Patriots year after Deflategate â–ş Page 6
THE UMASS LOWELL
Serving the Student Body Since 1976
January 26, 2015
Hockey splits series with Providence
In This Issue River Hawks after dark
Kyle Gaudette
Courtesy of UMass Lowell Athletics
Connector Editor
â–ş Page 4
Panic! At the Disco album review
► Page 5 Men’s basketball falls on buzzer beater
â–ş Page 7
Final River Hawk Scores Team
Score
Overall Record
W. Basketball vs. Binghamton
L 70-75 (OT) 3-16
Hockey vs. 3 Providence
W 3-1
Hockey at 3 Providence
L 2-4 14-4-4
M. Basketball vs. UNH
L 76-78
15-4-4
7-12
The new McGauvran Student Center George DeLuca Connector Staff
A ribbon-cutting event heralded the opening of the $34 million McGauvran Student Center. A throng of attendees perused the premises prior to a touching kickoff ceremony led by UMass Lowell Chancellor Jacqueline Moloney on Dec. 8, 2015. Chancellor Moloney noted that a dramatic rise in student residents on the South Campus was a key factor in making the decision to repurpose the existing building into a 54,000-square-foot facility housing a new dining hall, retail food outlets, learning commons, and smart classrooms. “Welcoming and warm spaces are essential to the college experience because they give our students, faculty and staff places where they can meet new people and engage in University life.� Moloney said. A joyous mood permeated the audience as UMass Lowell officials, some of whom are alumni and/or long time administrators, reflected and reminisced about how the building’s namesake influenced many lives throughout her career at the University. “That is why it’s fitting that this building is named for Mary McGauvran, the University’s first former Vice President of Student Affairs, because there is no one who appreciated the need for this kind of space than Dr.
The River Hawks earned a hard fought 3-1 win over third-ranked Providence Saturday night at the Tsongas Center. UMass Lowell (15-5-4) and Providence (16-4-4) split their weekend series. “I thought the urgency was there through the entire sixty minutes tonight,� said UMass Lowell head coach Norm Bazin. “I’m very proud of the guys. I found the effort was there, and it was a lot better game than last night.� Michael Kapla scored what would be the game-winning goal midway through the third win he slid the puck through the legs of Providence goalie Nick Ellis. Four minutes later, Rtan Dmowski put away his third goal of the season on a power play to give the River Hawks a little cushion down the stretch. “Zinker [Dylan Zink] handed it to me and we had a good net drive by Dmowski,� said Kapla. “I threw it on net, and it just squeaked in.
Senior forward A.J. White battles for position against a Providence defender.
I think their guy might have put it across the line.� Kevin Boyle stopped 20 shots in what was another strong performance. Boyle only saw five pucks come his way the entirety of the third period. The River Hawks played probably their best hockey of the weekend in the final twenty minutes of Saturday’s contest. They got 14
shots on goal, two of which resulted in goals, and kept to their assignments defensively to severely limit the action in front of Boyle. “I thought the third period was clearly our best,â€? said Bazin. “I thought all four lines were able to generate some momentum, and we enjoy not having timeouts. You can have some flow to the game. It’s tough when you have those TV â–ş See “Hockey,â€? page 7
“Star Wars� franchise has been reawakened Owen Johnson Connector Staff
“Star Wars: The Force Awakens� is the first “Star Wars� movie (if you don’t count the animated “Clone Wars� movie from 2008) in a little over a decade and the first good “Star Wars� movie in thirty-two years. It has been thirty years
since the Empire was defeated and a new threat known as The First Order has risen from its ruins. Led by Kylo Ren (Adam Driver), the First Order has begun searching for Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) who has vanished. After finding a lost rebellion droid that has information about Sky-
walker’s whereabouts, a scavenger named Rey (Daisy Ridley) and a rogue stormtrooper named Poe (John Boyega) team up in order to return the droid to the Rebellion, getting caught up in an adventure that takes them all across the galaxy. After the letdown that
► See �McGauvran,� page 3
Sections News.............................3 Campus Life.................. 4 A&E.............................. 5 Sports........................... 6 “Star Wars: The Force Awakens� premiered in theaters on Dec. 18, 2015.
