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‘Kingsman: The Secret Service’ movie review â–ş Page 4

THE UMASS LOWELL

Serving the Student Body Since 1976

March 3, 2015

River Hawks close season with 2-2 tie against Vermont

In This Issue ‘Unnecessary Farce’ OBP production preview

â–ş Page 4

Shane Foley

Black History Month recap

Connector Editor

â–ş Page 6

NBA trade deadline winners and losers â–ş Page 7

Final River Hawk Scores Team

Score

M. Ice Hockey vs. UVM

T 2-2

Overall Record

L 6-14

M. Lacrosse vs. Wagner College

L 6-12

W. Lacrosse vs. Iona College Softball vs. E. Michigan University

L 0-3

18-10-6 0-3 0-3 8-7

In the last contest of the regular season, the UMass Lowell Men’s Hockey team tied with the Vermont Catamounts by a score of 2-2. The tie puts the River Hawks in 4th in Hockey East going into the tournament.

The River Hawks put their defense on display Saturday night. While Vermont out shot them 26-15, goalie Kevin Boyle only gave up two goals.

Christopher Tran/Connector

â–şSee Hockey, page 7

Samuels, McRoy to wrap up college basketball careers Pair of star guards reflect on, look forward to basketball and life Marlon Pitter Connector Editor

After two years of Division I competition for the UMass Lowell women’s basketball team, star guards Shannon Samuels and Jasmine McRoy will play their final game for the River Hawks Tuesday night.

The pair have played for the River Hawks for the last two seasons, which, according to Director of Athletics Dana Skinner, gave the team “the ability to compete at a Division I level immediately.â€? â–şSee Basketball, page 8

Justin Soderberg/Mill City Sports

Justin Soderberg/Mill City Sports

Muslim Student Association holds vigil for Chapel Hill shooting victims Dave Rudderham Connector Editor

One by one, students walked up to a podium to speak out against the violent acts that took place at Chapel Hill. Behind them, a screen projector displayed a large article from CNN that detailed the murders.

In Chapel Hill, N.C., Deah Barakat, 23, Yusor Abu-Salha, 21, and Razan Abu-Salha,19, were all shot dead with gun wounds to the head. Although the Chapel Hill Po-

Sections

lice department indicated that shooting was the result an escalated situation involving a parking dispute with a neighbor, many have called for investigators to look for an anti-Muslim bias as the cause.

The suspect is Craig Stephen Hicks, an atheist and gun rights advocate that was known to dispute with his neighbors and post anti-religious rhetoric on Facebook. The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Department of Justice are launching independent investigations.

General........................ 2 Campus Life.................. 6 News............................. 3 Sports........................... 7 A&E.............................. 4

â–şSee MSA, page 3 MSA students line up to sign a poster in memory of Deah Barakat, Yusor Abu-Salha and Razan Abu-Salha.

March 3, 2015

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THE UMASS LOWELL

Twitter: @UML_Connector Serving the Student Body Since 1976

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UMASS LOWELL CONNECTOR

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March 3, 2015

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NEWS

Writers on Campus: Claudia Rankine Samuel Linstead-Atkinson Connector Editor

As an installment in the Writers on Campus series, Claudia Rankine, acclaimed poet, and the Henry G. Lee Professor of English at Pomona College in California, read from her collection, “Citizen: An American Lyric” to an audience at O’Leary Library.

She explained the meaning behind several poems before reading and relating them to her own experiences, art and stories she had been told. “The project of ‘Citizen’ was in many ways collaborative,” she said.

“I knew that I knew what it was like to live in a black body in American society, but I wondered if what I knew was similar to what other black and brown bodies knew. I asked friends to tell me stories, and many of those stories became this book.”

One shorter poem in “Citizen” held the story of black woman who attended a therapy appointment only to be met at the door with bitterness and to be mistaken for someone other than a patient because Samuel Linstead-Atkinson/Connector of her skin color.

These sort of “micro-aggressions against Poet, Claudia Rankine, explains her choice in artwork for her new book, “Citizen: An American Lyric” black and brown bodies,” said Rankine, to include artwork in her collection as one contrib- being in a liminal space.” David Hammons, was an “[can be translated] to the macro-aggresuting to an overarching structure of the book. example, she said, of “visual artists investigating sions; the killing of black men.” She defined these “I wanted this book to have periods of rest that race in more dynamic ways than writers are.” aggressions in context as being anything from didn’t allow you to look away,” she said. She Rankine also answered questions from students superficial and offhand to hateful and intentional. explained that each image woven into the text was and faculty and elaborated on the creative process.

Recent tragedies not limited to Michael Brown, intended to “take the subject up in its own way.” “[Poetry] speaks to a kind of incoherency in exisJames Craig Anderson and Trayvon Martin were By a similar system, she insisted during publication tence,” she said. “It’s not telling stories; it’s existing brought into the conversation and cited as inspiration for various pieces in the book. She noted, that each image would sit at the end of the page, so inside realms of feeling—realms of seeing.”

