University of Massachusets Athletics

March Newstand

March Newstand



April 1, 2004

UMass NewsStand: Latest Headlines

Follow UMass Athletics in local and national newspapers!

Welcome to "UMass NewsStand," a daily listing with links to stories from around the country on the Minutemen and Minutewomen. While we'll try to have most stories to you early each morning, be sure to check back throughout the day as we add links at all hours when we find them.

We hope you enjoy the links below to some of the top feature stories from this month.

Friday, March 26, 2004

BASEBALL: Stone likes his team of veterans
Daily Hampshire Gazette / By Matt Vautour
AMHERST, Mass. - Mike Stone still can't control the weather. Even 21 years of coaching and membership in the 500-victory club can't help him there. . .

Thursday, March 25, 2004

MEN'S BASKETBALL: Lappas takes big gamble
Springfield Republican / By Ron Chimelis
Contrary to rumor, Steve Lappas' renegotiated contract with the University of Massachusetts does not require he earn his pay by coaching football as well as men's basketball, if the courts don't see it Don Brown's way. . .

BASEBALL: Home, sweet home
Daily Collegian / By Bob McGovern
After a respectable spring break trip to Florida that saw the Massachusetts baseball team face off against some of the finest talent in the country, the Minutemen have their first home game of the season today against the University of Hartford. . .

UMASS ATHLETICS: Leaman tribute set for April 18
Springfield Republican
The University of Massachusetts has announced that "A Celebration of Jack Leaman" will be held April 18 at Curry Hicks Cage on the UMass campus. The memorial service will begin at 1 p.m., and a reception outside Curry Hicks Cage will follow. The public is invited.

WOMEN'S LACROSSE: Women's lax to host UNH
Daily Collegian / By Matt Barstow
The Massachusetts women's lacrosse team (1-4) will host New Hampshire (3-4) Saturday at 1 p.m., with hopes of ending a four game losing streak. . .

ROWING: Crew to open season in search of ninth consecutive Atlantic 10 title
Daily Collegian / By Matt Barstow
As the last layer of ice recedes to the banks of the Connecticut River, the Massachusetts crew team is ready to leave behind the winter monotony of rowing machines for a spring on the water. . .

Wednesday, March 24, 2004

ICE HOCKEY: Minutemen head to pros
Springfield Republican / By Dick Baker
The season may be over, but the University of Massachusetts hockey team scored a National Hockey League hat trick yesterday. Senior defensemen Thomas Pock signed with the New York Rangers, and was in the lineup last night wearing No. 22 against the Pittsburgh Penguins at Madison Square Garden. . .

Tuesday, March 23, 2004

MEN'S LACROSSE: Struggling foes meet
Daily Collegian / By Andrew Merritt
The Sacred Heart men's lacrosse team hasn't won a game in 2004. The Pioneers have taken two teams into overtime, including a 13-12 double-overtime loss to Butler on March 13, but that's as close as they've come to their victory in their first five games. . .

Monday, March 22, 2004

ICE HOCKEY: Minutemen lost game, won hearts
Springfield Republican / By Ron Chimelis
Do you believe in miracles?. . .

ICE HOCKEY: Tough fate for UMass
Springfield Republican/ By Dick Baker
At least it wasn't a snubbing, as the University of Massachusetts hockey team pretty much knew it wouldn't receive an at-large bid to the NCAA Division I tournament field that was announced yesterday. . .

ICE HOCKEY: This one ranks among the greatest
Daily Collegian / By Andrew Merritt
There is no question, no shadow of a doubt, that Saturday, March 20, 2004 will rank as one of the greatest days in the history of UMass hockey.

ICE HOCKEY: Boston marathon
Daily Collegian/ By Andrew Merritt
BOSTON, Mass. - Four hours, 36 minutes. A combined 122 saves by two sophomore goaltenders. 109:27 of play, with two and a half overtimes. Three goals, including a winning tip-in by a fourth-line center. . .

ICE HOCKEY: Minutemen showed heart and character
Daily Hampshire Gazette / By Matt Vautour
BOSTON, Mass. - For the University of Massachusetts hockey team, the ending was as heartbreaking as the game was historic. It should forever stand out as a classic for the 16,743 people who saw it live and the thousands of others who tuned in to the NESN broadcast of UMass' epic triple overtime loss to Maine in the Hockey East Tournament championship at the FleetCenter. . .

