Folks,

A book I would recommend is called, I believe, "A Civil War", by John
Feinstien (the fellow who has written about Bobby Knight and the PGA tour).
The book is a diary of one season of West Point and Annapolis football
culminating in the Army-Navy game. The book discusses life at the academies
and the motivation of the athletes who attend. One thing I remember is that
many cadet and midshipman were turned down by the likes of Notre Dame, BC,
and other school on the academies' schedule. The players burned to show
these other schools that they are good enough to play D1. I don't know if
the same dynamic holds for hockey, but I wouldn't be surprised.

Ken