While she has written plays and essays and edited however, that much of her work comes from social as to “stop the reader from leaving.”

One such piece entitled, “Concerto in Black and anthologies, she still considers herself a poet.“It [is] observation and everyday experience. “I write about Blue,” by David Hammons—adapted from a walk- the one genre that allow[s] for feeling and affect, the culture I live in,” she said.

Her collection is also interposed with pieces by in exhibit in New York City—is an image of people rather than just story.” visual artists, varying from photography to artwork with blue flashlights in a dark, blue room. She deemploying animal hides. She explained the decision scribed the exhibit as “a really interesting way of

MSA students speak out against violence ►Continued from front page

Hate has not been ruled out as a motivator.

“I don’t know anyone who would kill over a parking dispute. It was a hate crime,” said one student after walking up to the podium. Candles were lit around a sign that him and the other members of the Muslim Student Association (MSA) would sign.

Many of the speakers at the vigil called for an open dialogue with non-Muslims to correct a dishonest portrayal they have received from the media. “Don’t fight back. Invite them to a Mosque, invite them to an MSA meeting,” said Ameer Hamza.

Questions loomed about what could be done to prevent other similar violent acts from happening, not just to Muslims, but any violent act against a person for their faith or skin color. A Facebook post from the MSA was donned with the hashtag #ALLLIVESMATTER. “As portrayed in the news and social media, it saddens me as a Muslim because I’m a good representation of my religion but it is still in the back of my head ‘Could I have done something?’”said one speaker. Later he mentioned the hashtag and the philosophy behind its origins. “We shouldn’t be ignorant because lives are all equally equal.”

Fighting back against hate rhetoric has been a long battle. Ann Ciaraldi, the associate dean of students for Compliance and Violence Prevention, has had a history of fighting such battles. She has not recently dealt with any specific acts of violence against the Muslim community on campus although that doesn’t necessarily mean they don’t happen, she said.

“People become victims but they’re silent about it,” said Ciaraldi. “I’ve been doing this for 25 years so I have some horror stories, particularly from 2001 and a few years out.”

Ciaraldi has been particularly outspoken against the rhetoric that’s been used against Muslims not just by fellow students but also by administration. She was against UMass Amherst’s initial policy of not allowing Iranian students to take classes involving nuclear physics due to a conflict of interest with U.S. policy.

The state department had to step in, which allowed UMass Amherst to reverse their decision that they were criticized for.

“These types of laws have been passed since the Patriot Act and not only does this law affect people coming into this country to study, these types of laws affect everyone,” said Ciaraldi.

Ciaraldi also says that the Chapel Hill shooting was the direct result of racism. Racism knows no boundaries and isn’t only specific to one kind of person.

That’s according to the vice president of the senior class, Paige Lane.

“I feel like they’re just more open about it down there,” said Lane about racism in the south versus the north. Lane believes that the Chapel Hill shooting could have easily happened somewhere else like here in Massachusetts due to racism.

“I think it could happen here. I’ve heard some things here. Trust me, there are racists here, they just hide it better,” said Lane. Ameer had agreed saying “we can’t stereotype the south. This guy [Craig Stephens Hicks] was clearly crazy.”

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March 3, 2015

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Time to evolve:

Connector Staff

The month of February has been a tumultuous time for video game releases, to say the least. This month saw the release of both “The Order: 1886” and “Evolve,” two highly anticipated games each set to be the start of their own franchises and acting as the first truly great games of the current console generation. Unfortunately, in the opinions of many consumers, neither game was able to live up to the expectations placed upon them. But what’s interesting about this is that they failed in the eyes of the consumers not because either one was bad, but because they were both far shorter than they should have been.

Game length has always been a touchy subject in games media, with just as many people declaring that they will only play games that will give them an average hours-per-dollar value as there are people who demand quality at any length it may come. Personally, I feel that games should be exactly as long as they should be in order to give the best possible experience to the player. There’s certainly something to be said in favor of games you can sink hundreds of hours into and still find something new to do, but not every game needs to be like that and most shouldn’t be like that. To put it simply, if I was given the choice between an amazing game that’s eight hours long and a good game that’s 30 hours long, I would more often than not choose the shorter game that I would enjoy more.

Having said that, I do feel it is completely legitimate for games to be judged as worthy of purchase based on their runtime. Gaming as a whole is an incredibly

expensive hobby with a higher barrier of entry than most other forms of media, so it’s completely natural for people to choose longer games over shorter ones in order to get the most bang for their buck.

To give an example, I consider “Spec Ops: The Line” to be one of my favorite games of all time, but even if I knew that when it was released, I probably still wouldn’t have paid full price for an experience that would be completed in a single weekend.

Unfortunately, the majority agreed with me on that front when it came to sales.

Regardless of whether it’s fair or not, the audience will support whatever can give them the best possible deal, and the majority agrees that, as it stands now, “The Order” and “Evolve” don’t give that deal.

