Director of Research Administration ADMG2F7@NAUVM Northern Arizona U. is considered the "Mountain Campus" of the AZ Univ. System which includes UA Wildcats and ASU Sundevils (both have club teams; UA has by far the better record). Flagstaff is located at 7,000 ft. near the base of the San Francisco Peaks. It is 140 miles N of Phoenix and 70 miles SE of the Grand Canyon. As such, I have heard that recruiting was not a problem as the climate is very much like the mountains of Canada (we have had already over 80" snow) but enjoys the nearby warmth and sun of the desert. All sports, hockey/football/basketball/track, were housed in a dome. Basketball and hockey were placed back-to-back in the dome. I was not here at the time, but I understand there were problems with how the cooling system was positioned. Some work had already been done, and the University was facing a major rennovation to correct the problems. In fact, the team played their home games in Phoenix the last year (84-85). I suspect this was a big factor in their decreased record that year as they never really played before a home-town crowd. As I indicated, hockey was well received and drew good crowds when they played in Flagstaff. The rink where the club will now play is a city rink that was just rennovated to enclose all sides (one was previously open) and to extend the length to make it regulation size for hockey. The city has a very strong youth hockey program which we hope to support and interface with through clinics, etc. The ice is good, but there is little room for spectators (maybe 500 max.). Therefore, it will be impossible to build a Div. I program without a new facility in town. We all hope this may occur (our President is a strong supporter of hockey), but we are publicly saying (and actually working toward) that our immediate goal is build a strong club program with the resources to back it up. If we can get the financial resources to do this, then we will begin to be more aggressive in identifying good students that may not be recruited to Div I programs but are not willing to give up organized hockey while pursing academic degrees. If you know such students, I would be happy to provide information about the University. I know that our competition will not be at the same level as the Div I programs, but our enthusiasm (particular the players') is high. I will try to post a roster later as we have student players from across the country. Thanks Mike for the added information and interest! Terry (office:602/523-6788 FAX:602/523-4230) Box 4130, Office of Grant and Contract Services Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ 86011-4130 >>>>