The NMU Men’s D2 Hockey program participates in the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA), which USA Hockey recognizes as the only alternative to the NCAA. The ACHA is designed to give students the opportunity to play competitive college hockey while attending school. The ACHA hosts five National Championships each season and offers players who excel the opportunity to travel internationally as part of the ACHA selects the national team. Players and Teams participating in the ACHA receive USA Hockey benefits and membership.​

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The team goals remain the same every season. We want to win the National Championship. We believe our success has resulted from such high expectations, and we challenge our players physically and mentally to be prepared daily. It will not take long for new players to understand what it takes to win at this level. We require our players to be successful on the ice, in the classroom, and the community. 

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The Men’s ACHA team is committed to building on its recent success by offering players one of the best college hockey experiences in the ACHA. The program is designed to replicate the operations of a successful NCAA D3 program and provide a solid alternative to D3 hockey. The team practices three nights a week (4-5 hours), primarily at the Berry Events Center. The Coaching Staff conducts practices and will be designed to continue skill development and teach and improve team philosophies and systems.

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We feel every player should continue to grow and develop while playing hockey in the program here. The program is very demanding and requires students to balance hockey and academics. We feel this is a key piece to the student-athlete experience and teaches skills outside of hockey, such as solid study habits, responsibility, and time management.​

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The team offers players one of the best equipment and apparel packages in the ACHA. We provide players with gloves, pants, jerseys, and apparel and even offer special ACHA pricing on equipment, including sticks and skates from Warrior, Reebok, CCM, and Sherwood.​