In a move that could have significant positive impact on Massachusetts-Lowell’s hockey program, the university will appoint Martin T. Meehan chancellor for the Lowell campus, according to a report in the Boston Globe. Meehan, a U.S. Congressman representing the Lowell area since 1992, has, according to Lowell head coach Blaise MacDonald, been a “strong supporter” … Read more
Massachusetts-Lowell’s Hockey East membership may be at stake as the University of Massachusetts Board of Trustees considers the program’s future. Jim Connelly says all the River Hawks need is a little help from their friends.
Concerns over competitive balance, funding, Title IX requirements for gender equity, and an apparent turf war in the University of Massachusetts Board of Trustees are combining to put Massachusetts-Lowell’s membership in Hockey East — and perhaps the very future of its men’s hockey program — in question. According to an article in the Lowell Sun … Read more
Billerica, Mass., is a typical town in many ways — but not in its unique connection to Massachusetts-Lowell hockey. Jim Lothrop spotlights the River Hawks’ ties to the nearby burg.
Expectations had soared for last year’s veteran-laden Massachusetts-Lowell squad until the late offseason departure to the pros of 26-goal scorer Ben Walter. The River Hawks then got off to a poor start, lost go-to guy Andrew Martin to injury, and saw several key players suffer off-years. Although a closing 4-1 surge vaulted them into seventh … Read more
As the season beckoned and the sports highlights showed Ben Walter scoring goals in Bruins training camp, River Hawk fans had to feel both a sense of pride that one of their guys was making an impact at the next level and also a sense of disappointment at what might have been. With the 26-goal … Read more
Mass.-Lowell’s Ben Walter signed a three-year deal with the Boston Bruins. Walter, a fifth-round Bruins selection in the 2004 NHL draft, will forego his final year of eligibility at UML and report to training camp next month. “I’m really excited to become a part of the Bruins organization,” Walter said. “I’ve had three great years … Read more
In Lowell coach Blaise MacDonald’s three years at the helm, the River Hawks might well have been called the Woulda-Coulda-Shouldas. In year one, they’d have earned an NCAA tournament berth had not three top players missed the entire stretch run competing for the French Olympic team. In year two, they posted a 10-2-4 record in … Read more
Day 2 of the draft saw some more interesting names come through the draft board. Following up the selection of Chris Bourque from Day 1, two more sons of ex-NHLers were selected on Day 2. One was Providence-bound Trevor Ludwig, son of long-time NHL defenseman Craig Ludwig, by the Dallas Stars. The other was … … Read more
Massachusetts-Lowell was dealt a major blow Friday night when it was discovered that sophomore forward Paul Falco, a transfer from Maine, was not eligible to play when he began his tenure on the ice for Lowell about a month ago. As a result, the River Hawks are forced to forfeit nine games, five of which … Read more
Kohl Center, Madison, Wis., Dec. 27-28 Massachusetts-Lowell vs. Ferris State, 4:30 p.m. CT Saturday Union vs. Wisconsin, 7:30 p.m. CT Saturday Consolation, 4:30 p.m. CT Sunday Championship, 7:30 p.m. CT Sunday Television: Both Wisconsin games will be televised on Fox Sports Wisconsin (DirecTV Ch. 642). Ferris State (6-8-2) Players to Watch: C Brett Smith, Sr. … Read more
After losing 11 players a year ago, Massachusetts-Lowell said good-bye to another 10 heading into this season. With a roster of only three juniors and just one senior, the wild cards of freshmen and sophomores will dictate whether the River Hawks sink or swim. “Reality TV seems to be the big fad,” coach Blaise MacDonald … Read more
Dominic Smart, the team’s top goaltender as a freshman, has left Massachusetts-Lowell and will not return for his sophomore season. No reason was given for his departure, and there is no word on his hockey-playing future. The 6-foot, 188-pound Smart, from Millersville, Md., was 6-12-5 for the RiverHawks last season in 26 games. He had … Read more
One of Massachusetts’ two state-funded Division I hockey programs could soon be privatized; if Massachusetts’ new governor, Mitt Romney, has his way. As part of an overwhelming state restructuring plan that Romney will institute in hopes to pull the state from extreme debt, he unveiled Wednesday a plan that would privatize the state’s main campus … Read more
Massachusetts-Lowell found out late Thursday night that Baptiste Amar was indeed eligible to play — something that the Riverhawks contended was correct all along. Amar “It was a very pleasant phone call that I got at 9:08 last night,” said head coach Blaise MacDonald. “I didn’t doubt it, we had enough information, we had due … Read more
Last year’s woulda-coulda-shoulda season (if only the three French players hadn’t left for the Olympics… if only the NCAA selection criteria had eliminated the “last 16 games” category one year earlier… if only there had been a 16-team tournament) gives way to a new season. In this one, however, the 11 River Hawks who’d been … Read more
UMass-Lowell senior defenseman R.J. Tolan returned home from St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in Brighton after treatment following a throat injury in Friday night’s game at Boston College. Tolan Contrary to earlier reports, Tolan did not suffer a cracked larynx, but rather excessive swelling in the throat and blood blisters on his vocal cords. A tracheotomy was … Read more
Blaise MacDonald returns to Hockey East and to Lowell, bringing with him a set of standards and goals that are new for River Hawk hockey, but tried and true for MacDonald himself.
The biggest change in Lowell, of course, isn’t the usual departure of graduating players and influx of freshmen, but rather the arrival last spring of new coach Blaise MacDonald. Arguably, former coach Tim Whitehead should have been treated better and still be at the River Hawk helm. He was, after all, a finalist for national … Read more
New UMass-Lowell head coach Blaise MacDonald addresses the River Hawks’ media and fans Thursday.