the prequels were, “Star Wars: The Force Awakensâ€? is exactly what people were looking for. It seamlessly mixes the old with the new, bringing back what past fans loved about the series and integrating those elements with the new. There are a few plot lines that are quite similar to those found in “Star Wars: A New Hope,â€? but “Star Wars: The Force Awakensâ€? avoids turning itself into an accidental reboot of the franchise’s first movie. Either twists are added to the plot lines to make them different from its Original Trilogy counterpart, or they are used as background for the more important character moments. Speaking of characters, all of the new additions to â–ş See â€?Star Wars,â€? page 3
UM ASS L OWELL C ONNECTOR
Page 2
January 26, 2016
OPINIONS & EDITORIALS
The Oscar may glitter, but it isn’t gold Jeffrey Cullen UML Student
The Academy Awards have been one of the most notable and glitzy celebrations of film for decades. The gold, faceless man is an eternal goal for countless actors and actresses. But the glistening image of that goal is being tarnished. This year’s nomination lineup has been under harsh criticism for its lack of diversity, sparking a movement for a boycott against the Oscar’s amongst many in the film community including Jada Pinkett and Will Smith, as well as Spike Lee. The explanation some give in defense of this year’s choices is that the lack of diversity is just chance, that the best performances just happened to be done by white actors. But looking at how the winners are chosen is quite telling. The victor is voted by the
Academy of Motion Picture. A year ago, The L.A. Times reported that the members of the Academy were 94% white. By comparison, in the last government census the United States population was shown to be only 37% white. While members of the Academy hold firmly that race is nowhere on their radar when considering their options, the drastic underrepresentation within the Academy cannot be another “by chance� occurrence. When the body that makes the final decision is dominated by one group, equal and fair judgement can never be guaranteed. But diversity is not a new challenge for the Academy Awards. The hashtag “#OscarsSoWhite,� has been brought back in to describe a scene that feels all too familiar. Criticism of the award show for its representation of race can
be seen as far back as 1996. But nonwhite members of film were not the only ones who lacked recognition. Women, specifically older actresses, were not given the shot at gold. Notable actresses like Jane Fonda and Helen Mirren were not nominated in place of younger actresses like Jennifer Lawrence and Brie Larson. But the bar against woman does not end in acting. Directing proved to be, once again, a male dominated category with no women receiving a nomination. But the Academy is not blind to this and, to their credit, have decided to take this issue head on. On January 22, 2016 the organization announced its new initiative to diversify its own members. The plan seems to try and target members of the Academy who are out of touch with today’s film as
it adds a new ten-year tenure to each member, only to be renewed if they are considered “active in motion pictures during that decade.� This is a big step, one that may even rectify their past missteps, but it may not be enough to save this year’s show. With the amount of discontent and anger already out in the open and covering social media, it will be nearly impossible for the show to escape. What the plan gives hope for is maybe not next year, but the years to come. It will definitely be slow but the identity of the Oscar’s is being fundamentally altered to one that actually fits modern film. In the end, the Academy is making attempting to make equality in film much closer than it was before.
Twitter poll of the week
THE UMASS LOWELL
Serving the Student Body Since 1976
UMASS LOWELL CONNECTOR
EDITORIAL BOARD MARLON PITTER Editor-In-Chief REGINA ALONGI Operations Manager KATRINA DESROSIERS Copy Editor NINA PETROPOULOS Web Manager MICHAELA HYDE ZACHARY ZUBER Social Media Managers EVANTHIA TULLY Photo Editor KELLY FREITAS JENNA FREITAS LISETTE PEĂ‘A Graphic Designers OPEN Advertising Manager GRYPHON LAYNE Distribution Manager
DAVE RUDDERHAM SAM LINSTEAD-ATKINSON News Editors KYLE GAUDETTE Sports Editor SHANE FOLEY Campus Life Editor JEN DESROSIERS BRENDAN JACQUES Arts & Entertainment Editors GRYPHON LAYNE Comics Editor MICHAEL PAIGE Multimedia Director JONATHAN SILVERMAN Advisor
Twitter: @UMLConnector Instagram: @UMLConnector Facebook.com/UMLConnector
Staff JACOB BOUCHER RICHARD BUDD MICHAEL CALAMONICI TAYLOR CARITO GEORGE DELUCA COLE FITZGERALD ALEXA HYDE
OWEN JOHNSON HANNAH MANNING SADIE MOORE TYLER O’KEEFE EMILY TOOMEY HENRY ST. PIERRE BENJAMIN ST. PIERRE
Email | Connector@uml.edu Website | www.UMLConnector.com Phone | 978.934.5017 ext. 45017 Address | University Crossing Club Hub Suite #241 220 Pawtucket St. Lowell, MA 01854 General: The UMass Lowell Connector is a non-profit student public forum serving the University of Massachusetts Lowell community. The paper is published weekly and distributed to the university community every Tuesday. Business hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. Please be aware that members of the University community are entitled to free newspapers. Please take one! All UMass Lowell students, regardless of major, are invited to join the Connector staff. Interested students should contact an editor or manager listed above, or visit the Connector Office in University Crossing 241. Advertising: The UMass Lowell Connector advertisements reach an estimated 16,000 UMass Lowell students--their friends and families. To tap this group of
