Good morning!
Hockey fans arriving for Sunday afternoon’s UMass hockey game against Northern Michigan were directed down a dusty, unmarked service road to where a UMass cop and two parking attendants stood under a cloudless sky in 80-degree heat.
Contrary to reports, athletic director Ryan Bamford wasn’t with them handing out car wash passes to get the dust off their vehicles.
They were collecting $17 to park, an odd amount, and there were no exemptions. After decades of free parking, the cost to get into a game at the Mullins Center just doubled. Everybody pays, now and for the foreseeable future. Drivers in vehicles with handicap parking placards mounted on the windshield will pay $17. So will season ticket holders, albeit at a discounted rate. Hockey coach Greg Carvel had no comment.
Fans have already wised up to athletic director Ryan Bamford’s fundraising gambit. Those who went to Saturday’s home opener and were hit up for parking drove to the free lots on Sunday and walked the extra distance.
That’ll work for people who are in shape, but everyone else will be held hostage by an athletic department that’s putting its financial hardship on the backs of its fans. This will undoubtedly impact attendance, especially during losing streaks and on cold winter nights when it’s easier to stay home and watch on ESPN+ or Hulu Live.
The money goes to the Script U Scholarship Society which according to the website “will allow passionate UMass alums and fans to directly support student athlete scholarships.”
Allow? There’s no “allow” about it. It’s either pay or go home.
Meanwhile the concession review is mixed. When I asked for a cheeseburger, the staffer reached under the counter and handed me a well-done patty that tasted blander than cardboard. The cheese wasn’t melted and the bun wasn’t grilled, but whattya expect for nine bucks?
The burger got a D but the pizza got a B+. The slices were hot, the crust was crispy and the cheese was melted.
Coffee was free. Wait’ll Ryan finds about that.
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Meanwhile the hockey team swept its two-game series against Northern Michigan, 5-3 on Saturday and 4-1 on Sunday, mounting a relentless attack that forced the Wildcats’ 23-year-old goalie William Gramme to make 107 saves in 24 hours.
“They’re terrific,” said longtime rooter Terry Kennedy who attended both games. “The new kid, No. 13, looks good, and so does Lieberman.”
Kennedy was referring to defenseman Landon Nycz who was paired with sophomore Larry Keenan, and blue liner Charlie Lieberman who was paired with Francesco Dell’Elce. Senior captains Lucas Olvestad and Owen Murray were coach Greg Carvel’s top pairing and Springfield’s Kennedy O’Connor was the extra skater.
Carvel used the same lineup both nights, putting Michigan State transfer Mikey DeAngelo between Daniel Jencko and Jack Musa on the first line, Wisconsin transfer Owen Mehlenbacher between Cam O’Neill and Nick VanTassell on the second line, and three six-footers on the third line — right wing Vaclav Nestrasil, center Jack Galanek, and left wing Matthew Wilde whom together combined for a goal and three assists.
Six different players scored nine goals. Jack Musa had the trifecta — even strength, short-handed and empty netter — and freshman Lukas Klecka had two goals including an empty netter. Klecker was on the fourth line with left wing Bo Cosman and center James Duerr.
Michael Hrabal stopped 54 of 58 shots over the weekend for a .931 save percentage.
The Minutemen played Stonehill College at the Warrior Ice Arena in Brighton last night, and will host Hockey East foe Northeastern on Friday and Bentley on Saturday.
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A battle of beatens kicks off this afternoon near the shores of the Cuyahoga River in Ohio, where Kent State hosts the UMass Minutemen at 25,000-seat Dix Stadium. The Golden Flashes haven’t defeated an FBS opponent since Nov. 26, 2022, and State U’s futility against D-1 programs dates back to Oct. 28, 2023.
In five games Kent State has lost to Oklahoma, Texas Tech and Florida State by a combined score of 172 – 44, lost a close one to Buffalo, 31-28, and snapped a 21-game losing streak against all comers by vanquishing mighty Merrimack, 23-17.