However, what developers need to change in order to seem valuable in the eyes of the consumer is not necessarily the amount of content, but rather the price that content is offered at.

To clarify, I’m not suggesting that the standard $60 game price should be completely abolished, but rather that publishers be more lenient with the price based on how much content and staying power the game has to offer. While this initially sounds like it would be a terrible idea since it could mean less of a profit for the developers, it could also lead to increased interest in the discounted product and greater total sales as a result, especially when the game isn’t garnering much attention to begin with.

Coming back to my “Spec Ops” example from earlier, customers didn’t give the game the slightest thought when it was first released and it was a commercial failure, but bumping the price at launch

down to $40 or $50 instead of the usual $60 might have given the title the consumer interest it so desperately needed and might have save the similarly-lengthened “The Order” from the same fate.

Re-thinking the standard price for AAA games may also change the public’s current reaction to day-one DLC and micro-transactions. Since their introduction in the height of the “App Store era,” micro-transactions have been considered a cancer of modern game design because of their insistence on bullying the player into paying more for content they already have access to. Many people consider dayone DLC (downloadable content available at the same time as the main game) to be just as bad because it seems like the developer is purposefully cutting content from the main game to sell separately for even more money. The most recent example of this is “Evolve,” which launched with about $135-worth of DLC available alongside the main game, which many critics justifiably criticized the game for.

With this in mind, I would bet that “Evolve” would also benefit from a small price drop at launch, not only to bring more attention to a new IP that needs it,

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Madmen with manners: ‘Kingsman: The Secret Service’

Why the standardized gaming price is becoming obsolete Brendan Jacques

March 3, 2015

but also as a sign of good faith to consumers, who would in turn be more lenient and accepting of their DLC practices.

While the idea of an ever-flexible core price for video games may seem a little far-fetched at first, it’s not like it’s a new idea at all. As a result of the so-called “App Store Era” as well as the growing prevalence of indie games, game prices have been more lenient and prone to experimentation than they ever have been in the past. I sincerely doubt we would even be having this discussion without all the smaller-but-equally-enjoyable games that have flooded the market in the past several years, and publishers owe it to themselves to consider that changing market when selling their product.

I know that a move such as decreasing a game price at launch is incredibly risky and might not seem like a path worth taking - heck, it’s a concept so rarely explored in AAA gaming that there’s very little concrete evidence to support it - but, as I said earlier, the audience will support whatever they feel gives them the best deal, and having that audience support can go a long way.

thing.

With such a great threat emerging, it’s up to the Kingsman to make sure Valentine’s plan doesn’t get executed.

If “James Bond” met “Kick-Ass,” had a child and then Lucky for us, this means we get to witness some spectacgave that child a bulletproof suit, you’d get “Kingsman: ular action set pieces fixed to some interesting choice of The Secret Service.” Sure, you can make comparisons all music, ranging from Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Freebird” to KC over, but the similarities are mostly superficial. The film & The Sunshine Band’s “Give It Up.” One action scene certainly takes inspiration from movies like “Kick-Ass” in particular is so relentlessly brutal that I’m not sure I’ll & “James Bond,” but the characters will kindly see a more memorable mess of violence this year. remind you that, “This just isn’t that kind of movWith its over-the-top action sequences and ie.” crazy plot line, one of the strongest aspects of The story centers around Eggsy, a young adult this film is its pacing. I always thought Matthew living in South London with his mother and baby Vaughn did a fantastic job with that aspect in sister. Life isn’t too pleasant as he dropped out of “X-Men: First Class,” and that skill of his is clearthe Royal Marines to look after his family, espely visible in “Kingsman.” There isn’t a moment cially his mother who’s an apparent wreck and wasted here as every minute is dedicated to our is constantly hanging around the local bar thugs. entertainment. The humor always hits, the action Without spoiling much, after a night of bad dealways satisfies and the few plot twists and turns cision-making, Eggsy gets arrested and is quickare small, but effective. The cast’s performances ly bailed out by secret agent Harry Hart. Harry are solid all-around, especially by the charming gives Eggsy the opportunity of a lifetime: to folyoung lead Taron Edgerton in what I believe is his low in his deceased father’s footsteps and become breakout role. a Kingsman.

When I spend my hard-earned dollars on a movie Colin Firth goes from “King’s Speech” to ticket, I mainly look for one thing: entertainment.

“Kingsman” as Harry, or codename “Galahad.”