ICE HOCKEY: Maine wins triple-overtime final
Daily Hampshire Gazette / By Matt Vautour
BOSTON, Mass. - University of Massachusetts goalie Gabe Winer lay in the crease, dejected and exhausted, moments after Maine forward Ben Murphy's game-winning goal eluded him 9:27 into the third overtime as the Minutemen came out on the short end of a 2-1 classic in the Hockey East championship game Saturday night at the FleetCenter. . .

ICE HOCKEY: UMass season ends without NCAA bid
Daily Hampshire Gazette / By Matt Vautour
BOSTON, Mass. - When the NCAA hockey tournament bids were announced Sunday, University of Massachusetts coach Toot Cahoon was not surprised that the Minutemen were not selected. . .

Sunday, March 21, 2004

ICE HOCKEY: Minutemen fall in 3 overtimes
Springfield Republican / By Dick Baker
BOSTON, Mass. - In a game that will be talked about for years in college hockey circles, the University of Massachusetts hockey team played until it was running on fumes. . .

Saturday, March 20, 2004

ICE HOCKEY: Minutemen's strong finish signals end for UNH
Boston Globe/ By Bob Monahan
The University of Massachusetts hockey team certainly can toot its horn. And so can head coach Don "Toot" Cahoon. . .

ICE HOCKEY: UMass roars back
Boston Herald/ By John Connolly
For too long, they have been viewed as the barroom team, staring in amazement into the store window at the bright lights. Tonight, however, they can show everyone they belong in the spotlight by winning the Hockey East title. . .

ICE HOCKEY: Trovato tips scales for UMass
Boston Herald/ By John Connolly
It all came down to a lucky shamrock. The play that kept the wheels rolling on UMass' stunning five-goal surge last night in the Hockey East semifinals. . .

ICE HOCKEY: Warner nets game-winner
Boston Herald / By Matt Kalman
For his eight-goal, 11-point performance last season with UMass, Mike Warner earned the Jack Canniff ``Unsung Hero'' award. . .

ICE HOCKEY: UMass digs deep, beats UNH
Springfield Republican / By Dick Baker
BOSTON, Mass. - In a night filled with video reviews, the Warner Brothers made this a movie to be remembered in the history of University of Massachusetts sports. . .

FOOTBALL: Upstart Brown seeks relief from ruling
Boston Globe/ By Joe Burris
Attorneys for former Northeastern football coach Don Brown yesterday filed a petition for interlocutory relief from an injunction that prohibits Brown from taking employment at the University of Massachusetts. . .

Friday, March 19, 2004

ICE HOCKEY: Upstart can pull surprise
Springfield Republican / By Ron Chimelis
Their chance to win this tournament is only 25 percent, but the good news is that nobody else's chances are any better. . .

ICE HOCKEY: UMass back for more
Springfield Republican / By Dick Baker
The second time at the FleetCenter should be easier. At least, that's what the University of Massachusetts hockey team is thinking as it prepares to face New Hampshire at 8 tonight in the Hockey East semifinals. . .

ICE HOCKEY: P?ck a finalist for Hobey Baker Award
Daily Hampshire Gazette / By Matt Vautour
In a season filled with honors for University of Massachusetts defenseman Thomas P?ck, the biggest one remains in sight. P?ck, a senior from Klagenfurt, Austria, was named Wednesday as one of 10 finalists for the Hobey Baker Award, which is given to the top player in college hockey. He is the first UMass player ever to be named a finalist. . .

ICE HOCKEY: Cahoon, Umile compete again
Daily Hampshire Gazette / By Matt Vautour
AMHERST, Mass. - The record books list University of Massachusetts hockey Toot Cahoon's record against Dick Umile of New Hampshire as 3-9-1. . .

Thursday, March 18, 2004

ICE HOCKEY: Switch in time saves UMass
Boston Globe / By John Powers
The choice, as Thomas Pock remembers it, was never a matter of if, only where. If he wanted to play in the NHL, he wasn't going to stay in Austria. "The one sport we have at home is skiing," says Pock. "If you want to be a world-class skier, you better stay there. Other than that, you want to leave.". . .

Wednesday, March 17, 2004

FOOTBALL: Brown goes on offense
Springfield Republican / By Jeff Thomas
Don Brown has been sitting idle for a week, something he wouldn't wish on his worst enemy. . .

Tuesday, March 16, 2004

ICE HOCKEY: Degon the key to UMass defense
Boston Herald / By John Connolly
AMHERST, Mass. - On the day of his birth, a small hockey stick was placed in his crib. Both his father, Marvin, and uncle, Curtis, had played hockey for the Worcester State College Lancers. . .

