Yes, momentum is always conserved. I don't know how acceleration is useful though, other than proving that the force of friction on each person is different.
They have different times to come to a stop, as haruspex helped me realize. I just don't know the relationship between both times...
Homework Statement
Two ice skaters have masses m1 and m2 and are initially stationary. Their skates are identical. They push against one another, as in Figure 7.11, and move in opposite directions with different speeds. While they are pushing against each other, any kinetic frictional forces...