Liam Flaherty
Amherst Center
Articles by Liam Flaherty
A family affair: Local fire, hockey communities come together to support one of their own
Jack DesRuisseaux. (Photo by Dave Arnold/NEHJ) For 17-year-old, hockey-loving Tabor Academy junior Jack DesRuisseaux, the night of Nov. 6, 2021, started as a typical Saturday night. With fall hockey winding down and the return of prep school hockey on the horizon, he was on the ice with his split-season team, the GBL Bruins, playing the Boston Junior Eagles in an 18-U contest at Dorchester’s Devine Memorial Rink. The game got underway and everything seemed par for the course. Until it wasn’t.
Prep spotlight: Holderness keeps on winning, though further tests await
Cooper Boulanger (Barre, Vt.) and Jack Hutchins (Manchester, N.H.) celebrate a goal in a recent win. (Photo by Dave Arnold/NEHJ) As negative as the disruptions to last year’s prep school hockey season were, they had a unique effect on Alan Thompson’s club at the Holderness School. With several high-impact upperclassmen opting to leave early in fear of what the season would look like, the Bulls made a couple of late additions and pulled two freshmen up to varsity.
Austin Prep soccer will depart MIAA, join NEPSAC in fall 2022
Catherine Gallagher and the Austin Prep soccer program will be leaving the MIAA after this season. (Courtesy photo)
Wide-open title forecast for 'return to normal' campaign
Ziv Chodriker and the Redwings are looking forward to their first full season under Freddy Meyer at Rivers. (Dave Arnold/NEHJ) Eight teams from the Independent School League qualified for NESPAC tournaments the last time they were held. Lawrence Academy and Noble and Greenough appeared in the March 2020 version of the Stuart/Corkery tournament, while St. Sebastian's, Thayer Academy, and Milton Academy battled it out in the Martin/Earl.
How Drew Gibbons looks to impact St. Mark’s
Drew Gibbons (Wakefield, R.I.) skates split-season with the River Rats 16-U ahead of the winter at St. Mark's. (Dave Arnold/NEHJ) If there’s been one knock on Drew Gibbons' game since he arrived at St. Mark’s last fall, it’s his skating. One of the ways the 2005 birth-year forward from Wakefield, R.I., is working to improve it is by offsetting his time on the ice with a pair of other cardio-intensive sports.
Greg Carvel's five-year vision leads UMass to first national championship
Greg Carvel hoists the national championship trophy after defeating St. Cloud, 5-0, in Saturday's title game. (Justin K. Aller/Getty Images) Greg Carvel has come a long way since he left the Hotchkiss School and moved on to play D-1 at St. Lawrence in the fall of 1989.
Ryan Whitney on why hockey dads know best, and life after an NHL career
Scituate, Mass., native Ryan Whitney poses for an NHL All-Star Game portrait in 2007. (Getty Images) After three years at Boston University and nine seasons in the National Hockey League, Ryan Whitney had no idea what was next for him after retiring in 2015. Five years and several stops later, it’s safe to say he’s figured it out. From a two-way NHL defenseman to doing analysis on NHL Network and then conquering his way through the podcast and adult beverage world, Whitney’s done it all.
BU champ, ex-NHLer Mike Grier shares insight on healthy living and his coaching mindset
Boston University alum Mike Grier (Holliston, Mass.) played for four NHL teams, including Buffalo, over 14 seasons. (Getty Images) The pursuit of playing in the National Hockey League is difficult enough. Maintaining that spot at the highest level of the game? That’s a whole other story.
Hockey legend, Cup champ Brian Leetch immerses himself in youth coaching
New York Rangers legend Brian Leetch was an 11-time NHL All-Star. (Getty Images) Following an 18-year National Hockey League career, Brian Leetch’s résumé speaks for itself. A Calder Trophy winner. Two-time Norris Trophy winner. Stanley Cup champion. Conn Smythe Trophy winner. Eleven-time NHL All-Star. Leetch was selected No. 1 on NEHJ’s “100 Greatest Players from New England” feature in the January 2013 issue.
Regional roundup: Massachusetts among states aiming for mid-December return to ice
States in the Northeast have varying strategies for dealing with COVID-19 as it relates to ice hockey. (Getty Images)
Ex-NHL goalie Kevin Weekes on his improbable journey, plus Cup champ Zach Sanford
Kevin Weekes, now an NHL Network analyst, takes a break during a 2006 game as New York Rangers goalie. (Getty Images)
Ivy League, Atlantic Hockey’s RIT a no-go for hockey this winter
Traditional Ivy League rivalries such as Harvard-Cornell have been put on hold due to COVID-19. (Getty Images) As youth teams work to get their seasons off the ground, colleges are raring to go. By now, most Division 1 conferences have announced plans, schedules and start dates for their 2020-21 campaign. That includes Atlantic Hockey, which is set to kick off its season this weekend with its two-pod, Eastern and Western, approach.