Monday, March 15, 2004

FOOTBALL: Anxious to hear full story
Springfield Republican / By Ron Chimelis
Don Brown says when his side of the story is heard, his case to become University of Massachusetts football coach will be resolved, presumably in his favor. . .

Sunday, March 14, 2004

ICE HOCKEY: Minutemen draw Wildcats in semis
Springfield Republican / By Dick Baker
In a rematch of last year's semifinal, the University of Massachusetts will meet New Hampshire in the Hockey East semifinals Friday night at the FleetCenter in Boston. . .

Friday, March 12, 2004

ICE HOCKEY: Warner brothers produce
Daily Hampshire Gazette / By Matt Vautour
AMHERST, Mass. - It had been 405 days since the last time Tim Warner started in goal for the University of Massachusetts because sophomore Gabe Winer had started every game since. . .

MEN'S BASKETBALL: Uneasy time for Lappas
Springfield Republican / By Ron Chimelis
If you know the guy, you wind up rooting for him. . .

FOOTBALL: Judge: Brown breached NU contract
Boston Herald / By Rich Thompson and Dave Weber
A Suffolk Superior Court judge yesterday handed down an injunction against Don Brown that prevents the former Northeastern football coach from taking over the same position at UMass. . .

FOOTBALL: Ruling sidelines Brown
Boston Globe / By Diane Allen
In a game of courtroom strategy, Northeastern University yesterday blocked the University of Massachusetts from hiring its former football coach, Don Brown. . .

Thursday, March 11, 2004

ICE HOCKEY: UMass hockey awaits the 'other' UMass
Springfield Republican / By Dick Baker
AMHERST, Mass. - Around these parts, it's not UMass-Amherst, it's UMass, and University of Massachusetts fans get particularly irritated when those from the other side of the state toss in that Amherst qualifier as if the campus of UMass-Lowell was an equal. . .

ICE HOCKEY: The ultimate teammate - Jacobs an enforcer on and off the ice
Daily Collegain / By Mike Marzelli
Controlled aggression. It is an intense discipline, one that is derived not from God-given prowess, but from a lifetime of focused mental and physical chiseling. . .

ICE HOCKEY: Hockey Fans must show class
Daily Collegain / By Andrew Merritt
Tonight will be one of the most historic nights in the history of the Massachusetts hockey program. For the first time since joining Hockey East in 1993, the Minutemen will play a conference playoff game in front of their own fans. . .

Wednesday, March 10, 2004

MEN'S BASKETBALL: Leading role fits Anderson
Boston Globe / By Joe Burris
DAYTON, Ohio - University of Massachusetts senior point guard Anthony Anderson, who sat out his freshman year under NCAA eligibility guidelines, knew in November that he would likely graduate by this summer and thus qualify for a fourth season of collegiate competition. . .

MEN'S BASKETBALL: UMass' Freeman A-10 rookie of year
Springfield Republican / By Ron Chimelis
DAYTON, Ohio - As the University of Massachusetts approaches the Atlantic 10 Conference men's basketball tournament with equal parts sadness and uncertainty, last night wasn't a bad time to get some good news. . .

MEN'S BASKETBALL: Trey is preferred play at UMass
Boston Herald / By Rich Thompson
UMass coach Steve Lappas doesn't think the Minutemen's reliance on the 3-point shot is a high-risk strategy. The long ball has been the Minutemen's signature play during Lappas' tenure and that trend should hold true when UMass confronts the Duquesne Dukes in the opening round of the Atlantic 10 tournament tonight (7 p.m.) at University of Dayton Arena. . .

MEN'S BASKETBALL: Puttin' their Dukes up
Daily Collegian / By Mike Marzelli
With a seat next to play-by-play voice Bob Behler left open in honor of the late Jack Leaman, tonight the Massachusetts men's basketball team will begin its quest to attempt to do what its former coach, commentator and most dedicated supporter preached that it could: make a run in the Atlantic 10 Tournament. . .

MEN'S BASKETBALL: Fresh start for UMass
Daily Hampshire Gazette / By Matt Vautour
Four games in four days, essentially with seven players, starting against a team that beat them by 26-points last time. . .

MEN'S BASKETBALL: Freeman top A-10 rookie
Daily Hampshire Gazette / By Matt Vautour
After being honored as the Atlantic 10's Rookie of the Week seven times, Rookie of the Year was a foregone conclusion for Rashaun Freeman. The league's coaches made it official Tuesday at the league's awards banquet. . .

