If the term "club hockey" generates images of college players playing late-night hockey in mismatched uniforms under loosely applied rules, the American Collegiate Hockey Association has no use for you or your misguided vision.

"Club is a four-letter word in our vocabulary," says Al Murdoch, the long-time coach at Iowa State University, a top program in the ACHA.

Navy coach Michael Fox had those misleading images of club hockey in his head before becoming involved with the Midshipmen program eight years ago as an assistant coach. Today, he is in his second season as the head coach.

"To be honest that's how I looked at it," Fox said. "But when I became involved, I saw how serious it was and I saw some of these teams come through here and how serious they were, teams like URI and the University of Delaware. I thought this is pretty serious stuff."

Those involved with the ACHA call their sport many different things -- non-scholarship or non-varsity, to name two -- but never club hockey. No matter the naming semantics, there is no denying the ACHA produces quality hockey played by young men and women who love the sport.

The main difference at the Division I level between ACHA hockey and the more visible NCAA hockey is scholarships. The NCAA offers them. The ACHA does not.

In fact, ACHA programs are not funded through the school's athletic budgets, but rather are subsidized by funds from student services and player fees that average close to $2,000 per player per season.

Those with an understanding of the U.S. college hockey scene consider the top ACHA clubs -- those playing at the Division I level -- to be the equal of NCAA Division III schools.

"Your top teams in (ACHA) Division I would be very competitive against NCAA Division III teams," says Derek Schaub, the coach at Lindenwood University, a Division I school on the outskirts of St. Louis. "Can we go up and down the ice with Division III powers like Oswego and St. Norbert? Yeah, we can go up and down the ice with them. But could we win on a consistent basis? I don't know."

"I watched a club hockey game 10 years ago and I wasn't that impressed," continued Schaub, who played professional roller hockey before getting into coaching. "Now it's completely different. This is a good opportunity. It's one of those things where competition makes everyone rise. Everybody wants to keep up. Every time somebody takes a step forward, everybody is going to try to take a step forward."

Don't believe Schaub, who clearly has a horse in this race? Well, ask Austin Miller, a defenseman at the University of Oklahoma, a top-ranked Division I ACHA program. Miller, a junior from Dallas, played NCAA Division I hockey at Providence College before a coaching change there pushed him to transfer.

"I knew a few people that had gone this route and I talked to them and asked questions about it," said Miller, who has 24 points in 16 games for the 14-2-0 Sooners. "Then I watched a game and saw that the talent level (gap) wasn't as big as I thought.

"I just expected it not to be very organized; club hockey and club sports are just played as a joke. But when you get to the teams that are trying to make it work and have good stuff, it is just like any junior team or a good Division III team."

And as a result of that talent level, hockey players are flocking to the realm of "club" hockey. The top Division I ACHA programs now are recruiting almost exclusively from Junior A leagues in the United States and Canada. Among that group of converts to the ACHA is at least one ex-NHL player.

Rick Zombo, who played 652 NHL games on defense with Detroit, St. Louis and Boston, is an assistant coach at Lindenwood this season, helping for little more than a stipend to cover his commuting expenses.

Zombo, who used hard work and determination to forge his 13-year pro career, was convinced to become involved with Lindenwood after he took in a practice.

"I have always been immersed in being the best you can be," said Zombo, who runs the Hockey Academy of St. Louis, an off-ice training center for hockey players. "I saw these kids were into that as well and that made me want to help. The hockey at the club Division I level is tremendous. Just because it doesn't get the publicity, it is overlooked. But it shouldn't be."

While the ACHA may be missing out on mainstream attention, those in the hockey know, like Zombo, are embracing the ACHA with open arms.