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AUGUST 2022 USAHOCKEYMAGAZINE.COM // 33 "I don't think people realize that you can still play a high level of college hockey in markets people don't think have hockey." In place for more than 30 years now, the ACHA started in 1991 as a non-varsity option for students to play college hockey. Over the course of three decades, the growth has been phenomenal, with the league ballooning to more than 450 teams across the nation as well as in two Canadian provinces, featuring teams in three men's divisions and two divisions for women. "ACHA has a wide-range of experience and talent levels, and that's what makes it special," long-time Liberty University coach Chris Lowes said. Lowes has been involved in the ACHA for 15 years as a coach. An alum of Liberty, Lowes played four seasons for the Flames. He then spent nine seasons coaching the men's ACHA Division I team before taking over the women's Division I team and guiding it to back-to-back ACHA national titles in 2018 and 2019. "I began my coaching career fairly casually. It was a way to give back and stay involved in the sport at Liberty," Lowes said. "It quickly grew into a healthy outlet for my competitive nature and then into a passion." Like Lowes, Gary Astalos, the Division I men's coach at Adrian College, played ACHA hockey at Eastern Michigan University. He's headed into his seventh year as a coach, he is impressed with how far the league has come in the last decade alone. "The biggest thing to me is how much better the competition has gotten," Astalos said. "I think a lot of that has to do with seeing more colleges fully support their ACHA programs. You have more full-time coaches, and ultimately that has helped with recruiting efforts, which — C RA I G BA R N ET T, EX ECU T I V E D I R EC TO R O F T H E AC H A THERE ARE CURRENTLY 80 WOMEN'S TEAMS AND MORE THAN 420 MEN'S TEAMS REGISTERED IN THE AMERICAN COLLEGIATE HOCKEY ASSOCIATION RANKS. CREATING AN NHL-LEVEL EXPERIENCE FOR PLAYERS & FANS ON & OFF THE ICE! FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT DALLASSTARS.COM/TOURNAMENTS WINTER CLASH INTERNATIONAL SILVER STICK® NOV 25-27, 2022 DALLAS, TX HIGH SCHOOL VARSITY/JR VARSITY GOLD/SILVER/BRONZE DEC 2-4, 2022 DALLAS, TX AA NATIONAL QUALIFIER 10U-18U TRAVEL/SELECT AA ONLY BEST OF THE WEST HIGH SCHOOL SHOWDOWN TOP SHELF HOCKEY CHALLENGE JAN 14-16, 2023 DALLAS, TX 6U-18U HOUSE/REC 10U-18U TRAVEL/SELECT AA, A & A2(B) HIGH SCHOOL VARSITY/JR VARSITY LONE STAR INVITATIONAL FEB 18-20, 2023 DALLAS, TX 10U-18U TRAVEL/SELECT AA, A & A2(B) HIGH SCHOOL VARSITY/JR VARSITY FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT DALLASSTARS.COM/TOURNAMENTS WINTER CLASH INTERNATIONAL SILVER STICK® NOV 25-27, 2022 DALLAS, TX HIGH SCHOOL VARSITY/JR VARSITY GOLD/SILVER/BRONZE DEC 2-4, 2022 DALLAS, TX AA NATIONAL QUALIFIER 10U-18U TRAVEL/SELECT AA ONLY BEST OF THE WEST HIGH SCHOOL SHOWDOWN TOP SHELF HOCKEY CHALLENGE JAN 14-16, 2023 DALLAS, TX 6U-18U HOUSE/REC 10U-18U TRAVEL/SELECT AA, A & A2(B) HIGH SCHOOL VARSITY/JR VARSITY LONE STAR INVITATIONAL FEB 18-20, 2023 DALLAS, TX 10U-18U TRAVEL/SELECT AA, A & A2(B) HIGH SCHOOL VARSITY/JR VARSITY CREATING AN NHL-LEVEL EXPERIENCE FOR PLAYERS & FANS ON & OFF THE ICE! FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT DALLASSTARS.COM/TOURNAMENTS WINTER CLASH INTERNATIONAL SILVER STICK® NOV 25-27, 2022 DALLAS, TX HIGH SCHOOL VARSITY/JR VARSITY GOLD/SILVER/BRONZE DEC 2-4, 2022 DALLAS, TX AA NATIONAL QUALIFIER 10U-18U TRAVEL/SELECT AA ONLY BEST OF THE WEST HIGH SCHOOL SHOWDOWN TOP SHELF HOCKEY CHALLENGE JAN 14-16, 2023 DALLAS, TX 6U-18U HOUSE/REC 10U-18U TRAVEL/SELECT AA, A & A2(B) HIGH SCHOOL VARSITY/JR VARSITY LONE STAR INVITATIONAL FEB 18-20, 2023 DALLAS, TX 10U-18U TRAVEL/SELECT AA, A & A2(B) HIGH SCHOOL VARSITY/JR VARSITY