Much Kudos to PrimeLink (a subsidiary of The Champlain Telephone Company who is the sole sponsor of the event) and their CEO, Trent Trahan for establishing the PrimeLink Great Northern ShootOut in 1998.
The decision by the tournament organizers to utilize the event to bring a school from the "Western" conferences to the east is, IMO an excellent contribution to the sport. That said, after Wisconsin-Stout's dismal performance and IMO not indicative of their actual potential, in this year's Primelink, I cannot imagine the bus ride not being a factor.
The Primelink anchors (Plattsburgh, Norwich & Middlebury) have consistently been among the crème de la crème, as such, one cannot easily pass on the opportunity to participate. Hence, the tournament organizers NEED to work with the western schools should they expect them to participate at the top of their game and offer the Primelink stakeholders - the tournament, its participants, players, fans, etc what they deserve in the much hyped event.
The solution? I'm not sure, if flights are too expensive, then maybe at least an extra travel day, maybe something else. But PrimeLink should be able to earn another “Most Innovative” ONYX Marketing Award and come up with something.