An article in Friday's Ann Arbor News had some interesting information about the addition of UNO to the CCHA. It noted that UNO needed 9 "yes" votes from the 11 CCHA members to be admitted...and the vote was not unanimous. Assuming everybody voted, the vote was either 10-1 or 9-2. The vote was secret, but the Ann Arbor News says University of Michigan A.D. Tom Goss voted "yes". (Does anybody else see the admission of UNO as the CCHA responding to the continuing rumors about UMich, MichSt, theOSU and NDame leaving for a Big(6)Ten Hockey Conference?) The article goes on to state that UNO will not offer a travel subsidy like the one UAF had to promise to gain admittance to the CCHA. Another selection from the article: "Niagara University made a presentation to CCHA members in April along with Nebraska-Omaha, but (CCHA Comissioner Tom) Anastos says the league has no plans in place for additional expansion. He added, thouth, that the CCHA wouldn't close the door on adding more teams eventually." The CCHA says it will have new playoff and scheduling formats settled on by mid-August, and seems to hint that the most likely option will have 28 games and divisional play. All of the posts here about possible divisional alignments have put UNO and UAF in the same division. I don't think that will ever happen, since the league would probably want to split up the "hardship" road trips between different divisions. I will suggest two or three alignment possibilities: I. Three divisions North: Alaska-Fairbanks, Northern Mich., Lake Superior, Ferris State Central: Michigan State, Western Michigan, Michigan, Bowling Green South: Nebraska-Omaha, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Miami Schedule: 4 games vs teams in your own division; 2 games vs teams in other division (28 games) PRO: Biggest rivalries intact with one more game per year than now CON: divisions don't really make sense; there's no way to make the geography fit *and* keep the Michigan-Michigan State rivalry (the CCHA's showcase for casual fans) intact IIA. Two divisions North: Alaska-Fairbanks, Northern Michigan, Lake Superior, Ferris State, Michigan State, Michigan South: Nebraska-Omaha, Notre Dame, Western Michigan, Bowling Green, Ohio State, Miami Schedule: 3 games vs teams in your own division; 2 games vs teams in other division (27 games) PRO: minimal disruption to current schedule; most rivalries kept intact CON: Western Michigan gets cheated out of competing against its home-state rivals; competitive difference between the two divisions (at least at first). IIB. Two divisions North: Alaska-Fairbanks, Northern Michigan, Lake Superior, Ferris State, Michigan State, Western Michigan South: Nebraska-Omaha, Notre Dame, Michigan, Bowling Green, Ohio State, Miami Schedule: 3 games vs teams in your own division; 2 games vs teams in other division; 1 additional game vs a team in the other division (28 games) PRO: Biggest draws in league (Mich & MichSt) split between divisions CON: Biggest rivals in league (Mich & MichSt) split between divisions the "one additional game" I mention in the schedule above will be used to give Michigan & Michigan State their third (JLA) conference game, will be used to give Western Michigan & Notre Dame a third rivalry game, could be used to force UNO & UAF to play an extra game against each other, and will be used randomly by Ferris, NMU and LSSU to play the three Ohio schools. It's radical, but I think IIB--or something very similar--will be adopted. This is too much fun; don't even get me started on playoff formats :-) Alton HOCKEY-L is for discussion of college ice hockey; send information to [log in to unmask], The College Hockey Information List.