future high-income earners, contact our Advertising Manager at 934-5009. DEADLINE for ALL advertising (TO INCLUDE STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS and ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICES OF THE UNIVERSITY) is Thursday, 12 p.m. for the following Tuesday’s publication. No exceptions will be made. Late submissions WILL NOT be accepted. Classified advertisements are free for students. The UMass Lowell Connector does not endorse, promote or encourage the purchase or sale of any product or service advertised in this publication. Advertisements are the sole responsibility of the advertiser. The UMass Lowell Connector disclaims all liability for any damage suffered as the result of any advertisement in this newspaper. The UMass Lowell Connector reserves the right to refuse any advertising. Editorial: Letters to the editor must be less than 500 words in length and may be
www.UMLConnector.com The Connector meets every Monday at 6 p.m. in University Crossing room 241 in the Club Hub. All are welcome to join! submitted via campus mail, e-mail, or in person. All letters must bear the author’s name, relationship to the University and student body, and a phone number. The author may request to have any part of this information withheld, if published. Opinions expressed in individual columns, the Opinions Section, advertising, and/or features are those of the author, NOT of the Connector. The Opinions and Editorials section will not be edited in any way, to include spelling/grammar mistakes. Submission: The deadline for all submissions (to include Letters to the Editors and Opinions) is Friday at midnight for the following Tuesday’s publication. Submissions must be e-mailed to Marlon_Pitter@student.uml.edu, attached as a Word document (any version). Accompanying visuals must
be submitted separately; do NOT include graphics in Word file. All press releases, articles, advertisements, and photographs submitted become the property of The UMass Lowell Connector and will not be returned. The Connector reserves the right to edit or refuse all submissions for copy, content, and length. The Connector will make every effort to prevent inaccuracy, but assumes no responsibility for errors in advertisements or opinion letters. The Connector will reprint without charge any advertisement which is incorrect. Credit for errors are made only for first insertion.
UM ASS L OWELL C ONNECTOR
January 26, 2016
Page 3
NEWS
Mary McGauvran’s spirit lives on in new Student Center ►Continued from front page
McGauvran did,” Moloney said. Mary McGauvran had a dream that continues to manifest on campus. Chancellor Moloney said, “I personally had the privilege of knowing Dr. McGauvran and benefited greatly from her wisdom and guidance through the years. From the time she joined the faculty in 1952 until her retirement in 1987, she led the way in establishing a student centered University. Mary, who passed away last year, was a friend and mentor to many here on campus.” UMass System President Marty Meehan offered his own tribute to Dr. McGauvran, noting that they bonded over the fact they were both student government presidents in high school. Meehan joked that he barely qualified to attend Lowell State, but Dr. McGauvran mentored him and helped him succeed with his studies. He remembered attending her funeral and thinking about the lives she touched. “This woman positively impacted thousands upon thousands upon thousands of people. What a life and what an impact!” Meehan said that as he walked through the entrance to the new cen-
ter, he was thrilled to see the plaque with Dr. McGauvran’s photograph and a composite of her achievements while at the University. Meehan said, “She would be so proud of this university and that we recognize our history and where we come from. I was so pleased to see it. And new students who come here will get a sense of who Mary McGauvran was and what she was about when they walk in this building.” Dr. McGauvran’s successor and current Vice President of Student Affairs Larry Siegel offered his perspective. “Dr. McGauvran hired me in 1986. I’ll never forget the gleam in her eyes when she spoke about our students like they were her own children. That just captured me. Thirty years later, that characteristic and passion still lives here every day with our faculty and staff. The students really matter. You hear that in every conversation. You hear it in planning meetings. This building in many ways symbolizes that.” Mary’s goddaughter, Michelle Gugliuzza, explained how the building was named after Dr. McGauvran. She said, “It was no surprise that it was the stu-
EARN YOUR MASTER’S IN 1 YEAR
Courtesy Photo
Mary McGauvran was the first Vice President of Student Affairs.
dents themselves that made the recommendation to the Board of Trustees in 1987 to name this building the Mary E. McGauvran Student Union Center. Their petition praised her for her dedication to students for more than 30 years. “They lauded her for her personal interest, enthusiasm, and humanity in working with students. The students voted to present the proposal to (then) President William Hogan for action and the Board of Trustees approved. It was probably the greatest honor that Mary ever received. It was one of many, but it was so meaningful because her students made the recommendation. It was proof that she fulfilled her dream to make a difference in the lives of students. I know she would be so proud and so humbled by this
gathering,” said Gugliuzza. Chancellor Moloney summed up the spirit of the proceedings. “I know that Mary McGauvran would be proud of the legacy that she left us, putting students first, creating the kind of culture that we know is so prevalent on our campus today where faculty and staff are committed to the success of every single student who attends here,” said Moloney.
