I played in the ACHA in the early 90s for a Philly Big 5 school and it was basically a beer league for local college kids that were in shape and who's parents gave them an allowance (hell, some of our players were not "officially" enrolled in school when they played). Turn the calendar forward 2 decades and the ACHA has bred some really competitive hockey. Teams quasi recruit players from all over North America (the kids who can't or don't want to make the jump to JR or NCAA D1/3), they play upwards of 30 game seasons and travel all over the country to expand competition. There is a yearly national championship tournament, with several of the local Delaware Valley teams consistenlty nationally ranked. Some of the Philly area players have been included on the travel team that travels yearly to Europe to play some of the professional teams. It's a far cry from my slap shot days of playing in the DVCHL, freezing at outdoor rinks like Bryn Athen, and long bus trips to farm country in PA and NY. It may not be professional caliber hockey, but it's free, frequent and usually attended by hot co-eds (and if you choose the right game there might even be a keg in the stands).