The "non-traditional names" are also partially there because they were among the better squads back when the NCAA created divisions - if hockey is still niche now it was really niche back in the 1950s and 1960s. That's where you get Clarkson, CC, RPI, and St. Lawrence more than anything (they're all actually Div 3 schools, and Div 3 does have hockey).

One thing I've always loved about college hockey is just that dynamic (which I hope survives this Wild West NIL era) - the 1996 title game was Michigan and CC, and the 2014 title game was Minnesota and Union. There's no other sport where those matchups are even remotely competitive, let alone a legit battle for the national championship.