Brad Cuyler wrote:
>Let's compare the strength of scheduling between the WCHA and the CCHA.
>Everybody knows that the CCHA was extremely top heavy this year.  Two extreme-
>ly good teams and two fairly good teams.  Then we have Kent State, Ohio State
>and UIC.  I'm sure Western Michigan's success can be attributed to playing
>weak CCHA schools.
 
I won't deny the fact that the CCHA was "extremely top-heavy" this year.  But
it wasn't two extremely good teams and two fairly good teams.  Try one excellent
team and five pretty good ones.  Remember that the race for second through
sixth in this conference was only decided in the last week of the season.
While Lake Superior is probably playing some of the best hockey in the nation
right now, where were they in January and February?  Bowling Green may have
faded a bit at the end, but they were contending with Michigan before the end
of 1993.  Lake Superior's most recent success can be attributed to playing the
"weak" CCHA schools (excluding their semifinal win over MSU).  And who were
most of the CCHA coaches scared to play in the playoffs?  Michigan?  Lake St.?
No, Ferris.
 
While Kent can be considered a "weak" team right now (and in the next few years
that will change, I'm sure), UIC gave MSU all they could handle in their play-
off series.  And even though OSU failed to show up in the playoffs at the Soo,
how many teams did the Buckeyes scare the sh*t out of this season, at one time
or another?  And what about Notre Dame?  The Irish beat Lake St. in the Soo,
tied MSU twice, and took UM down to the wire at the Palace.  Pretty good for
"weak" schools, wouldn't you say?
 
Michigan's runaway with the title this year hid the fact that the CCHA is a very
competitive conference.  While the Kents, OSUs, UICs, and NDs of the conference
may not be contenders right now, they will definitely give you a game.  UM had
more than a few nailbiters on some Friday and Saturday nights this season.  And,
in fact, two of the "pretty good" schools won the series from Michigan, MSU and
Miami.  But Michigan won the title not only because it beat up on the "weak"
sisters of the CCHA, but it also swept the season series from both Western and
Lake St., and then beat both of them again to win the playoff crown.
 
Just as there are six or seven contending teams in the WCHA, so there are six
or seven contending teams in the CCHA.  It's not just four "good" teams.
 
(I'm not going to debate the CC issue, because, in my view, they probably de-
served to be in.  But, if they are in, who gets left out?  Just as MSU wondered
last year, so CC will wonder this year.)
 
G. M. Finniss
Michigan State University
WVU '87, UTenn '92, MSU who the hell knows when?
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