EARN YOUR M.ED. TUITION FREE. LEARN MORE TODAY. Application Deadline: February 1, 2016
TUITION-FREE FELLOWSHIPS: • Teacher Education Teach K-12 in public and private schools. • Higher Education Become an educational and administrative leader in colleges and universities. • Community Engagement Prepare for careers in the public sector, or in nonprofit, such as youth, family, social service, and volunteer organizations. About the M.Ed. Fellowship Programs: Cover all tuition costs / Provide outstanding field experience / Begin in late May 2016 and end in May 2017 / Open to all academic majors
George Deluca/Connector
The new McGauvran Student Center, pictured here, has opened this semester. WWW.MERRIMACK.EDU/FELLOWSHIPS North Andover, MA
UM ASS L OWELL C ONNECTOR
Page 4
January 26, 2016
CAMPUS LIFE River Hawks After Dark lights up Campus Recreation Center Shane Foley Connector Editor
The Student Government Association and ACE helped Greek Life end Welcome Back day strongly. The Riverhawks After Dark event, held in the Campus Recreation Center, featured many different luxuries that are not excluding an enlarged bouncy house.
“This event met our expectations,” said Malinda Reed, SGA member who helped plan out the event. “Everyone that attended had a lot of fun.” Every organization that contributed to the event made their presence felt in a strong way. “SGA provided a waffle bar, Greek Life hosted raffles and Bingo, there was glow in the dark
Courtesy of UMass Lowell.
River Hawks After Dark saw the CRC become a glow-in-the-dark playground.
ng happeni s ’ t a h W us on camp th?! this mon SUNDAY
JAN/FEB MONDAY
TUESDAY
Latino Americans: 500 Years of History 7 p.m. O’Leary 222
1
Ragtime the Musical 1 p.m. Hanover Theatre
7
and one of the major ways we do this is through working with and supporting as many clubs and organizations as possible,” said Reed. “We always look forward to contributing to other events on campus.” As for the next Riverhawks After Dark, while this year was deemed a success, attendance was an issue. Many people left half way and were trickling out even before the raffle winners were called. Next year’s event might make more efforts to keep more people at the event for a longer period of time. Most people who went enjoyed themselves greatly, however. “Although this event was fun for all, we hope to see more attendance in the future,” said Reed. “However, overall this was a great step in the right direction and SGA is excited to continue their friendship with Greek Life and ACE.”
CAMPUS CALENDAR
26
31
dodgeball, and lots more,” said Reed. Other exciting activities at the event included a glow in the dark air hockey machine and they had scented gel cups that were quite popular. Riverhawks After Dark ran from 9:30pm to 1am, and there were still attendees in the CRC at closing time. Those who stayed long enough till 11 were treated with pizza and beverage as well. According to Reed, SGA wants to make a contribution to future Riverhawks After Dark iterations. “I definitely hope SGA will collaborate with Greek Life and ACE again. We want to build on and improve SGA’s role in Riverhawks After Dark in the future,” said Reed. Riverhawks After Dark is not the only event that SGA wishes to assist in. The organization is actually looking for other events to help sponsor. “Our role as Student Government senators is to serve the student body,
2
Last day to add course with permission number and drop a course without record
8 M.A.L.E.S. General Body Meeting 5 p.m. University Crossing 490
WEDNESDAY
27
THURSDAY
28
4
10 What’s Up Wednesday 3 p.m. University Crossing
30
5
6
Career Cafe 10 a.m. Southwick 240
ASAO General Body Meeting 7 p.m. CRC Meeting Room
9
29
SATURDAY
Men’s Hockey vs Arizona State 7 p.m. Tsongas Center River Hawk Strong Night
What’s Up Wednesday 3 p.m. University Crossing
3
FRIDAY
11
12
13
Career Cafe 10 a.m. Southwick 240
Calendar listings are FREE when space is available. To better ensure your listing’s placement, get your information in two weeks in advance by e-mailing marlon_pitter@student.uml.edu
January 26, 2015
UM ASS L OWELL C ONNECTOR
Page 5
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Movie review: ‘The Revenant’ Henry St. Pierre Connector Staff
2016’s Oscars Ceremony, to be held on Feb. 28, will certainly be interesting to watch. Between the unfortunate reoccurrence of an underrepresentation of minorities and this perhaps being Leonardo DiCaprio’s year when he finally wins his first Academy Award, the event has its fair share of storylines. DiCaprio has been a star for decades now and he is always expected to lead a commanding role in any film in which he is involved. “The Revenant” teams up DiCaprio up with Alejandro G. Iñárritu, the Oscar-winning director of last year’s “Birdman,” to create an intense story of revenge and loss set in the untamed wilderness. In this film set in the 1820s, DiCaprio plays the role of Hugh Glass, a frontiersman who knows the land around the Mountain West and acts as guide to a group of fur traders. Glass has a son with a Pawnee woman, and a main part of the film deals with Glass’s mental split between his fellow white men and with his family’s Native American heritage. Glass is attacked by a bear when alone in the woods and is soon betrayed by his fellow American, John Fitzgerald (Tom Hardy). Glass watches Fitzgerald murder his son while he watches in agony, unable