BASEBALL: Stone wins 500th as Minutemen sweep Rider
Daily Collegian / By Bob McGovern
On Sunday Mike Stone, head coach of the Massachusetts baseball team, did something that no other active Division I coach has done in the history of New England collegiate baseball. He won is 500th game. . .

Tuesday, March 9, 2004

UMASS ATHLETICS: Challenge issued at UMass
Boston Globe / By Joe Burris
AMHERST, Mass. - John V. Lombardi, the University of Massachusetts chancellor who has insisted the cash-strapped institution put its money where its hopes are for a quality athletic department, said in an interview last week that if the men's basketball program can improve, it can generate schoolwide enthusiasm. . .

MEN'S SWIMMING: Chartier makes transition to college swimmer
Daily Hampshire Gazette / By Andy Vogt
AMHERST, Mass. - Well before he entered high school, Greg Chartier of Amherst was a prospect to become a member of the University of Massachusetts men's swimming team. Chartier, who annually attended UMass coach Russ Yarworth's summer swimming camp, had enough talent at age 11 to make Yarworth believe he might have a potential addition to his successful program. . .

Monday, March 8, 2004

UMASS ATHLETICS: A reporter remembers 'Coach'
Daily Collegian / By Mike Marzelli
Returning from New Hampshire with friends on Saturday evening, I listened to Jack Leaman call his final game. Speaking in his trademark gravely voice with that seasoned tone that always made you think he had marbles in his mouth, the ol' coach was in his element in the hours prior to his passing. . .

UMASS ATHLETICS: Leaman was coach to some, friend to all
Daily Collegian / By Andrew Merritt
It was incredibly easy to like Jack Leaman. He was everywhere: men's basketball, women's basketball, hockey, anywhere a UMass athlete was competing. . .

UMASS ATHLETICS: Leaman a great storyteller
Daily Hampshire Gazette / By Matt Vautour
Jack Leaman was never hesitant to share a story. He had quite a few good ones and he loved to tell them. He was armed with a lot of them when I met him in his Mullins Center office on Feb. 16 just two days before Al Skinner's number was retired. . .

UMASS ATHLETICS: With team until the last, UMass coach, confidant Jack Leaman is mourned
Daily Hampshire Gazette / By Matt Vautour
Jack Leaman hadn't officially been the University of Massachusetts men's basketball coach for almost 25 years, but he was still coaching in the final days of his life. . .

UMASS ATHLETICS: Tributes to Jack Leaman
Daily Hampshire Gazette
Read what others had to say in their own words about Coach. . .

UMASS ATHLETICS: Jack Leaman dies at 71
Daily Collegian / By Mike Marzelli
Jack Leaman, the winningest coach in the history of Massachusetts men's basketball and one of the more beloved figures ever to grace the University of Massachusetts Amherst and Stockbridge Agricultural schools, died Saturday evening. . .

UMASS ATHLETICS: Coach was program's soul
Springfield Republican / By Ron Chimelis
Three days before Jack Leaman died, University of Massachusetts men's basketball forward Jeff Viggiano stood outside the locker room at Temple, describing how he'd worked out some flaws in his shooting technique. . .

UMASS ATHLETICS: Mass icon is mourned
Springfield Republican / By Ron Chimelis
Members of the University of Massachusetts community, and the basketball world, mourned the death of one of its most respected and well-liked sports figures yesterday. . .

UMASS ATHLETICS: Jack Leaman, 71, coach, icon of UMass basketball team
Boston Globe / By Judy Van Handle
Members of the University of Massachusetts community, and the basketball world, mourned the death of one of its most respected and well-liked sports figures yesterday. . .

Sunday, March 7, 2004

MEN'S BASKETBALL: UMass icon Leaman dies
Springfield Republican / By Ron Chimelis
Jack Leaman, the man who coached Julius Erving at the University of Massachusetts, died last night after the Minutemen's game at Richmond. . .

Saturday, March 6, 2004

MEN'S BASKETBALL: Lappas' future cloudy
Springfield Republican / By Ron Chimelis
It's possible today's game at Richmond carries great meaning toward the future of University of Massachusetts men's basketball coach Steve Lappas. It's also possible it has no significance at all. . .

MEN'S BASKETBALL: New AD unsure about Lappas
Daily Hampshire Gazette / By Matt Vautour
New University of Massachusetts Athletic Director John McCutcheon said his mind isn't made up on Steve Lappas' future as the head coach of the men's basketball team. But he said the decision is his to make. . .

