I trudged a block across campus in the rain to buy a copy of the Detroit Free Press. Why? To see what one-liners Ric Schafer ripped off at yesterday's media day. I was not disappointed. The coaches poll was included in the article--keep reading. A few of my comments are at the end. Keith Re-printed from The Detroit Free Press, Oct 15, 1992, page 2F. ======================================================= CCHA is getting bigger -- not necessarily better The Central Collegiate Hockey Association is adding two members and one foster child to its family this season -- and putting more adult supervision on the ice. This is all a tad confusing, so let's start instead with the best incoming line of Wednesdays pre- season press conference at Joe Lou- is Arena. Notre Dame coach Ric Schafer, noting the youthful roster with which his Skating Irish enter the CCHA, said: "On our road trips, I'll hand out $15 each for meal money, and $3 for video games." In addition to welcoming Notre Dame and Kent State, the CCHA has given "associate member" sta- tus to another former hockey inde- pendent, Alaska-Fairbanks. In breaking new tundra, the league will allow the Nanooks to play 11 regular-season games against CCHA schools. Nine are at Fairbanks, and none counts in the league standings. Fairbanks -- 5-29-1 last season after forfeiting 12 victories for using an ineligible player -- will pay the airfare of visiting CCHA teams. In return, it gets higher visibility and an away-only berth in the league playoffs, which expand from eight teams to all 12. CCHA commissioner Bill Bea- gan has received NCAA blessing to experiment with two-referee, two- linesmen officiating crews, rather than use the two-ref, one-linesman NCAA system that debuts else- where this season. ----------------------------------- EARLY RETURNS The preseason poll of CCHA coaches, with first-place votes in parentheses and to- tal points: TEAM POINTS 1. Michigan (8) 98 2. Lake Superior State (3) 92 3. Michigan State 83 4. Miami (Ohio) 69 5. Western Michigan 65 6. Illinois-Chicago 48 7. Ferris State 46 8. Bowling Green 44 9. Ohio State 27 10. Kent State 19 11. Notre Dame 14 ----------------------------------- Most CCHA coaches seem to agree that one linesman is not enough. But they also think four officials will be a crowd. "I don't think we have enough room on the ice for three officials, let alone four," said Jeff Jackson, coach of defending NCAA champion Lake Superior State. In the league's preseason poll of coaches, Michigan is heavily fa- vored to repeat as regular-season champ. U-M received eight first- place votes; second-place pick Lake Superior drew the other three. Notre Dame, 11-19-1 last sea- son, is picked to finish last. By Steve Crowe ======================================================= This is the first I have heard of the 2-2 referee/linesmen system. Sounds pretty ridiculous to me, but we shall see. With all the new rules and new teams and new schedules and new playoff formats, it certainly will be interesting in the CCHA. One day til the season starts!