I will absolutely disagree with Lee (gosh, Lee, that's never happened
before) about the WCHA's schedule being less unbalanced than that of the
CCHA.  It didn't seem to make much difference this year, but that's the
first time in three seasons.
 
Obviously, there was the case of Colorado College not making the NCAAs in
'94 because of a weak schedule that missed a series against Minnesota, but
also Minnesota's schedule in '94-'95.  Granted, it didn't affect the NCAAs,
but missing series against the bottom two teams in the league was probably
a factor in the Gophers finishing fourth, one point out of a second place
tie.  This further complicated the playoff picture since it forced
Minnesota into the 4th-5th place game that was played on a rink that looked
like the one on Thursday in Cincinnati.
 
No, I think that first and foremost, it is most important that each team
play the same teams the same number of times.  Matching the same number of
home/away games with each opponent is nice, but not nearly as crucial.
 
Of course, this leads me to very much agree with Lee that the hybrid
conference idea is a lousy one.  Just break it up three ways if that's what
it takes.
 
J. Michael Jackson
 
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