to move due to his injuries. Glass soon recovers enough to be able to walk and fend for himself in the wilderness, and he swears revenge against the man who killed his son. The story of Hugh Glass’s fighting for survival is as much a tale about a human’s will to live as much as it is a story on how dramatically white settlers were impacted by Native Americans, and obviously vice versa. There are many scenes throughout the film depicting Native American life and how settlers came armed with guns and a will for capitalism that destroyed nature and lives. A central metaphor that recurs throughout the film is about a tree in a storm. During a storm, if one looks at the tree’s branches, it appears as though the tree will fall, but looking at the trunk shows the tree is strong and will not fall. This is reminiscent of the plights that Native Americans endured when white people destroyed their lives and lands. The genocide of Native Americans is not something commonly discussed in American society today. The governments and settlers of this coun-
try (mainly American settlers, but the French were shown in “The Revenant” as well) committed heinous atrocities when they emigrated from Europe and slaughtered the continent’s native populations. Settlers and frontiersmen not only killed Native Americans, they also wiped out huge populations of buffaloes and other wildlife that Native Americans depended on for survival, and chopped down forests in the name of white America. DiCaprio’s character plays a role that many men of the era undoubtedly played, a father to a half-Native American child. Many white men of the time not only killed, spread diseases, and ruined the lives of natives, but they also left their genetic marks. Hugh Glass is enraged when the white Fitzgerald kills his son not just because he’s his father, but because it is a representation of the genocide of Native Americans. It is unfortunate that most summaries of “The Revenant” describe the film as a story of survival, with the heroic DiCaprio and villainous Hardy bleeding wild blood and machismo, or simply mention that Leonardo DiCaprio deserves an Oscar for all that he went through when shooting the film. The true message of the movie should be that Americans need to have a serious discussion on what happened back then. The genocide of Native Americans should not, and cannot, be forgotten
Courtesy of 20th Century Fox
Leonardo Dicaprio wearing Marc Jacobs’ new line of red carpet-worthy bear pelts.
‘Star Wars’ review ►Continued from front page It was a fear of mine that the characters of Luke (Mark Hamill), Han (Harrison Ford) and Leia (Carrie Fischer) would outshine the new cast. Thanks to the writing and the actors, this is not the case and the new characters are able to hold a candle to their predecessors. Rey, Finn, Kylo Ren (Adam Driver), and Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac) are just as engaging and likable as Luke, Han, and Leia were in the original three films. Well, maybe likable isn’t the best word to describe Kylo Ren. The tone and execution of the movie is done in a similar manner to director J.J. Abrams’s renditions of “Star Trek,” with amusing action and engaging adventure at every turn. In terms of the most iconic action aspect of these movies, the lightsaber fights, I would say that the battle at the end
any longer. Americans seem to have no problems discussing some disgusting parts of our collective past, such as slavery, segregation and the heyday of the Ku Klux Klan. So why is it that the genocide of Native Americans is rarely discussed? “The Revenant” is an entertaining film, a well-made depiction of what a human will do when weathering death’s storm. However, the film’s real message is that we destroyed Native Americans. America is not truly our country - these lands were never white until Europeans used deadly force and said they would be. Leonardo DiCaprio is known for his involvement in social and environmental issues, and at the end of his acceptance speech for his Golden Globe for Best Actor in “The Revenant”, he said that “it is time that we heard [indigenous peoples’] voice(s) and protected this planet for future generations.” DiCaprio knows that the film’s message involves the indigenous plight, and it is now time for Americans to care. We need to acknowledge that our ancestors were responsible for the genocide of this land’s natives, and the least we can do is actually talk about it. We need to hope for a future where all voices can be listened to – not just heard - and protected while developing a sustainable relationship with nature.
of “The Force Awakens” is the best choreographed one of the entire franchise. It utilizes the simple fighting style of the original movies with the quicker movement that the duels in the prequels had. I said above that the movie was exactly what people wanted, but it is also exactly what it needed to be. It needed to be a movie that could introduce “Star Wars” to an entirely new generation while simultaneously keeping a hold of the audience who saw and loved the movie almost forty years prior. It also needed to prove, especially after the prequels, that the movies were in competent hands. Considering the fact that the writers and actors got us to care about a stormtrooper and an X-wing pilot in about five minutes of screen time tells me the people in charge know what they’re doing.
