DEEPHAVEN, Minn. – The CCHA announced Tuesday morning that the Augustana hockey program will become full members for the 2024-25 season following a vote from the CCHA Board of Directors. This change will bring the CCHA to nine teams and comes a year early as the Vikings were slated to join as full members in the 2025-26 season. 

Augustana will now be able to compete for the MacNaughton Cup and are eligible to participate in the CCHA Mason Cup Playoffs. The Vikings will also become eligible for weekly, monthly and year-end honors going forward. With the addition of Augustana, the CCHA will keep its eight-team playoff format and positions will be set based on points per game. Augustana finished last season with 1.63 points per game and would have finished tied for third place in the CCHA.

"Augustana has followed through on everything asked of them by our CCHA members and this decision will allow the Vikings to continue to grow their program," said CCHA Commissioner Don Lucia. "The institution's support of their hockey program across the board has been impressive and allowing them to compete for the MacNaughton Cup and Mason Cup is a reward for their commitment." 

"We couldn't ask for better news as we get ready to start our second year of Augustana hockey," said Vice President for Athletics Josh Morton. "We are so appreciative of our colleagues and fellow members in the CCHA. This opportunity is a testament to the work put in by so many at Augustana and our community. Most importantly, it gives head coach Garrett Raboin, his staff and our student-athletes a championship to pursue."

A full-fledged schedule awaits Augustana in 2025-26. The Vikings will play a total of 16 CCHA games in the 2024-25 season while the rest of the league will play a normal 26-game schedule. 

"Not only is this a tremendous piece of our build but our athletes, fans, and community could not be more thrilled. We are excited to be eligible to compete for a spot in this year's Mason Cup Playoffs and look forward to an elevated excitement that comes with countable points in CCHA competitions and a path forward to the playoffs," said coach Raboin. "Our other league members felt that we deserved an opportunity to compete in the playoffs a year early, and we'll look to continue to add value and represent the CCHA at the highest levels possible." 

Augustana will begin the 2024-25 season with an exhibition matchup against North Dakota on Saturday, Oct. 5 in Grand Forks, North Dakota. The Vikings will open the regular season at Midco Arena the following weekend against Long Island. The CCHA slate begins November 2-3 in St. Paul, Minnesota, against St. Thomas. 

Season tickets for the 2024-25 season are still available at GoAugie.com/Tickets