“Kingsman: The Secret Service” is heavy on the Firth gives us a genuinely fun performance, one entertainment factor. Seriously, I loved this movie Courtesy of 20th Century Fox I haven’t quite seen before by the talented actor. Colin Firth stars as Harry, codenamed Galahad, in “Kingsman.” and it’s my first must-see of the year. There wasn’t He’s cool, calm, quick-witted and deadly. But a moment where I wasn’t having fun; when the above all, like he says in the film, he’s a gentleman. Mark is extremely concerned with the issue of global warming credits rolled, I was instantly demanding a sequelFrom Strong and Michael Caine round out the notable agents and believes he’s found the solution to it. This would be the looks on the Internet, we just might be getting one. as Merlin and Arthur. Merlin specializes in computer good news only if his plan wasn’t so downright diabolihacking (and apparently clipboard-handling), while the cal and straight-up insane. Jackson’s performance as the Final Grade: A aged Arthur basically sits back and collects intel. The deranged villain is hilarious, and the best part about his Kingsmen are a force for good and have kept their se- character is that he genuinely thinks he’s doing the right Andrew Haverty Connector Staff

UML OBP presents ‘Unnecessary Farce,’ opening this weekend Off-Broadway Players

‘You Gotta Love the Life’: Melissa Manchester at UML last Saturday

LOWELL, Mass. - The University of Massachusetts Lowell Off-Broadway Players presents Unnecessary Farce, by Paul Slade Smith. The production is directed by Frances Saxton.

Performances will be March 5, 6, 7 at 7:30pm and March 8 at 12:00pm at The Comely Lane Theater, Mahoney Hall, UMass Lowell South Campus: 870 Broadway St. Lowell, MA 01851.

UMass Lowell music student and Connector contributor, Nick Quigley, was able to attend this past Saturday’s event that benefitted the Joyce Pang String Scholarship Fund for the UMass Lowell String Project.

The full article and pictures from the event can be found at www.umlconnector.com

Cops, Crooks, and Kilts? Oh My! “In a cheap motel room, an embezzling mayor is supposed to meet with his female accountant, while in the room next-door, two undercover cops wait to catch the meeting on videotape. But there’s some confusion as to who’s in which room, who’s being videotaped, who’s taken the money, who’s hired a hit man, and why the accountant keeps taking off her clothes.” –Playscripts Inc. It is a world of mayhem and mistaken identity and for mature audiences only!

The Off-Broadway Players are excited to welcome Frances Saxton, of the Changeling Theater Company to UMass Lowell. “We are used to seeing images of seriousness, anger and sorrow. We hear about it in the radio and anytime we turn on the television.

This play is not that. This play will

Courtesy of Randee St. Nicholas

Manchester’s 20th album, “You Gotta Love the Life,” was released Feb. 10.

For more information about Mothers of Rock and MEISA, visit facebook.com/umlmeisa

cret society undercover for generations, saving lives and taking out bad guys all while remaining under the radar.

Their primary concern shifts towards a billionaire named Valentine, played by the always-amazing Samuel L. Jackson. Valentine is a Bill Gates of sorts with a more vibrant personality and choice of clothing, and a comical lisp especially when telling others he can’t understand them because they “talk so funny.” Valentine

make you cackle, cry and slap your thigh. You will leave the theater having not learnt anything and having not changed one bit. ‘Unnecessary Farce’ will suck you in and spit you out. I am honored to be directing such a talented group of actors.” –Frances Saxton, Director.

Ticket prices are $10 for adults and $5 for students, seniors, and military personnel. Tickets will be sold at the door.

The Off-Broadway Players are the official student-run theatre group of the University of Massachusetts Lowell. The group produces shows and workshops each year while collaborating with theatre faculty and other student organizations to promote student activity on campus and generate an interest in theatre and the arts.

For more information please contact the Off-Broadway Players at umloffbroadwayplayers@gmail.com.

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March 3, 2015

CAMPUS LIFE UMass Lowell celebrates Black History Month Lindy Reed Connector Staff

February may be over, but Black History events at UMass Lowell are still going strong.

The Office of Multicultural Affairs organized the 4th Annual MLK Dinner, honoring the famous civil rights activist Martin Luther King.

This included Day of Service, where a campus-wide collection of 300 children’s books form Students Affairs cumulated in the distribution of these books to students and staff who hand wrote individual messages to their recipients.

The personalized books were sent to JumpStart, an organization that

recruits and trains college students to help preschool children in low-income neighborhoods succeed.

JumpStart then donated the books to children in need. Day of Service participants also wrote notes to Lowell General Hospital patients.

Other recent events included a screening of the film “Selma” to students, followed by a post-show discussion about the meaning of the movie, and working with local elementary and middle schools, showcasing students’ artwork and creative writing. A distinguished service award ceremony accompanied this, rescheduled from January due to inclement weather.

The last Black History Month event in February was the Freedom Riders event showing, again followed by an interactive community discussion reflecting on the documentary and its significance. This talk focused on linking the past to the present, analyzing the struggle of African Americans and understanding how their plight has shaped society today.

To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the passing of the Voting Rights Act, UMass is hosting a series of artistic, cinematic, musical, and inspiring occasions.

Leslie Wong, the director of the Office of Multicultural Affairs, said she encourages students to become

engaged with these Black History Month events.