‘Death of a Bachelor’ review Michael Paige Connector Editor
With 2016 just beginning, Brendon Urie and company, dropped their fifth studio album, Death of a Bachelor. This album is Panic! At the Disco’s first album without longtime drummer and friend Spencer Smith since his departure from the band in early 2015. His absence is very apparent on this album as front man Brendon Urie uses his broad vocal range to do all the singing on the album. Despite this though, the quality of Death of a Bachelor is on par with every other album Panic! At the Disco has put out in their over decade long journey. Coming off their more electric pop centric album Too Weird To Live, Too Rare To Die!, this album brings a larger variety of styles calling back to albums like Pretty. Odd. and Vices and Virtues. These many musical flavors complement Urie’s wide vocal range; from his baritone ballads like
“Impossible Year” to the big band styled “Crazy=Genius” and Panic’s bread and butter, pop-punk singles like “Victorious” and “Hallelujah” Death of a Bachelor tells an intricate story with each song. Some stories are more debaucherous like “Don’t Threaten Me With a Good Time”, detailing the morning after a party everyone’s had. But some stories like “Impossible Year” shows off Brendon Urie lyrical talent in describing how you feel when the world turns it back on you with a song that is so easy to sympathize with. Each track hits you hard with emotions stemming from layers and layers of instruments ranging from the basic guitars riffs and drumrolls of an earlier era to an orchestra of horns, pianos mixed with modern drum machines. And it’s with these emotions and stories that leads you to play the album over and over again.
Page 6
January 26, 2016
UM ASS L OWELL C ONNECTOR
SPORTS
Deflategate a year later: How have the Pats fared? Alex Salucco Connector Contributor
Last Monday marked the one year anniversary of the Indianapolis Colts’ temper tantrum more commonly known as Deflategate. My stance has been the same all along. I believe Tom Brady was “more than generally aware,” however, he is still the most prolific quarterback the game has ever seen. From the time the first report came out, I have been Brady’s harshest critic. During that time, I have also maintained that none of what they have been accused of doing were worthy of the penalties that were handed down to them. I am a firm believer that if you bend the rules, no matter how small of an offence, you must pay the price. I have a hard time believing that a man that was called “the deflator” in a text message was in fact called that because he was trying to lose weight. I have a hard time believing that a quarterback, one that takes pride in his attention to detail, could not tell that the ball had less PSI. Most importantly, I have a hard time believing that Bill Belichick, Tom Brady, and the New England Patriots would leave something up to chance.
Bill has always thought he was the smartest guy in the room, Spygate and the 2014 AFC Divisional Playoff game against the Ravens are prime examples. This will eventually be proBrady and the Patriots, but not yet. The lengths to which Patriot diehards go to justify the actions of everyone involved in the scandal, Tom in particular, are laughable. I understand that he is the golden boy with the immaculate jaw line who can do no wrong, but that doesn’t make him immune to the rules; no matter how silly those rules may seem to some. To me, there is only one somewhat justifiable reason for Brady to do what he did, everybody does it. Of course, well established quarterbacks will never admit to it, as that always seems to be the guys who have underwhelmed and were never that good. Even Shaquille O’Neal and Phil Jackson admitted to deflating basketballs to prevent teams from easy fast breaks. Things like this happen every day in sports. HGH runs rampant in baseball and football, multiple teams pump crowd noise through speakers on a regular basis, some receivers even use stickem…cough cough…Jer-
Joe Robbins/Getty Images
Brady and Bill Belichick dealt with an offseason full of controversy.
ry Rice. My point is this; rules lose their importance when everyone decides to circumvent them. Let’s get in to the statistics, shall we? With Brady playing a full season, all eyes were on him and the Patriots. Those same eyes were focused on statistics. Statistics that, now with monitored levels of PSI, would either sway one way or the other. According to Pro Football Reference, the Patriots fumbled a total of fourteen times this season and lost seven of those. With further inspection, I learned that four of those fumbles were on special teams. The balls used on those plays are called K-balls; they are only to be used for kickoffs and punts. After subtracting those, the Patriots of-
fense fumbled ten times while only losing four. The offense in 2014 fumbled eleven times, and lost the same amount as this year, four. The one year sample, albeit not enough to determine whether or not the air was a factor, results in a victory for New England. Proving that deflated footballs were not a factor, Brady, at age 38, had one of his best seasons in the league. The former Michigan Wolverine had a higher completion percentage while throwing more attempts than he did in the previous season. Not only did he throw for more yards, but he threw three more touchdowns than 2014; his thirty-six were tied for the league lead. He threw two less interceptions, had a better quarterback rating, and
his 1.1 interception percentage was good enough to lead the league. Oh, and by the way, his team was plagued with injuries this year. Gronkowski missed one game, Blount went down in week twelve, Amendola sat for two, Dion Lewis has been out since the midway point in the season, Lafell missed the team’s first five, and Edelman missed the teams last seven. But that still does not even begin to explain the troubles of the team, as the offensive line has been in shambles all season. Brady has played a stellar season with thirty-seven, yes thirty-seven, different offensive line combinations. If you want to give Brady an asterisk for every game he played before last year’s Super Bowl, go ahead, I don’t have a problem with it. One could make the argument that he deserves it. But if you do that, he still has one ring, last year’s Super Bowl, and is on his way to a second. I believe we are seeing the second coming of Tom Brady, and last offseason did not deflate his confidence. This first season without needing deflated balls only deflates the ego of the smartest guy in the room, Bill Belichick.
