Playing is the easy part.

The Miami University hockey team is in Fairbanks, Alaska, for a weekend series with Alaska that starts tonight. It’s a trip that covers five days, five plane rides and thousands of miles … all to play a pair of Central Collegiate Hockey Association games.

“It’s definitely quite a journey to get across the country plus some,” said MU senior forward Curtis McKenzie, who’s used to long trips — he hails from British Columbia, Canada. “But it’s a neat experience when you’re in Alaska. It’s pretty cool to be way up north.”

Surprisingly, the RedHawks have found plenty of success at the Carlson Center in recent years. They haven’t lost on the Nanooks’ home ice since Feb. 2, 2007, going 5-0-2 since that defeat.

This trip started Wednesday morning when MU boarded a bus at 9 and headed to the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport. Nearly 18 hours later, it was arrival time in Fairbanks.

In between was a flight to Atlanta, then a flight to Seattle, then a flight to Fairbanks. On the way back, there’s a flight to Seattle and then to Cincinnati. The team is expected back in Oxford at 9 p.m. on Sunday.

“We get there in plenty of time to get acclimated,” said Miami coach Enrico Blasi, who admitted he can’t remember the number of times he’s made the trip to Alaska. “It’s really not that bad going up. It’s tough coming back because you fly all night and you feel like you miss a night of sleep.”

McKenzie had never been to Alaska before coming to Miami. Now he’s on his third trip to The Last Frontier.

How do players pass the time? In a variety of ways.

“Guys usually try to nap a bit, watch the movies, do little games at the airport,” McKenzie said. “We’ll try to put dental floss on a $1 bill and leave it in the middle of the floor, and when people go to grab it, we’ll pull the dollar bill away from them. Little pranks like that on innocent people in the airport.

“Any innocent bystanders will do, but guys on the team, it would be even better if we could get them with the dollar bill.”

Fans might think Blasi would spend travel time reviewing game plans. That’s not the case.

“I never look at game plans on the plane,” he said. “It’s a chance for me to talk to some of the guys and see how they’re doing. You read books. You watch movies. Some guys catch up on homework.”

The veteran coach said it’s a bonding experience for the team because MU fans/relatives rarely make this kind of trip.

Fairbanks has short days at this time of year, meaning lots of darkness. And yes, it is a bit nippy. The warmest temperature in the forecast today and Saturday is 20 below zero.

“A lot of indoor time,” said McKenzie, noting that the team got to check out the Trans-Alaska Pipeline during last year’s trip. “But guys will do things like go outside in their boxers and get a picture like that because it’s so cold there. Fairbanks is pretty much a tundra. I hear Anchorage is a lot more beautiful, but it’s a lot of snow and flatlands over in Fairbanks.”

On the ice, Alaska is typically pretty strong and draws enthusiastic crowds at its 4,595-seat arena. The Nanooks are 6-5-3 overall and 4-4-2 in the CCHA, while fourth-ranked Miami is 7-2-3, 4-2-2.

“I have friends that are from up that way, and they said Alaska hockey is the big thing to do there,” McKenzie said. “They get most of the town to come, so it’s a fun place to play.”

Added Blasi, “It’s a great environment. Fans are very informed of the league, and they’re very supportive of their own team.”

The Nanooks have wins over North Dakota and Western Michigan. Andy Taranto, Tyler Morley, Jarret Granberg and Trevor Campbell share the team lead in points with nine.

The RedHawks have the CCHA’s point leader in freshman Riley Barber (five goals, 10 assists). Blasi said goaltender Ryan McKay might see his first action this weekend since suffering a leg injury Oct. 26.

This is Miami’s last trip to Alaska for CCHA play. MU will join the National Collegiate Hockey Conference next year, and the Nanooks will join the Western Collegiate Hockey Association.

Yet Blasi won’t dismiss the idea of playing in Alaska down the road.

“They run an early tournament we might be interested in,” Blasi said. “The big advantage about playing there is the games are exempt, so when you go up there, you get two more games. So we’ll see.”