On Tue, 14 Feb 1995, Ralph Baer wrote:
 
>  I have long suspected that RPI's travel
> budget does not allow for more than one trip out west per year (and
> none in some years), but it certainly would not have been difficult
> for them to have played one game vs Colorado College and one against
> the Air Force instead of two against the Air Force.  I assume that CC
> had no room for an out-of-conference opponent.  Then again, maybe RPI
> did not want to face one of the top teams in the nation.
 
I'd agree with you that it's probably a money issue.  Basically, the student
union pays for the RPI team's uniforms, skates, sticks, and travel.  The
school waves the tuition, room and board, and the RPI fieldhouse gives them
ice time.  (A friend of mine was the student union athletic board
chairperson in 91-92)  Included in the "travel" budget is the cost of
bringing in the RPI invitational teams.  Basically that means that RPI is
paying for 3 extra road trips that it doesn't take.  Granted some, like Union,
are close but, Alaska makes up for it.
That's probably part of the reason that RPI likes to play so many games
against HE and limits it's western trips to one per year.
 
Also, a western trip must take more time.  They are still
student-athletes and I'm sure they try to minimize missed class as much
as possible.
 
David Sullivan
RPI '92