Despite the weak resume, Kent State is a 2-1/2 point favorite.
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The football team’s reintroduction to the Mid American Conference began last week against Western Michigan. A sparse Homecoming crowd of barely 10,000 saw the Minutemen lose, 21-3, at McGuirk Alumni Stadium.
It was to be expected. Each week coach Joe Harasymiak’s staff tries to plug holes in the good ship Minutemen, but the roster is filled with players in football purgatory.
UMass tight end Reece Adkins was Western Michigan’s 12th player. His neutral zone infraction in the first quarter deprived Juwaun Price of a 17-yard touchdown run, and his holding penalty in the second quarter moved the ball back from the Western Michigan 12-yard line to the 32. Adkins transferred from UCF, which stands for You Can’t Fail.
Other players contributed to the loss. Ryan Barnes was flagged for a roughing the kicker call you could’ve seen from the Goodyear blimp. UMass quarterbacks A.J. Hairston and Brandon Rose were sacked five times, receiver Donnie Gray dropped two catchable passes and place kicker Derek Morris missed a 46-yard field goal.
The maddening part was the Minutemen played a gritty and winnable game. ESPN analyst Craig Haubert nailed it when he said, “UMass is playing really well except for crucial moments when they find ways to hurt themselves.”
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Yankees pitcher Cam Schlittler was born in Walpole and pitched at Northeastern, and his first collegiate win was against UMass on March 27, 2021.
“This kid’s name will be misspelled and butchered going forward,” predicts Peter Hantzis, who batted .392 for the Huskies in 1973, the school record in the wooden bat era.
“When I played at Northeastern my name appeared in the papers as Hantiz, Hantizis, Hantzes, etc. I can only remember Peter Gammons spelling it correctly. I once hit a homer against the best pitcher in the country — Tom Farias.
“It was the game’s only run and I was pretty excited and told some friends. The next day in the Globe they wrote: ‘Peter Pantzis hit a home run to win the game for Northeastern.’”
Alas, wrote Hantzis, “None of my friends believed it was me!”
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SQUIBBERS: The UMass field hockey team (10-2) dropped to sixteenth in the coaches’ poll after losses to unranked Ohio and UConn. Mark Oct. 26 on your calendar when Barb Weinberg’s Minutewomen host No. 4 Harvard at 1 p.m. at Gladchuk Field. … Anyone under 30 won’t believe this, but there was a time when games would go nine innings without either side striking out. … On opening day outfielder Wilyer Abreu hit two home runs to help the Red Sox beat Texas. Six months later he hit one home run in his final 55 at-bats including the playoffs. … Wondering why the UMass hockey team has four games against Northeastern, including a non-conference clash on Dec. 7? “We both had AIC on the schedule and needed to find a game once AIC bailed,” explained Greg Carvel.
ESPN’s Cooper Boardman asked Western Michigan offensive coordinator Walt Bell about his days at UMass, but Bell wouldn’t bite. “You’re not getting anything out of me,” said Bell. … Bastards of Boston podcaster Terry Cushman on Red Sox GM Craig Breslow: “Other GMs don’t like dealing with [him]. The guy’s … arrogant … and he’s got nothing to back it up with. I’ll say it forever, he was their eleventh choice and I’ve got the list on my desk.” … Good to hear that Bobby C is on the mend after a car wreck put him out of commission. … The over/under for the New Jersey Nets is 20.5. Yikes. The Celtics are 12/1 to win the Atlantic Division. Double yikes. … Mets fan Joe Benigno on the absurdity of rooting for the Yankees in the postseason: “You think they care about you? Go do something constructive. Go on a hayride. Go find a pumpkin, bob for apples.” … Montague’s Brock Hines will be back behind the microphone doing radio for next week’s hockey game against Bentley. “Coming out of the bullpen,” said Hines. … Arkansas coach John Calipari to Chris Russo on college basketball’s disparities: “We had the youngest team in the league last year and we’re playing against 26-year-olds who are waving to their kids in the seats.”
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