Save the UMass Lowell Hockey Program

2000 to 2001 Season

While this process is just in a research phase, it's a very disheartening moment for all Lowell alumni (Lowell Tech, ULowell, etc), the current student body, faculty/staff/administrators, and friends of the university. A team that has made the Fleetcenter for the Hockey East semi-finals in 11 of 17 years, a team that has made the NCAA D1 Tournament three times, including finishing 6th nationally in Division I hockey in 1996, could be disbanded.

The point of this is not to disparage UMass-Amherst, or their hockey team. It is to save the UMass-Lowell hockey program.

What all this means is that we need your help. Whether it's a phone call, an email, or letter, any help that you could provide would be greatly appreciated.

Please remember, not only would this hurt the University, it's fans and supporters, but also the city of Lowell. Revenue at the Tsongas Arena would be lost, and surrounding businesses that generate revenue on game nights would also be affected adversely. It would hurt Hockey East and college hockey in general at a time when interest in college hockey is growing.

This whole issue began on Sunday, March 25, thanks to Chaz Scoggins of the Lowell Sun breaking the story about the possibility of a merge between the two Hockey East rivals. The story (click here) was followed up on Tuesday, the 27th of March, by another story, quoting the chairman of the Commonwealth's Board of Education, Stephen P. Tocco as saying this process is mostly financially driven, and also could be related to the Title IX law.

Obviously, both UMass-Lowell and UMass-Amherst have Men's hockey programs, but neither have varsity women's hockey teams (even though both do have club teams). In the past few years, the Boston University Terriers lost their football team partially due to this rule, as did the Providence College baseball team.

So we need your help ... listed below are contacts, both at UML, various Massachusetts politicians, and local and state officials, including Lowell area state senators and representatives. Please help us out with this, we don't want to lose our hockey team! This should go without saying, but I will say it anyway, remember you are fighting for something we should all want, so please be polite, in any and all messages.

Keep checking back here, as this site will be updated as much as is possible. Also, please send me your opinion by placing it in the guestbook available at this page. We hope to be able to take these comments and making them available to University reps.

Email Director of Athletics  at UMass-Lowell Dana Skinner
Email Assistant Director of Athletics at UMass-Lowell Edward Stoner
Email Chancellor of UMass-Lowell William Hogan
UMass President's Office:  (617) 287-7000

State Level
If your local senator or state representative is not listed below, more information can be found at the Massachusetts website .

Unless otherwise noted, you can directly contact the following people at this address,
Room (listed below)
State House
Boston, MA 02133
(an email link can be used by clicking on most names):

Stephen P. Tocco , Chairman
Board of Higher Education
One Ashburton Place
Room 1401
Boston, MA 02108-1696
(617) 994-6950

Thomas Birmingham, Senate President
Room 332    (617) 722-1500

Thomas M. Finneran, Speaker of the House
Room 356   (617) 722-2500

Steven C. Panagiotakos, State Senator (Lowell)
Room 518   (617) 722-1630

Thomas A. Golden, Jr., State Representative (Lowell) and a graduate of UMass-Lowell
Room 146   (617) 722-2430

Kevin J. Murphy, State Representative (Lowell)
Room 39   (617) 722-2240

David M. Nangle, State Representative (Lowell)
Room 448   (617) 722-2582

Colleen M. Garry, State Representative (Dracut) and a graduate of ULowell
Room 473G   (617) 722-2040

City of Lowell
Mayor Eileen Donoghue (978) 970-4040
City Manager John Cox (978) 970-4000

There are other ways you can help as well ... if you're a student at UML, contact the Connector and write an editorial.  If you're a resident of the Greater Lowell area, call the Lowell Sun's "Back Talk" line, (978) 454-BACK, and select calls will be printed into the Sun.  Please help us make sure UMass-Lowell hockey is around for a long time to come.

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