UMass hockey: Michael Hrabal (35 saves) rises to the occasion again as Minutemen finish sweep of UConn via 3-1 win

With a series against the No. 1 team in the country on deck, the UMass hockey team took care of business over the weekend.After a win on the road Friday night, the Minutemen capped a weekend sweep of UConn with a 3-1 victory on Saturday at the Mullins...

PVIAC Indoor Track Championship: Pioneer’s Louise Flagollet, Mohawk Trail’s Chay Mojallali both win high jump titles

It was a good Saturday night for a pair of Franklin County athletes at the 2024 PVIAC Indoor Track Championships.Pioneer’s Louise Flagollet and Mohawk Trail’s Chay Mojallali captured individual high jump titles at Smith College in...

Western Mass. Division 3 Wrestling Championships: Alex Schreiber captures memorable title at 190 pounds to help Frontier score impressive 5th place finish (PHOTOS)

By GARRETT COTE

WILLIAMSTOWN — Following his third pin in as many matches – this one the biggest of them all – Alex Schreiber raised two hands in the air as he stood from the mat on Saturday afternoon.His Frontier teammates erupted, as the senior had just claimed...

Central Mass. Div. 3 Wrestling Championship: Total of six Athol, Mahar wrestlers advance to state meet (PHOTOS)

By THOMAS JOHNSTON

ASHLAND — It was a successful trip for the Athol and Mahar wrestling teams at the MIAA Division 3 Central Massachusetts Championship at Ashland High School on Saturday. With the top four placers in each weight class advancing to the Div. 3 state...

UMass hockey: Michael Hrabal pitches shutout, Minutemen blank UConn 2-0

A pair of third-period goals pushed the UMass hockey team past UConn, 2-0, on Friday night in Storrs, Conn. in the two teams’ first of two matchups this weekend as part of a home-and-home series.Freshman forward Dans Locmelis scored less than three...

H.S. Roundup: Big third quarter lifts Pioneer boys basketball past Frontier (PHOTOS)

Trailing deep into the third quarter on the road in a raucous Goodnow Gymnasium, the Pioneer boys basketball team finally found its footing on Friday night.Frontier held a 23-22 lead at the half on its Senior Night and still held onto a 32-30 lead...

Boys basketball: Greenfield defeats Lenox to take Hampshire League South crown

By THOMAS JOHNSTON

GREENFIELD — It could have gone one of two ways after the Greenfield boys basketball team suffered its second league loss of the season to Pioneer on Jan. 19. The Green Wave held a second half lead against the defending Hampshire League South...

H.S. Wrestling: Multiple athletes looking to win titles at Central Mass/Western Mass sectionals

By THOMAS JOHNSTON

It’s time for local wrestlers to go out and prove themselves against the best of the best. The wrestling postseason gets underway on Saturday with sectional tournaments. Franklin Tech, Frontier and Mohawk Trail will travel to Williamstown to compete...

Keeping Score with Chip Ainsworth: Dave Hastings doing quite the job at Keene State

Good morning!Over the border in New Hampshire, Dave Hastings has the makings of a national champion at Keene State. The Owls are 20-2 overall, 13-0 in the Little East, ranked seventh nationally and are beating opponents by an average score of...

Boston College hiring former Patriots offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien as head coach

By RALPH D. RUSSO

Bill O’Brien will be the new head coach at Boston College, opting to return to his hometown for a top job instead of taking the offensive coordinator position at Ohio State he accepted just last month, a person with direct knowledge of the move told...

Girls basketball: Mohawk Trail doubles up Smith Voc for fifth victory (PHOTOS)

By GARRETT COTE

BUCKLAND — The Mohawk Trail girls basketball team came out firing against Smith Vocational on Thursday night.Despite it being Senior Night, the Warriors kept their emotions in check from the opening tip — as they raced out to an 11-3 lead and never...

Alpine ski: Mohawk Trail’s Emmy Sisum wins final PVIAC regular season meet

It was fitting that the final PVIAC alpine ski regular season race of the season saw a Mohawk Trail skier stand atop the girls’ podium on Thursday.The Warriors had the fastest skier in all seven regular season races, capped off by a first-place finish...

Boys basketball: After winning first league title in 22 years, Athol still has a lot left to play for this season

By THOMAS JOHNSTON

For 22 years, Athol boys basketball players have had to look up at the banners on the wall at Mallet Gymnasium and see that the last league title the Bears won came in 2002. Head coach Brian Patria, a former Athol basketball player himself who won...

UMass hockey: Weekend Hockey East set with UConn on tap for Minutemen

By THOMAS JOHNSTON

While the UMass hockey team’s defense has been on point in its last three games since surrendering four goals to Merrimack, the Minutemen have hit a cold spell on the offensive end of the ice. UMass tallied twice to knock off Northeastern and followed...

H.S. Hockey: Westfield scores late to defeat Greenfield, 4-3 (PHOTOS)

By THOMAS JOHNSTON

GREENFIELD — It could have gotten away from the Greenfield hockey team against Westfield on Wednesday. The Bombers couldn’t have asked for a better start to the game, popping two goals in during the opening five minutes of action. When the Green Wave...

H.S. Roundup: Drury boys basketball snaps Frontier’s win streak with 50-47 win

The Frontier boys basketball team found itself in a familiar position on Wednesday night. Taking on Drury, the Redhawks — as they have all season — found themselves in a tight battle late, with Owen Babb scoring inside to give Frontier a 47-46 lead...

On The Ridge with Joe Judd: Plenty of activities to keep you busy during the winter months

As I write this, we’re in February’s grip, but there’s a lot going on out there that can help keep your mind off the Arctic-like temperatures we’ve been experiencing lately.As you read this, the days are getting longer, the temperatures are climbing,...

Boys basketball: Transition game helps Turners Falls handle Franklin Tech 55-35 in Powertown showdown

By THOMAS JOHNSTON

TURNERS FALLS — Behind its transition game, the Turners Falls boys basketball team was able to get out to a blistering start against Franklin Tech on Tuesday. The Thunder used their speed and athleticism to beat the Eagles up the court early, leading...

High schools: Big fourth quarter lifts Athol boys to Hampshire League North title

Make that a Hampshire League North title for the Athol boys basketball team.The Bears secured an outright league title on Tuesday night with a 52-35 victory over Mount Greylock in Williamstown.Athol improved to 14-2 overall, 11-0 in the HL North. The...

Girls basketball: Franklin Tech girls eyes postseason after winning Franklin County League South title for 2nd straight year

By THOMAS JOHNSTON

There was the expectation that it might be hard for the Franklin Tech girls basketball team to replicate its success from the 2022-23 campaign. After just missing out on a Franklin County League South title in 2021-22, the Eagles went 20-3 last...