BENSENVILLE, Ill.

Some would call it a second-rate league, a poor man's NCAA.

But for anyone who attended an ACHA game this past season, that person probably reached a far different conclusion: the ACHA may not have the same talent, but it's just as exciting.

I attended the ACHA National Championship Tournament near Chicago last weekend. And while Penn State came up short in the title game, I still didn't go home disappointed.

I witnessed some of the best hockey games I've ever seen.

No. 1-seeded Rhode Island overcame No. 9 Weber State, 3-2, in overtime and was then upset by Illinois in the final period of the next round.

Penn State also defeated Ohio in the last 75 seconds, and virtually every game went down to the wire.

What more could you ask for?

Well, for some fans, that answer was still the NCAA. One conversation I had with a local went something like this:

Local [excited]: Is this game really for the national championship?

Local [disappointed]: Oh ... what's that?

Don't make the same mistake -- that may be club hockey, but it's no second-class association.

NCAA Division I talent is all-around: take Penn State's Joe Maglaque and Michael McMullen, for instance. Both played for Division I Fairfield until the team disbanded. Instead of going to a different NCAA school, they both opted for Penn State of the ACHA.

The Icers' Kevin Jaeger is another example. NCAA schools didn't take a gamble on him because they believed the 5-foot-8 forward was too small -- 130-plus career goals later, I think it's safe to say they were wrong.

But just how good are these guys?

For that answer, go back to January when the ACHA represented Team USA at the World University Games. The ACHA competed against teams with NHL players and squads with Olympic athletes. Still, it managed a respectable 3-3 record.

Not too bad -- club players vs. NHL skaters.

It's hard to compare the ACHA to existing leagues. But think of it this way: the ACHA simply recruits players who fall through the cracks in the NCAA.

For you football fans and quarterback aficionados out there, think Kurt Warner with the Arena Football League or Tommy Maddox with the XFL or even Doug Flutie with the CFL.

What we have with the ACHA is a collection of Warners, Maddoxes and Fluties -- good players in a not-so-recognized league.

Trust me, I wouldn't have taken the trip to Chicago and stayed in a place surrounded by cop cars and "gentleman's clubs" if I thought otherwise -- and even if our "clean" towels were matted with the previous guest's body hair, our luggage was lost, our first flight was cancelled and our second flight was twice delayed.

I'd still do it all over again. And even though I won't have the Icers' beat next season, I'll still make the trip to the national championship tournament.

Of course, next year, I'll just drive to a relative's house.