“Black History, as well as our all histories, shape our current experiences today,” said Wong. “Our civil liberties and rights, such as access to education, housing, fair labor standards, voting, etc. were not necessarily given, but rather fought for and hard won. It is important to understand how and why we’re here now and the difference that each of us can continue to make to ensure our ability to live in a just society.”

Upcoming events commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act Matt Herron “Selma to Montgomery Photo Exhi- March 23-April 30 bition” (opening reception March 30, 5 p.m.)

Callie Crossley March 26, 4 p.m.

Civil Rights Film Series March 27-30

Professor Jason Sokol University Orchestra Spring Concert Day Without Violence Charles Cobb & Judy Richardson

April 2, 4 p.m.

April 10, 7:30 p.m.

April TBA April 30, 4 p.m.

UCrossing 480 O’Leary Learning Commons Luna Theater Mill No. 5 250 Jackson St. Downtown Lowell Dugan 104 Durgin Concert Hall O’Leary Learning Commons O’Leary Learning Commons

Events on campus this week Tuesday, Mar. 3 The Refugees of Shangri-La: The Untold Story of the Bhutanese Refugees: Massachusetts is home to a growing number of Bhutanese refugees. “The Refugees of Shangri-La” (http://www.therefugeesofshangrila.com/) tells the story of how the Kingdom of Bhutan, sandwiched between the supergiants of China and India, has produced one of the highest numbers of refugees in the world in proportion to its population. Since 1991, over one sixth of Bhutan’s people have sought asylum. Post-show discussion with the filmmakers and Suraj Budathoki, Executive Director of the International Campaign for Human Rights in Bhutan. Cosponsored by the Center for Asian American Studies, the Global Studies Program, Peace and Conflict Studies, the English Department, and the Dean of FAHSS. For further information, contact CAAS@uml.edu.

Time: 5 p.m. - 7 p.m.

Location: O’Leary Library 222 Organization: English; Fine Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences; Peace And Conflict; Global Studies

Wednesday, Mar. 4 Flickers Film Festival: This activity, organized by the Department of World Languages and Cultures, is sponsored by the French Consulate in Boston and the Rhode Island International Film Festival and it features a selection of Francophone short movies followed by a discussion of the films. The event is open to daytime students in all elementary, intermediate and advanced French courses.

Organization: University Advancement Time: 9 a.m to 12 p.m.

Location: O’Leary Library 222 Organization: Cultural Studies F.R.E.E. General Meeting: A weekly club meeting, where we pick a different topic of discussion, and talk about our personal views, how it pertains to feminism, and our society as a whole. Along with this, we will plan fundraisers and other events Time: 6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.

Location: University Crossing 245 Organization: Student Activities Disable the Label General Body Meeting: This is our general body meeting where we discuss and plan upcoming events, discuss about disabilties and other issues regarding the topic, fundraising and more.

Time: 9 p.m. - 10 p.m.

Location: University Crossing 248 Organization: Disable The Label

Thursday, Mar. 5 Honors College Spring Reception: UMass Lowell faculty, alumni, parents and staff will join together for a reception. Special recognition will take place announcing the award recipients of the Dr. Eric Sheldon Honors Founders Award and the Dr. Jacqueline Moloney Honors Founders Award.

Time: 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Location: O’Leary Library Mezzanine Reading Room

Anime Club: Club Meetings: Our general meetings are every Thursday from 7-9 PM on South Campus.

Meetings are mainly split up into an Activity and a Screening component. Our activities can range from a half hour to the length of an entire meeting.

Time: 7 p.m. - 9 p.m.

Location: Weed Lecture Hall 1 Organization: Anime Club Turkish Cultural Club: Turkish Coffee Night: Coffe Nights are for anyone who are interested in Turkish Culture and Turkish cuisine Time: 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Location: Southwick Hall 240 Organization: Turkish Cultural Club

Monday, Mar. 9 Glow in the Dark Twister: Glow in the Dark Twister! Come get twisted and pick up some tips for a healthy and safe Spring Break!

Time: 8 p.m. to 11 p.m.

Location: Jacqueline and Edward Moloney Hall Organization: Health Education All events appear as listed on the University of Massachusetts Lowell online calendar. For more events, visit uml.edu/calendar.

“Like” the Connector on Facebook at facebook.com/umlconnector.

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March 3rd, 2015

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SPORTS

River Hawks close season with 2-2 tie against Vermont ► Continued from Front Page

“You know what, I thought it was a well-played hockey game by both teams,” said Head Coach Norm Bazin. “A lot of playoff atmosphere tonight.

Every inch was very difficult to come by, and they made us earn everything we got obviously.”

It only took less than a minute for controversy to ensue in Saturday night’s action. After considerable traffic in front of the net, Vermont’s Anthony Petruzzelli was able to grapple a puck in the air with his stick and fit it behind Kevin Boyle. The play was under review for a while, but was later held up by video evidence.

