Duane Keahl wrote:
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"The schedules of the CCHA and WCHA make absolutely no sense to me - why play
95% of your total schedule against league opponents.  Worse than that, many
league teams may face each other in holiday tournament play (witness next
year's GLI with MSU, UM, LSSU and Michigan Tech).  If conferences were to
relax the number of league games played (such as John Haeussler's proposal of
26 or 27 game schedules), this would allow more opportunity for intra league
matchups.  These intra league matchups could be just the drawing card that
college hockey needs to attract a broader audience - a matchup amongst
Minnesota, Wisconsin, Boston U, Maine, Michigan, MSU etc. "
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I think virtually everyone would like to see more interleague play.  However,
you have to bear in mind there is a signficant fact of life difference between
the East and the West - travel distances.  The longer you travel, the more
difficult it is and the more costly.
 
The WCHA has adopted a basic double home and home format.  You travel there
for 2 games and they travel to you for 2 games (most of the time).  Cuts down
on travel time, and it would prove difficult in the West, in most cases, to go
to one location for Friday and another for Saturday.  Its not just a bus ride
down the road, folks.  Logistically, it makes sense.  However, it makes the
conference "parochial".  Who knew, e.g., that Vermont was *really* that good
until they got to the tournament?  I seem to recall a lot of people picking
them for an early exit.
 
Bottom line:  I would love to see games played all over the country between
the leagues, but its just not going to happen because of a combination of
money and logistics.  OTOH, if you limited league games in all leagues to,
say, 24 games, arranged any way the league wants it, then you would free up
some games for, lets say, WCHA/CCHA and ECAC/HE interleague playing that
wouldn't significantly change the logistics of things.  Just a thought.
 
Tom Rowe                                 Internet:  [log in to unmask]
 
Department of Psychology                 ***********************************
U. of Wisconsin - Stevens Point          Home of Division III National
     Go Point!                           Champions '89, '90, '91, & '93
 
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