA,” states commissioner DeGregorio. “We will begin the process for admission, which will include a campus visit as soon as possible.”

"We are excited about our transition to the NCAA and honored to have the opportunity to be part of a strong women's ice hockey organization like the CHA,” states John Creer, Athletics Director at Lindenwood. “We believe that Lindenwood will be a good fit academically and athletically. It will be a challenge moving from the CCWHA to the CHA, but it is one we are up to and excited about."

Head Coach Vince O'Mara adds, "We are very honored and excited with the news that the CHA Directors have accepted our application for membership. We are equally as excited to show the CHA and its member institutions how committed Lindenwood University is to its women's hockey program. Everyone here at Lindenwood has been working diligently to insure that our transition into NCAA membership is a successful one. We will continue our hard work to assure that with time, we will be a very competitive program for many years to come."

The CHA is a NCAA conference that currently consists of Mercyhurst (Pa.), Niagara (N.Y.), Robert Morris (Pa.), and Syracuse (N.Y.). Penn State will join the conference in 2012-13. The conference has sent a representative to the NCAA National Tournament every year since 2005.

The Lindenwood women's hockey team will officially be considered a NCAA Division II team when the athletics program finishes its transition. However, since there is no NCAA Division II Championship for the sport of women's hockey, the Lady Lions will be competing at the highest level of collegiate women's hockey.

Lindenwood has already started practice for the 2011-12 year, which will be its first NCAA schedule. The Lady Lions will open up the season on Sept. 23 and 25 at the University of Wisconsin, the defending NCAA National Champions.

Lindenwood has five other games against teams that finished last season in the top 10 in the nation. The first NCAA game at the Lindenwood Ice Arena in Wentzville, Mo. will take place on Oct. 28 against a Mercyhurst squad which has advanced to the national tournament for seven straight seasons.

The Lady Lions have previously played in the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) where they won four national championships over the last six years.