Matt Hills writes:
 
>Maybe I am simply missing the point, but I have to pose this ques-
>tion anyway. Why is Alaska being added to the CCHA? It seems unfair
>to me to ask the athletes in the CCHA to travel for such a long dis-
>tance and time all the way to Alaska to play hockey.
 
The UAF hockey team has been taking long-distance road trips for
many years.  Are the other CCHA schools somehow unable to
handle the same stress?  I doubt it.
 
The "distance" argument is more illusion than substance.  It may
be a long way from Fairbanks to Michigan, for example,  but the
flight is still less than eight hours.  And that time need not be wasted.
The players could use it as study time.
 
Notice that UAA was admitted to the WCHA two years ago.  It's actually
farther from Denver to Anchorage than it is from Fairbanks to Michgan, but
that didn't control the WCHA's decision.
 
James