Faster teams should have an advantage over the stronger, more physical clubs. Illinois, Delaware and Arizona possess the quickest forwards in the league, making these three teams the most likely benefactors of the surface change.

"We've played quite a few games on the big sheet," Iowa State coach Al Murdoch said. "Dump and chase teams, it won't help them, but at the same time they'll adjust to it."

The buzz among ACHA coaches is that Arizona will gain the biggest edge. But Icecats coach Leo Golembiewski wouldn't jump to that conclusion.

"I think that's certainly hype," Golembiewski said. "It turns the pressure on our program. The big surface is one we're unfamiliar with and Delaware is the only team that benefits."

Teams that will probably be stung most by the wide rink are No. 4 Ohio and No. 9 Eastern Michigan. The Eagles would rather knock their foes to the ice than skate around them, and the Bobcats' offensive style relies on digging the puck out of the corner.

Which leaves us with five teams that fall under neither category. Some are more similar to the up-tempo game, while others are more physical. But what all these teams do share is a balance of both.

Penn State fits this mold. The No. 2 Icers are stronger than they are faster, but still possess the capability to burn teams down the ice. Top-ranked Iowa State, the hottest team heading into the tournament, and No. 3 Michigan-Dearborn also mirror Penn State.

Instead of the NHL brawl-along-the-boards style, fans will be treated with the wide-open European game. Dump-and-chase will diminish while carrying the puck across the blue line will become the norm.

Teams must adjust. Those who are the first to adapt should prevail.

"It'll hurt everybody early in the week," Michigan-Dearborn coach Joe Aho said. "It's a matter of who adjusts to their system."

With an extra seven-and-a-half feet on either side of the ice there is more space to create plays, but more space to blow coverage.

"We found out quickly at the Olympics that you can get lost out there when there is more space to work with," Dallas Stars' center Mike Madano told The Sporting News.

From a strategic standpoint, teams must avoid over-pursuit, garner an early lead and stay out of the penalty box. With more territory to defend, penalty-killing units will drain faster.

But the dimension change will only affect the flow of games, not determine them.

It will come down to the most fundamental skill: putting the puck in the net. Execution will determine the 1999 ACHA champion, not a big sheet of ice.