With Kent and Notre Dame entering the CCHA in 1992-93, there will be
only 5 DivI Independents remaining: Air Force, Alabama-Huntsville,
Alaska-Anchorage, Alaska-Fairbanks, and Army.  Since 1989, four Independents
will have entered conferences including Merrimack and St Cloud.  There
will clearly be heavy impetus to remove the automatic Independent bid to
the DivI tourney with only 5 teams remaining.
 
Again we're faced with the question of what the Independents will do.  Army
and Air Force do not appear to be anywhere near ready nor interested in
joining a conference.  Alabama-Huntsville would likely be interested, but
I don't believe they're ready quite yet, and their location makes it
difficult for any conference to assume a relationship with them.  Likewise
for the Alaska teams, but especially with Anchorage's performance in the
1991 tourney, a way needs to be found for these teams to qualify for the
tourney if they prove they do belong there.  I believe the Alaskas are ready
to join a conference, but they're too far away.
 
This is a situation we'll have to keep an eye on.  In addition to the likely
diminished support for an automatic bid, the decreased schedule will make
it more difficult for teams like the Alaskas to play enough quality teams
and earn their way into the tourney.  This is a problem that I believe
concerns all of college hockey, and I hope we'll see some teamwork such
as teams across conferences agreeing to schedule the Independents rather
than Canadian and DivIII teams.
 
The answer to this won't be easy and I must admit I can't offer one either.
I would like to see decreased league schedules so that teams can play more
nonleague games against Independents and other conferences.  But clearly
this won't happen because money talks, and conference games generate more
interest and ticket revenue.  Maybe we will see the formation of an
Independent "conference", a la the late Great West Hockey Conference which
included the Alaskas, US International, and Northern Arizona.  It may be
the only way the Independents can band together and fight for their right
to an equal opportunity to receive a bid into the tourney.
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Mike Machnik        [log in to unmask]       [log in to unmask]