MEN'S BASKETBALL: Minutemen looking for momentum
Daily Hampshire Gazette / By Matt Vautour
The regular-season finale in Richmond for the University of Massachusetts men's basketball team at 4 p.m. Saturday won't affect its seeding in next week's Atlantic 10 Tournament, but the Minutemen are hoping to use the game to build momentum. . .

Friday, March 5, 2004

ICE HOCKEY: Minutemen play for postseason opportunities
Daily Hampshire Gazette / By Matt Vautour
The University of Massachusetts is playing for a higher seed in the Hockey East postseason and to improve its chance of making the NCAA Tournament. Northeastern is playing to keep its season alive. It won't be playoff hockey at Matthews Arena and the Mullins Center this weekend, but it will be pretty close. . .

ICE HOCKEY: Minutemen looking for points
Springfield Republican / By Dick Baker
Senior center Mike Warner saw the potential in the University of Massachusetts hockey program as soon as he arrived on campus. "When I first got here, I knew it was a good school," said Warner,. . .

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL: Senior's education grows on, off court
Springfield Republican / By Dick Baker
Senior Judit Zsedenyi, who has improved dramatically in her second and final year as a member of the University of Massachusetts women's basketball team, wanted to demonstrate that in her final home game last Sunday. . .

MEN'S BASKETBALL: UMass not discouraged
Springfield Republican / By Ron Chimelis
For the University of Massachusetts men's basketball team, a lot went right in Wednesday's 98-92 double-overtime loss to Temple, even though the outcome turned out wrong. . .

FOOTBALL: UMass opens at Delaware State
Daily Hampshire Gazette / By Matt Vautour
The University of Massachusetts football schedule was released Thursday and Minuteman fans can circle several dates right away. . .

Thursday, March 4, 2004

BASEBALL: Minutemen well-armed in 2004
Daily Collegian / By Mike Marzelli
As the snow that once dominated the Pioneer Valley subsides and the bitter Amherst chill gives way to manageable serenity, the sight of veteran UMass baseball coach Mike Stone wrapping fungoes to his infielders and coordinating cutoffs with his outfielders is a familiar one. . .

Wednesday, March 3, 2004

MEN'S BASKETBALL: UMass eyes higher seed for tourney
Daily Hampshire Gazette / By Matt Vautour
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. - Depriving Temple Hall of Fame coach John Chaney of career win No. 708 doesn't quite have the same historic value that delaying his 700th win did on Jan. 24, but the University of Massachusetts basketball team would like to do it all the same. . .

MEN'S BASKETBALL: Freshmen hold key to future
Springfield Republican / By Ron Chimelis
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. - They came to the University of Massachusetts at the same time, and often it's seemed as if Artie Bowers and Maurice Maxwell have been developing on parallel paths, alternately taking steps forward and back in unison. . .

SKIING: Skiing enjoys great success
Daily Collegain / By Mike Marzelli
Flying under the proverbial radar - not to mention down snow-covered mountains throughout New England's great white north - the Massachusetts men's and women's ski teams and its members have thrived both individually and as a team under first-year head coach Ken Thoman in 2003-04. . .

MEN'S BASKETBALL: UMass to face archrival Temple
Daily Collegain / By Mike Marzelli
With just two regular season games remaining in what has been a disappointing season for the Massachusetts men's basketball team (10-16 4-10 Atlantic 10), third-year UMass coach Steve Lappas is surely finding it difficult to keep his young squad motivated despite playing for nothing more than pride. . .

Tuesday, March 2, 2004

MEN'S LACROSSE: Lax meets Hartford
Daily Collegian / By Andrew Merritt
AMHERST, Mass. - The 2004 Massachusetts men's lacrosse season didn't quite begin the way the Minutemen intended. . .

Monday, March 1, 2004

MEN'S BASKETBALL: Return for Anderson academic
Daily Hampshire Gazette / By Matt Vautour
AMHERST, Mass. - During the senior day ceremonies prior to the University of Massachusetts win over St. Bonaventure Saturday, Minuteman guard Anthony Anderson clapped along with his teammates as walk-on guard Paco Kotaridis and senior manager Eric Schwager were honored before the game. The fact that Anderson, who is technically a senior, was not among the honorees, represents a victory in itself. . .

ICE HOCKEY: UMass eyes third in Hockey East
Daily Hampshire Gazette / By Matt Vautour
The Hockey East postseason picture became a little clearer after the weekend games. . .


For links to stories from previous months, please look here:
February 2004
January 2004
December 2003
November 2003
October 2003
September 2003
August 2003