Just a quick observation about the length of the intermissions and why three
periods not halves.  Ice resurfacing. Remember that unlike other sports (ie
football, soccer or lax) the breaks are needed to maintain the "field" of play.
Resurfacing a rink requires a finite amout of time then the rink needs at least
 a few minutes to freeze.  Intermissions shorter than 12 minutes are probably
not possible.  As for the idea of halves, remeber how choppy the ice can be
late in a period, and then imagine adding another 10 minutes of deterioration.
At the college level, 30 minutes of skating would be a hazzard to the players,
as a rut in the ice could easily lead to twisted knees and ankles.  Just my
thoughts,
 William Sangrey
 Cornell '87&'93?
 Let's Go RED!!!!