The Midwest Inline Hockey Association (MIHA) is a newly designed league aimed at attracting both highly skilled and intermediate-level inline hockey players from across the Midwest.
The MIHA community is made up of talented players from diverse backgrounds, including firefighters, construction workers, mechanics, and bartenders, as well as students, lawyers, dentists, and accountants. If you’re passionate about inline hockey, MIHA is where you belong.
Divisions
TIER I is considered equivalent to NARCH/TOHRS/SW – pro/gold
TIER II is considered equivalent to NARCH/TORHS/SW – silver/bronze
TIER III is considered equivalent to Bronze/Copper divisions. Higher level players are kept out of T3. There is a 4 goal limit per player per game.
TIER IV These players typically don’t attend many national tournaments. There is a 3 goal limit per player per game.
TIER V is our lowest division. This division is for recreational players only. There is a 3 goal limit per player per game.
Season Format
During the preseason, returning teams participate in a draft where they select up to four tournaments from roughly 20 weekend events across the Midwest. While teams can choose to compete in fewer than four tournaments, most opt for the full four. The draft unfolds in multiple rounds, with each team receiving one tournament pick per round. Selection order is determined by team seniority, and once the draft concludes, any remaining tournament spots are made available to new teams. Although new teams can register for a tournament at any point during the regular season, open slots are highly limited.
Each tournament features a round-robin format on Saturday followed by a single-elimination playoff on Sunday. Teams play two round-robin games, with playoff seeding based on their round-robin performance. Multiple skill divisions are offered at every event to accommodate a wide range of players.
Over the course of a team's four-tournament schedule, they earn points for each game: 3 points for a win, 2 for an overtime loss, and 1 for a regulation loss. At the end of the regular season, teams are ranked by total points, and the top 10 are invited to a championship weekend.
The MIHA regular season is highly flexible, with no set number of games or fixed opponents. Teams simply compete in tournaments and accumulate points, which means they could face new opponents at any time.
MIHA’s structure is second to none, offering flexibility for teams to play in a single tournament or commit to the full season, while delivering a complete and rewarding experience for both.
Regular Season Tournament Schedule Format
The structure of each tournament is largely determined by registration numbers, so the available skill divisions may vary from event to event. Typically, round-robin games are held on Saturday, followed by single-elimination playoffs on Sunday. When possible, round-robin matchups are based on results, with divisions split into multiple pools. In tournaments that use split brackets for elimination, divisions will feature both 'A' and 'B' championships, providing competitive playoff opportunities for each level. For a detailed breakdown of schedule and bracket structure click here
Championships
After the regular season concludes, a championship tournament is held. In this tournament, teams ranked 1st through 3rd compete in a round-robin format to determine the top three seeds in the 'A' elimination bracket. Teams ranked 8th through 10th will also compete in a round-robin, with the top team earning the second seed in the 'B' elimination bracket, and the others filling the bottom seeds. Teams ranked 4th through 7th are grouped together for a round-robin as well. The top three from this pool will receive the remaining seeds in the 'A' bracket, while the last team will secure the top seed in the 'B' bracket. If fewer than ten teams participate, the tournament format will be adjusted accordingly. For a detailed breakdown of the different championship structures click here
History
MIHA was founded by Mike Staple in 2010, at a time when there were few opportunities for adults to regularly participate in competitive inline hockey. Mike's goal was to create an organized, affordable league with minimal travel demands. The inaugural MIHA season featured four events—three in Michigan and one in Indiana—with nine teams. Over the next decade, Mike refined the league’s format, prioritizing player experience by keeping game times convenient, discouraging ringers, and encouraging intermediate-level players to join.
In 2020, Mike stepped down, and Karl Richardson, who had attended the very first tournament, played in the first ten seasons, and helped in the league's early development, took over as league director. By 2024, the league transitioned from a sole proprietorship to an ownership team, which includes Karl Richardson, Dean Hindley, Paul Cagle Jr., and Grove City Hockey LLC (Jake Drozynski, Sean Takakjy, Mathew Flannery, Mark Modzelewski, and Collin Corbett).
Today, MIHA has expanded to host 20 events across Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and New York, and is home to approximately 65 teams.
