In 1981, the CCHA attracted four schools from the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA)—Michigan, Michigan State, Michigan Tech, and Notre Dame. While Notre Dame shut down its men's hockey team in 1983, and Michigan Tech left the following year to return to the WCHA, the other two schools remained in the CCHA until the original league folded. UIC joined in 1982. The CCHA continued to gain respect, with Bowling Green becoming the CCHA's first NCAA champion in 1984.