Here's how the following 6 Independents have changed their schedules over
the past few years.  The comparison is between 1986-87 and 1990-91 since I
don't have most of the 1991-92 schedules.  Great West Hockey Conference teams
in 1986-87 are considered Independents for this study since their conference
didn't get an automatic bid to the NCAAs and they played an Independent-type
schedule.  Only Alaska-Fairbanks had not altered its schedule makeup
significantly; UAF played 5 fewer conference teams and the same number of
non-DivI games in 1990-91 despite playing three fewer games overall.
 
Don't forget that Merrimack and St Cloud were also Independents in 1986-87
(1987-88 for St Cloud, DivIII before that) and are now in conferences, so
they have also improved their schedules.
 
Air Force
          GP Conf Ind DivI NonI
1986-87   29   7    8  15   14
1990-91   32  16    8  24    8
 
Alabama-Huntsville
          GP Conf Ind DivI NonI
1987-88   29   2   11  13   16   (First DivI year was 1987-88)
1990-91   32   8   18  26    6
 
Alaska-Anchorage
          GP Conf Ind DivI NonI
1986-87   33   8   16  24    9   (GWHC)
1990-91   43  24   14  38    5
 
Alaska-Fairbanks
          GP Conf Ind DivI NonI
1986-87   38  12   16  28   10   (GWHC)
1990-91   35   7   18  25   10
 
Kent State
          GP Conf Ind DivI NonI
1987-88   30   0    9   9   39
1990-91   35  14   12  26    9
 
Notre Dame
          GP Conf Ind DivI NonI
1986-87   29   2    9  11   18
1990-91   33   7   14  21   12