When asked to name the most exciting month in roller hockey, the month of April might not immediately spring to mind. However, for players and fans at the college level, April is a month like no other.
The National Collegiate Roller Hockey Championships are held annually in April, and the 19th annual edition will be held April 5-9 in sunny Fort Myers, FL. For those who are not able to make the trip, all 140+ games can be watched online, live and free of charge. Viewers simply need to log onto www.NCRHA.org to be directed to the viewing area, and to follow all the scores and coverage of the event. All of the clubs are recognized and accredited by their individual colleges or universities under each of their club sports programs.
The Collegiate Championships is the culmination of a full season of games played from October through March in each of the National Collegiate Roller Hockey Association's (NCHRA) seven conferences across the United States. Teams play an average of 20 games on their way to their conference championships, and those that win a conference championship in Division I, Division II, Division III or the Junior College Division are awarded automatic bids to the national tournament. The rest of the field is filled out by bids being awarded by a selection committee to deserving teams to fill out the rest of the field on "Selection Monday," the first Monday after the end of the last conference championships.
Once the field is announced, the week-long chase for a National Championship across becomes the focus of 56 teams from all across the country. Behind all the hard work and planning it takes to get to nationals and make a run for a championship are plethora storylines to keep an eye on while watching the games. Here are the story lines of favorites, underdogs, feel good stories, and fun fact that will keep the roller hockey world riveted to the collegiate game for a week in April:
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