The UAF proposal has some merit, but some other things have
 to be addressed as well, namely the NC$$'s continued shafting
 of the two Alaska schools. To keep allowing visiting schools to
 play in AK and not have the games count in their schedules is
absolutely ridiculous, and the entire college hockey community
 should be outraged that this practice continues.
 
RE Mancini's plan for a "Unified U.P:" It'd never fly. Lake State
 has been a mainstay in the CCHA ever since Ron Mason brought
 the team out of the NAIA. There is too much tradition keeping
the Lakers with the "C." (Although I'm sure some Bucky Backers
 would like to get their hands on LSSU, and vice-versa).
 
On UAF in general: Ever since joining the CCHA as affiliate
members, the 'Nooks have had problems dealing with the smaller
schools in the conference. Ferris State almost lost hockey
altogether a few years ago, and if FSU was forced to go to
Alaska to play, the outcry in Big Rapids would be tremendous,
 no matter who footed the bill.
 
[The CCHA is weird...aside from the big-money schools (UM,
 MSU), you have these Div.I buffer schools (BG, WMU, Kent,
Miami), then the smaller schools in which hockey may be the
 only strong Div. I sport (FSU, LSSU, UIC) and then two big-
name schools in which hockey is an afterthought (NDame,
OSU). With this difference in funds, it'd seem hard to get a
strong consensus from the AD's.]
 
A friend of mine is the SID at UAF, going there from Michigan.
 Apparently UAF is notoriously tight-fisted: The school wants
 to be respected as a Div. I program, but is unwilling to make
 serious investments in the team.
 
In any case, the proposal seems sound, especially the idea of
 fewer league games. I think the CCHA should drop some
contests as well.
 
longing for the days of the HE-WCHA affiliation,
 
GS