>                              did this game fall through, perhaps because
>     of the 34-game limit?  Keith Instone has told me that teams will be
>     allowed to exceed 34 games if the extra games were contracted prior
>     to November; I'd guess that your deal with Wisconsin may have come
>     after then.
 
I don't know about the ND-Wisconsin deal, but I can shed some light on
exceptions to the 34-game limit.
 
The WCHA office and schools (and possibly others as well, I am not
sure) asked the NCAA for a clarification on this. WCHA schools do not
sign contracts for league games, and most don't sign contracts for
non-league games either. Also, no one told the schools or the league
about the November deadline prior to the deadline.
 
The WCHA asked that letters of agreement about league and non-league
games be considered contracts. So far, the NCAA office has said no, but
the league will be asking the Presidents Commission to overrule.  Also,
contracts have to be approved by the NCAA (why? don't ask me), letters
and handshakes don't.
 
Just one more case of college hockey getting a bad deal because they
don't do things the same as football and basketball (the only sports
the NCAA really cares about) and not being organized to make their case
*before* the fact...
 
	--david