51视频

03/17/2021
By Ed Brennen

Fans haven鈥檛 been able to attend 51视频 athletic events this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but the River Hawks still have given them plenty of reasons to cheer.

In the semifinals of the Hockey East Tournament, the seventh-seeded River Hawks rallied from a 4-1 third-period deficit and shocked top-seeded Boston College in double overtime, 6-5. Sophomore forward scored the game-winning goal after 92 minutes of play, the second longest game in program history.

The River Hawks will face third-seeded UMass Amherst at the Mullins Center on March 20 at 7 p.m. UML will be seeking its fourth Hockey East crown, and first since 2017. The conference crown would also give the River Hawks an automatic berth in the NCAA tournament.

鈥淲e鈥檙e obviously very pleased to be moving on,鈥� said UML Coach , whose team has come from behind in all three of its Hockey East tournament wins. 鈥淭his is game three of the playoffs for us. It鈥檚 exciting to be able to play for a championship this year. These guys are resilient.鈥�

UML distance runner , meanwhile, earned All-American honors in not one, but two sports in a three-day span.

At the NCAA Div. I Women's Indoor Track and Field Championships in Fayetteville, Arkansas, Richards finished fourth in the mile with a personal-best time of 4 minutes, 36.26 seconds to become the program鈥檚 first Div. I All-American.

Two days later, Richards became the first All-American in the history of the UML women鈥檚 cross country program, as well. The public health graduate student from Lowell finished 30th in a field of over 200 runners in the 6 kilometer final at the NCAA Div. I Cross Country Championships in Stillwater, Oklahoma, with a time of 20:46.9.

鈥淭o finish off the weekend as a double All-American was an amazing accomplishment,鈥� said UML Coach Gary Gardner. 鈥淭his sealed up probably the best weekend in school history. I can't imagine anything better than this.鈥�

And the UML men鈥檚 basketball team came one win away from clinching its first-ever NCAA Division I tournament berth. The sixth-seeded River Hawks won three straight games in the America East Conference tournament before falling to fourth-seeded Hartford in the title game, 64-50.

As a member of the UML cheerleading squad, sophomore would normally have been courtside for the men鈥檚 basketball team鈥檚 thrilling tournament run. Instead, she followed the team鈥檚 posts on Instagram and Snapchat. She also tuned in for their game at Hartford, which was nationally televised on ESPN2

鈥淚t gave us some school spirit while we鈥檙e all under our masks and staying at home,鈥� said Paul, a biomedical engineering major from Lynn, Massachusetts. 鈥淪ince we can鈥檛 go to games, we can still watch on TV and cheer them on while they鈥檙e out there representing 51视频.鈥�

Former players also enjoyed UML鈥檚 tournament run, even from overseas.

, who was a senior guard on UML鈥檚 inaugural Div. I team, is currently playing professional basketball in Finland. The seven-hour time difference meant some late nights watching games online.

鈥淚鈥檝e been up at 3 or 4 o鈥檆lock in the morning, yelling at my tablet,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 was loving every minute of it. I feel like a proud big brother watching those guys. I鈥檓 so happy for the players and the coaches.鈥�

Bivins was among a group of former basketball players and team support staff who recorded heading into the Hartford game. The three-minute video, which the Athletic Department shared on social media, included Patrick King 鈥�88, co-captain of UML鈥檚 1988 Div. II national championship team; Stacey Moragne 鈥�06, a member of the UML Hall of Fame; Chad Holley 鈥�15; Jahad Thomas 鈥�18; Ryan Jones 鈥�19; Griffin Lyon 鈥�20; Christian Lutete 鈥�20 and Stefan Borovac 鈥�20.

鈥淐ongratulations on the playoff wins,鈥� said Borovac, who was a forward and student assistant for the River Hawks. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a huge achievement, a lot of years of hard work coming together, and we鈥檙e all proud of you guys here at home watching.鈥�

Also watching was former Athletic Director Dana Skinner, who oversaw UML鈥檚 transition to Div. I before retiring in 2018.

鈥淒espite the added pressures to win quickly in Division I, the men鈥檚 and women鈥檚 basketball programs have developed strong team cultures and never compromised their values along the way,鈥� Skinner said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 what makes watching Coach Duquette's team so enjoyable. They survived injuries and COVID and kept improving game after game.鈥�

Jim Borodawka 鈥�97, who played guard for the Div. II River Hawks, has literally had a courtside seat for the program鈥檚 Div. I ascent over the past eight years. Borodawka has worked as color commentator on the UML men鈥檚 basketball radio and TV broadcasts since the 2013-14 season.

The Lowell native was only able to broadcast six home games this season for ESPN3. During their tournament run, he cheered on the River Hawks from home like most other fans.

鈥淭he Division I transition was a daunting task, but they did it the right way. It鈥檚 been an incredibly successful story,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 certainly won鈥檛 ever forget what鈥檚 gone on the last two weeks, the way they played. It was kind of like our own little slice of March Madness at 51视频.鈥