From THE ANN ARBOR NEWS [7 May 1994]
CCHA DECISION ON ADMITTING ALASKA-FAIRBANKS LOOMS
League coaches give their support, but some athletic
directors are cool to the idea.
By Dan Gretzner II
 
  The University of Alaska-Fairbanks hockey team will find
out Thursday if it will receive full membership in the Central
Collegiate Hockey Association.
  The league's coaches voted 9-0-1 during their national
convention last week in favor of accepting UAF as a full
member for the 1995-96 season.  But the coaches' vote is
only a recommendation to the CCHA Council, which votes
Thursday at the league's Ann Arbor office.
  And the council vote might not be as favorable.  The council
is comprised of one athletic director and one faculty
representative from each of the league's 10 schools.  Each
school has one vote.  UAF needs eight of the 10 votes to
join the league.
  Michigan AD Joe Roberson said he will cast U-M's vote.
He is leaning against admitting UAF as a full member.
  "We have a very comfortable league in terms of the
proximity of where everybody is," Roberson said.  "It's
going to be very hard for me to be persuaded."
  The CCHA is a Midwest-based league.  Members include
Bowling Green, Ferris State, Illinois-Chicago, Lake Superior,
Miami (Ohio), Michigan, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Ohio
State and Western Michigan.
  UAF currently is a CCHA affiliate member.  The Nanooks
compete in the league playoffs, but not the regular season.
  The Fairbanks school is interested in the CCHA mainly for
scheduling purposes.  Because of the school's distant
location and independent status, it is forced to schedule
many Division II teams.
  CCHA interest in UAF might have increased for two reasons.
First, CCHA member Kent dropped its hockey program at the
end of last season.  Second, coaches created a new travel
plan that would reduce the number of road trips to Fairbanks.
  According to the plan, UAF would host five CCHA teams for
three-game series during the season.  The Nanooks would
travel to the Midwest to play the other five CCHA teams for
two-game series.
  Under the plan, UAF would pay lodging and visiting teams'
airfare to Alaska.  Last year, UAF paid about $15,000 to fly
Michigan's hockey team in for a two-game series.
  "It's still cheaper to go up there than to Ohio State because
we're paying all the expenses to Columbus," MSU coach
Ron Mason said.  "The only thing we're paying for is meals
if it works out that way."
  U-M coach Red Berenson was unavailable for comment,
but assistant coach Mel Pearson said he thought Berenson
also supported UAF joining as a full member.
  U-M opens its 1994-95 season Oct. 14-15 at UAF for the
second straight year.
 
[end quoted material]
 
 
And, some unrelated comments...
 
[RE: SHOOTOUTS]
Steve Moerland writes...
> As for half the arena leaving in a bad mood because of a shootout.
>...
>I say that half of the arena going home happy would be quite an
>improvement.
 
I guess we hang out in different circles.  The hockey fans that I
know [myself included] don't mind ties.  I hope I'm never in an
arena where more than half of the crowd leaves in an unhappy
mood due to a tie.
 
[RE: THN PLAYER-OF-THE-YEAR]
Carol Singer writes...
>THN has announced the finalists for its NCAA top player award:
>1) Chris Marinucci, UMD - has scored the most points of any other
>Division I player over the last 2 seasons (27 goals, 53 points in 32 games)
>2) Sean McCann, Harvard - set a record for goals by a defenseman (17)
>3) David Oliver, Michigan - scored 27 goals, 67 oints in 38 games
 
As mentioned previously on Hockey-L, be it fortunate [for UM
fans] or unfortunate, THE ANN ARBOR NEWS has blown
the whistle that David Oliver is the winner.
 
And, add THN to the "inaccurate statistics" list.
[Oliver was 28-40--68 in 41 games.]
 
Another :-( from this anal-retentive numbers buff.
 
 
  John H
  U Mich