Hayner nets career-high 19, River Hawks falter at UNH, 65-61 UMass Lowell Athletics
DURHAM, N.H. – Nicole Hayner (Bedford, N.H.) scored a career-high 19 points, but the UMass Lowell (315, 0-6) women's basketball team had another fourth quarter comeback fall short and fell, 65-61, to the New Hampshire Wildcats (7-11, 1-4), Thursday night. "I thought we played tough in the last five minutes of the game and we needed that for the first 35 minutes," said Head Coach Jenerrie Harris. "To play a game like this and still only lose by four points shows a lot about what kind of game this could have been, and who we could be as a team." The River Hawks entered the fourth trailing 43-33, and were down by as many as 12, 50-38, with 7:12 remaining. With the Wildcats holding an 11-point lead with just over four minutes left when UMass Lowell started to gain momentum. Kayla Gibbs (Teaneck, N.J.) and Hayner spearheaded a 9-2 run to trim the deficit to 58-53 heading into the final two minutes. The junior added her fourth three of the final frame to trim the New Hampshire lead to 62-58 with
Courtesy of UMass Lowell Athletics
Nicole Hayner is averaging a career best 10.6 pointe per game for the River Hawks.
18.7 clicks on the clock, and Lindsey Doucette (Hopkinton, Mass.) added a triple to bring the River Hawks within 64-61 with 12 seconds remaining. The Wildcats hit one of two free throws to ice the game, and prevented UMass Lowell on getting a quality attempt off before the buzzer sounded. Elizabeth Belanger led all scorers with 32 points, the only New Hampshire player in double figures. Hayner scored 12 points in the final frame as the River Hawks scored a season-high 28 points in the period. Doucette added nine to finish with 18, and Gibbs recorded her fifth
double-double of the season with 10 points and 10 boards. Nicole Riddick (Albany, N.Y.) tied her season-high with nine points. Trailing 8-3 in the middle stages of the first quarter, the River Hawks used a 7-0 run, capped off by a Lindsey Doucette (Hopkinton, Mass.) three-pointer to take their first lead of the game at 10-8. Coming out of the first media timeout, Doucette added a jumper but the Wildcats countered with a 5-0 run to end the period and take a 15-14 lead into the second. The UNH run continued until Gibbs hit a free throw with 6:16 remaining
in the first half, cutting the deficit to 21-15. With Asia Mitchell-Owens (Roxbury, Mass.) at the line and hitting her first free throw, the second shot rimmed out but Katherine Smith (Fort Wayne, Ind.) was there for the offensive board and put back to bring the guests within 23-18. The Wildcats would score four of the final six points of the half to bring a 27-20 advantage into the locker rooms. Down by double-digits in the third, Riddick scored five-straight points, including a traditional three-point play, to cut the Wildcat lead to 32-27. Peyton Booth ended the spurt with a three-pointer to extend the advantage back to 35-27. The River Hawks shot 47.1 percent (24-51) from the field, compared to the Wildcats' 40.3 percent (25-62). New Hampshire held the advantage from the charity stripe, however, shooting 10-of-17 to UMass Lowell's 6-of-10. The River Hawks return home for as three-game home stand, hosting the Binghamton Bearcats in a Tsongas Center doubleheader with the men's team. Tip is set for 11 a.m.
UM ASS L OWELL C ONNECTOR
January 26, 2016
Page 7
SPORTS
River Hawks split weekend series ► Continued from front page
timeouts it breaks the game up into segments. For us it’s a form to use all four lines and get some flow to the game, and I thought we were establishing that flow in the third period.” The fatigued showed from Friday’s game as the puck dropped to start the contest. Each team killed off a penalty and fired nine shots on goal in the first period, but heading into intermission the scoreboard had not budged. The Friars struck first midway through the second when Brandon Tanev netted his tenth goal of the season on a power play. The lead would not last the
period, however, as Jake Kamrass tied the score with just a minute left. Kamrass gathered a floating puck at his offensive blue line, and was able to steady it before firing a devastating wrister that beat Ellis top-shelf. Friday’s game was a 4-2 win by the Friars that was in large part due to a three goal outburst by Providence in the first period. The River Hawks outscored them 2-1 in the next two periods. With how Saturday night’s game unfolded, one can argue that UMass Lowell won five out of the six periods of hockey played this weekend. “I think we just took a deep breath and tried to
UP CO MI N G
River Hawk Games 11 a.m.
WBB vs. Albany
Wednesday, Jan. 27 7 p.m.