Shortly thereafter, the River Hawks endured another setback. John Edwardh, while skating in the open ice, commited a tripping penalty. During that penalty kill however, Jake Fallon of Vermont was called for goalie interference, leading to four on four hockey.

Still within the first ten minutes of action, the River Hawks responded. After both teams returned to full strength, Evan Campbell took a faceoff, found Robert Francis with a pass, who then found Adam Chapie trailing to the side to fit the puck in the net.

“It was just an all out good effort by all five guys on the faceoff,” said Chapie.

Michael Louria, working down in the Vermont zone, found Michael Fallon skating to the net, who gave the River Hawks their first lead of the game with a shot in the upper right corner of the net.

After a long period of scoreless hockey, with 2:45 to go in regulation, Vermont tied the game.

UVM players was wrapping around the net, and then found UVM player coming down the ice, who got the puck into the net.

Vermont almost won the game later in the third with a huge breakaway with one UML player trailing with a good amount of space between then.

Boyle, though, made an outstanding save on a slap shot on open ice that might have decided the game. “(His play of late) says a lot about his character and his resiliency,” said Coach Bazin. “I think he’s getting better as the season goes on, and I like where he’s at.”

While overtime produced no goals, UMass Lowell did make some very high percentage shots in the five minutes. “I would have enjoyed more overtime tonight, because I thought we had the winner somewhere in the bench,” said Coach Bazin.

Last Saturday was also Senior Night, where Terrence Wallin, Jake Suter, and Captain Zack Kamrass were honored for their contribution to UMass Lowell Hockey.

With the tie, the River Hawks have earned a bye in the first round. After the opening games, they will host the remaining team in the Tsongas the following week.

April and beyond.

Miami Heat: Chris Bosh had been having a great season for Miami, despite the Heat’s overall lack of success in the first year of the post-LeBron era, until he had been confined to the hospital with a blood clot in his lung. Now his season is done, and the Heat traded for point guard Goran Dragic (and his pointless, roster-filler brother Zoran Dragic) before learning Bosh would be done for the year. Dragic is a solid point guard, averaging 20 points and six assists a game last season for Phoenix. He’d been handling the ball less this season because of the Suns’ three-guard lineup, so his stats took a hit, but now he and Dwyane Wade should be able to run Miami. If Dragic signs and stays in Miami, he, Bosh and Wade should form a formidable core moving forward to go along with the out-of-nowhere rising star in Hassan Whiteside.

Phoenix Suns: Goran Dragic and the Suns had a falling-out, and Dragic was traded. The Suns got point guard Brandon Knight from the Bucks, who was a borderline All-Star so far this season. The Suns also traded point guard Isaiah Thomas to the Celtics. The Suns have fallen out of playoff contention, and along with the Pelicans, are fighting the Thunder, and they’re not going to win.

Detroit Pistons: The Pistons want to make the playoffs, and the fight for the East’s eighth seed is fierce despite the under-.500 collection of potential eighth-seeders. Detroit got Reggie Jackson, sav-

ing him from the Thunder, even though they have Brandon Jennings, who got injured and was ruled out for the season. This summer will be interesting.

Boston Celtics: The Celtics got point guard Isaiah Thomas from the Suns, and just the other night Thomas propelled the Celtics to an exciting win over the Suns in the desert. His offense is tall even though his stature is short. He’s reunited with fellow Tacoma, Wash. native Avery Bradley.

Minnesota Timberwolves: They got Kevin Garnett back. He’ll most likely be psychologically tormenting Andrew Wiggins and Anthony Bennett in practice.

New York Knicks: Got Alexey Shved. That speaks for itself, and for the Knicks organization.

Portland Trail Blazers: Got shooting guard Arron Afflalo, who scores points, and he’ll be coming off the bench, a place where Portland needed points production. Solid, low-risk move.

Philadelphia 76ers: Traded Massachusetts-born Michael Carter-Williams to the Bucks, and acquired useless center JaVale McGee. They got Isaac Canaan. Nobody knows what the Sixers are doing, supposedly they’re rebuilding, (that’s what they say), but truly they’re just building a terrible organization and time period for Philadelphia basketball, a city that prides itself on its competitive spirit and love for sports that is akin to Boston’s. ‘Tis shameful.

NBA Trade Deadline Recap Henry St. Pierre Connector Staff

The trade deadline is a special time in sports. It’s a time in the middle of the season, in dreary parts of the calendar, when teams are preparing themselves both mentally and physically for hopeful playoff runs.

Teams that make trades are typically teams looking to pick up talent heading into the playoffs, or they’re teams who want to dump expensive or expiring contracts to better themselves for the future.

Some teams, like the 76ers, just don’t make any sense at all (I’ll elaborate on this later). Now, I’ll run through a quick list of some of the teams who made the best moves, the worst moves, and the moves that make you go “Why?” and provide some thoughts on the moves.

