With Kent and Notre Dame entering the CCHA in 1992-93, there will be only 5 DivI Independents remaining: Air Force, Alabama-Huntsville, Alaska-Anchorage, Alaska-Fairbanks, and Army. Since 1989, four Independents will have entered conferences including Merrimack and St Cloud. There will clearly be heavy impetus to remove the automatic Independent bid to the DivI tourney with only 5 teams remaining. Again we're faced with the question of what the Independents will do. Army and Air Force do not appear to be anywhere near ready nor interested in joining a conference. Alabama-Huntsville would likely be interested, but I don't believe they're ready quite yet, and their location makes it difficult for any conference to assume a relationship with them. Likewise for the Alaska teams, but especially with Anchorage's performance in the 1991 tourney, a way needs to be found for these teams to qualify for the tourney if they prove they do belong there. I believe the Alaskas are ready to join a conference, but they're too far away. This is a situation we'll have to keep an eye on. In addition to the likely diminished support for an automatic bid, the decreased schedule will make it more difficult for teams like the Alaskas to play enough quality teams and earn their way into the tourney. This is a problem that I believe concerns all of college hockey, and I hope we'll see some teamwork such as teams across conferences agreeing to schedule the Independents rather than Canadian and DivIII teams. The answer to this won't be easy and I must admit I can't offer one either. I would like to see decreased league schedules so that teams can play more nonleague games against Independents and other conferences. But clearly this won't happen because money talks, and conference games generate more interest and ticket revenue. Maybe we will see the formation of an Independent "conference", a la the late Great West Hockey Conference which included the Alaskas, US International, and Northern Arizona. It may be the only way the Independents can band together and fight for their right to an equal opportunity to receive a bid into the tourney. --- Mike Machnik [log in to unmask] [log in to unmask]