MBB at Albany
Wednesday, Jan. 27
Friday, Jan. 29
7 p.m. Hockey vs. Arizona St.
Friday, Jan. 29
2 p.m. .MXCTF at B.U.
Friday, Jan. 29
2 p.m.
Sunday, Jan. 30
7 p.m.
WXCTF at B.U. Hockey vs. Arizona St.
For more sports information and full game schedules visit goriverhawks.com Bradel
not get frustrated,” said Kapla. “A 0-3 start can be a little frustrating, but (Providence) is a good team and we just had to re-focus and get back at it.” With the win, the River Hawks are now 10-3-3 in America East competition. They stand alone in first place in the conference with 23 points, which is one point more than Notre Dame and Boston College. UMass Lowell has 10 games remaining before the Hockey East tournamnet begins. The River Hawks have a non-conference matchup at home Friday against Arizona State at 7 pm. Courtesy of UMass Lowell Athletics
The River Hawks scored twice in the third period to split their weekend series against No. 3 ranked Providence.
River Hawks on wrong end of buzzer Kyle Gaudette Connector Editor
One cannot take anything for granted in the America East Conference. For a team that played its best game defensively and shot 55 percent from the floor, quite simply, this one had to hurt. Daniel Dion’s moonshot of a three off an inbound with 2.2 seconds left gave the UNH Wildcats (10-8) a 78-76 victory over UMass Lowell (7-12) at the Tsongas Center Thursday night. “It’s an awful feeling,” said UMass Lowell head coach Pat Duquette. “Your heart drops. Especially when you play as well as we did I think we deserved a better outcome. But it happens. It happens in really good basketball games which we had tonight.” What looked to be comfortable UMass Lowell victory turned into a nail biting, instant classic down the stretch.
The Wildcats led 75-74 when Tyler Livingston put back an Isaac White missed layup and got fouled on the play. Livingston could not convert the three-point-play, and UNH called a timeout with 11 seconds left. The River Hawks played stingy defense on Wildcat leading scorer Tanner Leissner, who missed a contested layup after the timeout. The ball was deflected out of bounds with 2.2 seconds left, and the refs originally gave possession to UMass Lowell. With under two minutes remaining, the referees reviewed the play and ultimately switched possession to UNH. Dion caught the inbound three feet beyond the arc, and nearly hit the rafters with a shot that swished as the final horn sounded. “I was afraid they were gonna do what they were doing all night and throw it inside,” said Duquette. “Ironically they beat us with a three-pointer. That kid Dion hit a great shot.”
Courtesy of UMass Lowell Athletics
Mark Cornelius drives to the basket in what was a career scoring night for him.
Josh Gantz recorded three of the River Hawks five blocked shots, and was part of a strong defensive effort by UMass Lowell all night. However, the Wildcats out-rebounded the home team 47-25, which included 18 offensive rebounds. The River Hawks controlled the game nearly the whole way; leading 36 minutes of play while UNH only led for two minutes. The Wildcats were able to hang around by pounding the ball inside and getting to the free throw line, something they did 34 times on the night. UMass Lowell only got to the line 14 times. Leissner led the Wildcats, and all scorers, with 27 points. Mark Cornelius had a career high 18 points to lead UMass Lowell. “I’ve been trying to be more aggressive early in the games,” said Cornelius. “I have to keep doing that and continue to look for my offense more.” The River Hawks were simply on fire in the first half. Cornelius led the way with 12 points in the first twenty minutes, and UMass Lowell shot 69.2 percent to UNH’s 34.4 percent from the field during the frame. It was a 42-33 lead for the home team heading into the break. UMass Lowell set the tone from the first possession. After the ball touched all five UMass Lowell players, Jahad Thomas got it in the post and hit a fade away jumper over UNH center Iba Camara. After a stop on defense, Thomas hit another basket to
give Lowell a quick 4-0 lead. Thomas picked up two early fouls which forced him to sit extended minutes. The two teams traded buckets up until a pair of threes from White and Livingston gave the River Hawks some breathing room. The River Hawks improved upon their shooting percentage early in the second half to stretch the led to 14 which was the largest it ever got. Thomas, a huge offensive and defensive presence in the paint for the River Hawks, picked up two more early fouls. UNH sensed blood when Thomas exited, and used UMass Lowell’s interior fatigue down the stretch to begin their run. “Some of it was right around when Jahad picked up his fourth foul,” said Duquette. “They started pounding the ball inside, and we were thin inside. Josh and Tyler did a great job and worked their tails off, but they can only sustain it for so long.” Livingston finished with 15 points, and Thomas added 13 points with six boards. White had 11 points with three assists and a team-leading two steals. With the loss, UMass Lowell dropped to an even 3-3 in America East Conference play. This mark puts them fifth in the conference. The River Hawks will get ready for another conference matchup against Binghamton Sunday at the Tsongas Center at 1 p.m.