Oklahoma City Thunder: It’s pretty much a guarantee that OKC is making the playoffs, at least as the eighth seed, possibly the seventh, maybe even higher if Russell Westbrook continues his crazy, MVP-caliber play. The Thunder’s additions of Enes Kanter (the younger, cheaper version of Brook Lopez) and D.J. Augustin, a veteran point guard off the bench, pretty much solidify the Thunder as an even scarier team than they already were, despite the perhaps long absence of Kevin Durant. The Thunder also received Steve Novak and Kyle Singler, two veterans adept at shooting the three. Trading locker room cancer Reggie Jackson also will probably turn out to be a positive moving towards

No. 14 River Hawk Hockey downs No.18 Vermont, 4-1 UMass Lowell Athletics

The No. 14 ranked UMass Lowell hockey team defeated No. 18 Vermont, 4-1, on Friday night in front 5,514 fans at the Tsongas Center in Hockey East action.

“Hockey East is a tough league, we played a great opponent tonight, and we’re thrilled to come out with points. We know how tough it’s going to be tomorrow, so it was a very good hockey game,” said Head Coach Norm Bazin. “It was a tough hockey game to play, playoff style hockey with a lot of traffic in the neutral zone and you have to earn your breaks. I’m proud of the guys for working through that.”

The River Hawks (18-10-5, 11-7-3 HEA) took the 1-0 lead less than seven minutes into the first period on Dylan Zink’s (Madison, Wis.) 10th goal of the season. The sophomore parked in front of Mike Santaguida’s crease and tipped home Evan Campbell’s (Port Coquitlam, British Columbia) slap shot

from the point at 6:34.

After the first 20 minutes, UMass Lowell was holding a 15-6 advantage in shots.

Joe Gambardella (Staten Island, N.Y.) doubled the lead with his 10th goal of the season. With the River Hawks on the penalty kill, he took a breakaway and beat Santaguida high stick-side at 11:22 of the second period.

Before the period ended, the Catamounts (18-123, 10-9-2 HEA) cut into the deficit when Brendan Bradley’s shot bounced high off of Kevin Boyle (Manalapan, N.J.) and snuck under the crossbar at 16:18.

Boyle made a key save with 10:51 remaining in regulation when he got a glove on Malcolm McKinney’s wide open shot.

Campbell got his own tally at 15:37 of the third when he gained control at the blue line and broke to the left of Santaguida, as the goalie went to break up the play the loose puck snuck through and into

the back of the net. It was the sophomore’s 10th goal of the season.

C.J. Smith scored his 14th goal of the season on an empty night to clinch the night with 14 seconds left.

Boyle made 30 saves to earn his 15th win of the season. Both teams went a combined 0-for-5 on the power play, with the River Hawks only getting one opportunity. With three assists, Adam Chapie (Oxford, Mich.) set his career-high and tied his career-high for points.

Both teams will conclude the regular-season tomorrow night at 7 p.m. at the Tsongas Center.

UMass Lowell seniors Zack Kamrass (Atlanta, Ga.), Terrence Wallin (Yardley, Pa.), and Jake Suter (Lac du Flambeau, Wis.) will be honored during pre-game ceremonies. Tickets for all remaining home games are available through the Tsongas Center Box Office, online at TsongasCenter.com or by calling 866-722-8780.

Page 8

UM ASS L OWELL C ONNECTOR

SPORTS Samuels, McRoy to wrap up college basketball careers

The duo earned ►Continued from Front Page Second Team All-America East honors last season and have continued to make waves this year. Both players are currently top-15 scorers in America East, accounting for a combined average of 26.3 points per game, and the pair are two of the top six three-point shooters in the conference, statistically.

Despite their success at the Division I level over the last two seasons, both players said their roads to basketball success were unclear at first.

Samuels and McRoy started their college basketball journeys in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) at Roxbury Community College in Boston and Monroe College in New Rochelle, N.Y., respectively. Both took the junior college route as a detour to Division I play, which Samuels said was a helpful experience in terms of preparation and competition.

“That was a good experience for me because, even though it was a junior college level, we played a lot of tough teams, so I got to experience it well,” Samuels said.

Along with individual growth on the court, McRoy’s basketball résumé additionally includes an NJCAA National Championship with Monroe College in 2012. She said the school’s recruitment level was a key component in the team being a perennial contender and her decision to go to Monroe.

“Monroe’s a school where, it’s like, they go to the nationals every year,” said McRoy. “and it’s almost guaranteed, ‘cause their recruitment level is so high.”

Samuels and McRoy faced off on the court the following season, guarding each other as point guards for their respective teams. While Samuels’ squad earned a 71-53 win over McRoy and her team, she said the individual competition between the two was tightly contested.

“I’ll score on her; she’ll come out and score on me,” said Samuels. “Back and forth, back and forth. … It was a tough game.”

As rivals, and as teammates, Samuels and McRoy have basketball styles that complement each other quite well. First-year Head Coach Jenerrie Harris said their cohesion has been a direct result of their familiarity with each other over the last two seasons.

