Arnold Slick says: that the ACHA is much rougher than NC$$ Div. I. This may very well be true. I have noticed that as speed and skills drop it is easier to check. I think that there is more checking in Div. 1 than the NHL. Another factor in the NHL unrelated to skill in that if you check certain players you must be willing to fight. (Note to NHL fans: do not confuse interference, fighting and stick work with checking) Back to the original point, fast shifty players who move constantly and skate to open ice are difficult to check. Of course players who like to check and who are fast and shifty can dish out checks but moving targets that prefer to stay away from the boards are difficult. Steven Rockey Mathematics Librarian 115 White Hall Cornell University