Switzerland women's ice hockey league
| Formerly |
Leistungsklasse A 1986–2014 Swiss Women’s Hockey League A 2014–present |
|---|---|
| Sport | Ice hockey |
| Founded | 1986 |
| Founder | Schweizerischer Eishockeyverband |
| Inaugural season | 1986–87 |
| No. of teams | 6 |
| Country |
 Switzerland
|
| Most recent champion(s) |
ZSC Lions Frauen (8th title) |
| Most titles | ZSC Lions Frauen (8 titles) |
| Related competitions |
National League Swiss League MySports League Swiss 1. liga Regio League |
| Official website | Official website |
The Switzerland women's ice hockey league (German: Leistunsklasse A (LKA), French: Ligue nationale A (LNA), Italian: Lega Nazionale A), or Swiss Women’s Hockey League A (SWHL A), is an amateur women's ice hockey league in Switzerland. It is the top tier in the Swiss women's hockey league system and is organized by the Regio League, an organ of the Schweizerischer Eishockeyverband in charge of organizing amateur hockey in Switzerland.
With the creation of several women's ice hockey clubs in the early 1980s, the Schweizerischer Eishockeyverband incorporates this aspect of hockey in its organization in 1984. During the 1985–86 season, an unofficial championship is played. The following season, the first official championship, called Leistunsklasse A, is played, won by EHC Kloten's women's team, the Kloten Specials.
With the growing interest, a second tier is established from the 1988–89 season. Two years later, foreign players are allowed to play. Several big names in women's hockey then come play in Switzerland such as Andria Hunter, Riikka Nieminen and France St. Louis to name a few. The arrival of imports coincides with the domination of SC Lyss who won four titles in five years. The women's section had become an independent club, the DHC Lyss, when they won their fourth titles in 1997. In 1995, a third division was introduced.
From the 2001–02 edition onward, a final four tournament is held to determine a champion. The then reigning champion SC Reinach retains its crown before winning a third in a row the following season with only a 9 players squad. Since the 2005–06 season, playoffs have been introduced. The HC Lugano Ladies Team proved to be the best with this format, winning four titles in five years.
Starting from the 2010–11 season, the six participating teams play against each other four times in two home-and-away rounds. At the end of the first round, the each team's total of points is cut by half. Once the second round is completed, the top four ranking teams qualify for the play-offs which are in a best-of-five format, excepted the third place game played on a one-off match. The finals winner is declared Swiss champion. Meanwhile, the teams finishing fifth and sixth dispute a best-of-five playdown. The loser faces then the second tier champions in a best-of-three games series, the winner getting to play the following season in the top tier.
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Wikipedia