“They know what the other player wants to do and what they’re capable of doing,” said Harris.

“Jasmine will kick the ball up to Shannon in the open court just so that Shannon can make a pass right back to Jasmine for a lay-up, or so that Jasmine can trail for a three, because Jasmine wants to get her shot off.”

The River Hawks finished tied for sixth place in conference play last season. Though team only won five games all season, four of them were America East victories. The River Hawks also had the second-highest scoring average as a team in the conference during that season, thanks to a combined 29.6 points per game from Samuels and McRoy. Their individual successes did not come without a share of obstacles for each to hurdle off the court.

For McRoy, the passing of her grandfather about

four years ago nearly ended her basketball career.

“When I lost my grandfather, I didn’t want to do anything else,” said McRoy. “I wanted to quit basketball. I didn’t want to play anymore. I wanted to give it all up.”

McRoy said her grandfather was a permanent fixture at her basketball games throughout her life and that she felt as though she “lost basketball completely” when he died. She said, however, that she talked to one of her high school teachers at Watkins Mill High School in Gaithersburg, Md. the day after her grandfather died, looking for advice.

“I remember asking him questions: ‘How can I be able to get over this? How can I be able to keep moving forward if I don’t want to anymore because it felt like a part of me had just gone away?’”

McRoy said her former teacher ultimately found the words to help her overcome the loss of her grandfather and continue to play: “I remember him saying, ‘It just takes time, and it’s gonna take time. … It’s gonna be some nights where you’re sad, you feel that you want them back, stuff like this and stuff like that, but it’s gonna take time.’”

Samuels said she almost stopped playing basketball and nearly didn’t attend college altogether when she became pregnant during her senior year of high school. She said at the time she wasn’t going to go to college or play basketball until conversing with her mother and Roxbury Community College Head Coach Mark Leszczyk.

“He still believed in me. He still wanted me to go to school, and my mom was telling me she wanted me to pursue my dream, too,” said Samuels. “She didn’t want me to just stop [playing basketball] just because of me having a kid. She didn’t want that prevent me from pursuing my dream.”

Still, a having a child and losing a relative weren’t the only disparities Samuels and McRoy have faced.

McRoy, the second of nine children in her immediate family, said her childhood as a whole was “very, very tough.”

McRoy grew up in a neighborhood of Gaithersburg, Md. she says people rarely “make it out of,” but playing basketball was her way of going against the grain.

“I wanted to become something of myself, so I set myself to play basketball,” McRoy said, “and once I started getting into it, that’s when [my family] knew that I was serious about basketball.”

Samuels said her decision to attend Roxbury Community College and continue her basketball career after high school meant sacrificing time with her son.

“I’m not able to be at home with him. I’m not able to take care of him how I would want to, and then I have to be away from him all the time,” Samuels said.

Moving forward, Samuels and McRoy said they are interested in playing professional basketball overseas. As criminal justice majors, both said they plan to work law enforcement when their basketball careers end.

March 3rd, 2015

U P C OM I N G

River Hawk Games Tuesday, March 3

7 pm

Friday, March 6

all day

Friday, March 6

all day Women’s Track vs IC4A

Saturday, Mar. 7

2 pm

Sunday, March 8

1 pm

W. Basketball vs NJIT Men’s Track vs IC4A

Bball at William and Mary

W Lax vs Manhattan

For more sports information and full game schedules visit goriverhawks.com

McRoy says she plans to be a detective for the sole purpose of being able to “help people who can’t be helped.” Samuels, meanwhile, said she wants to join the police academy and become a police officer, an interest she gained from her aunt and uncle, both retired correctional officers.

In just two years, one under her coaching, Harris said the impact of the backcourt duo on UMass Lowell women’s basketball is already one to be cherished.

“We’ll definitely miss having Jasmine and Shannon because they are such huge contributors for us offensively and defensively,” said Harris, “but I like the legacy that they’re leaving behind for the rest of the team.”

At the same time, Skinner said their two years here have been paramount in paving the way for a future of prominent River Hawk athletes in the coming years.

“It’s important that, as you’re elevating the program, prospective student-athletes see that you can be successful at UMass Lowell,” he said. “I think the fact that Shannon and Jasmine had such strong two-year careers here [says] there’s evidence there that other student-athletes can do the same.”

Both graduating seniors, McRoy and Samuels are set to play their final collegiate basketball game Tuesday night against New Jersey Institute of Technology. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. at Costello Athletic Center.

Samuels said the feeling of her college basketball career is somewhat surreal and hasn’t hit her yet, but “it’s gonna be something.”

“Just playing at the Division I level was really exciting. I got to experience new things, got to play in big arenas in front of thousands of people,” Samuels said. “It’s gonna be sad for me because that’s all I’m used to: playing basketball.”

McRoy agreed: “Like she said, it hasn’t really hit us yet that it [has come] to an end, but I’m sure it will the last game, though.”

Connector Editor Shane Foley contributed to this article.