Hockey East announces 2020-21 schedule, league ‘cautiously optimistic’
Hockey East commissioner Steve Metcalf has outlined a plan to start the league season on Nov. 20. Eight months since the arrival of the coronavirus forced the abrupt cancellation of the 2019-20 college hockey season, Hockey East unveiled its schedule for 2020-21 on Wednesday, with games starting Nov. 20 for both the men’s and women’s leagues.
As Hockey East announcement looms, UMass ramps up preseason approach
The UMass Minutemen hope celebration scenes such as this are on the horizon, with Hockey East news pending. (Getty Images) It’s been 245 days since the University of Massachusetts played a live, meaningful hockey game. Sometimes, with everything going on in the world, it feels like even longer than that, especially for a team that was on a mission to prove itself in 2019-20 coming off its first-ever trip to the national championship game the year before.
Prep coaches explore options after Founders League scrubs winter season
Celebrations like this Avon Old Farms 2017 scene won't happen for Founders League schools this season. (Dave Arnold/NEHJ) The Founders League, one of New England’s premier prep leagues comprised of 11 teams, mostly in Connecticut, has canceled all interscholastic competition for the 2020-21 winter season, citing lingering concerns over the recent resurgence of the COVID-19 pandemic, the league announced in a statement released on Friday.
Charlie Coyle, Mike Souza stress importance of hard work, family values on hockey journeys
Charlie Coyle has found a pivotal role with his hometown Boston Bruins (Getty Images) Youth hockey in New England has changed quite a bit over the years. Once fixed on instilling key life principles, creating lasting memories and building lifelong bonds, it’s become increasingly about the end game: getting a college scholarship or beating the odds and making the NHL. Now, it’s more serious than ever before.
Noah Hanifin: South Shore Kings, St. Sebs stints set career in motion
In 389 career NHL games, defenseman Noah Hanifin (Norwood, Mass.) has 138 points. (Getty Images) The 2010s was a whirlwind of a decade for Norwood, Mass., native Noah Hanifin. At the start of it, Hanifin was just beginning to refine his game at St. Sebastian’s School under Sean McCann. Five years later, he was a freshman at Boston College.
A grateful goodbye
Thankful and proud to be a part of the Collegian’s historic legacy By Liam Flaherty, Assistant Sports Editor April 30, 2020 When I got here, I had no idea what to expect. If you told me on September 18, 2016, the day I first stepped foot into the Massachusetts Daily Collegian, that I would be covering a national championship game in three years, I probably wouldn’t have believed you. If you told me the University of Massachusetts hockey team would be playing in that game?
John Leonard agrees to join San Jose, forgoes senior season at UMass
Nina Walat/Daily Collegian University of Massachusetts junior forward John Leonard has agreed to join the San Jose Sharks, the organization announced on Tuesday, foregoing his final season of collegiate eligibility in the process. Leonard — a sixth-round draft pick in 2018 — was selected 182nd overall by the Sharks following his freshman campaign; the first Minuteman to do so since current-NHLer Justin Braun did so in 2007.
Flaherty: A season cut short, what could have been for UMass in 2020
An abrupt ending for Hockey East's No. 2 postseason seed Parker Peters/Daily Collegian By Liam Flaherty, Assistant Sports Editor March 15, 2020 Some things just come out of nowhere. They hit you like a train and there’s nothing you can do except sit on the tracks and await the inevitable. That’s what happened on Thursday when Hockey East made it official: it was canceling its playoff tournament in an effort to curb the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus.
Breaking: Hockey East cancels playoffs over COVID-19 concerns
The Minutemen were slated to host Northeastern in the quarterfinal series this weekend with limited spectators The Hockey East tournament has been canceled, according to a statement from the league office. One day before games were supposed to start and less than 24 hours after it was first announced that all games were to be played without spectators due to growing concerns about the COVID-19 virus, the league announced Thursday that it is canceling the entire tournament.
Breaking: UMass system announces no fans will allowed at Mullins Center this weekend
The Hockey East quarterfinals will go on without fans due to coronavirus concerns Nina Walat/Daily Collegian The Massachusetts hockey team’s playoff series against Northeastern this weekend will be played without fans inside the Mullins Center, per a system-wide statement on Thursday afternoon. Due to the growing concerns related to coronavirus, only credentialed media personnel will be allowed inside the arena, along with student-athlete family members and official team party members.
UMass working with ‘smoke and mirrors’ ahead of Thursday’s regular-season finale, playoffs
Minutemen look to lock up two seed with a win on Thursday Nina Walat/Daily Collegian By Liam Flaherty, Assistant Sports Editor March 4, 2020 The grind of a five-month, 34-game regular season has taken a toll on the Massachusetts hockey team.
Greg Carvel’s first senior night honoring four-year Minutemen was special
The fourth-year head coach praised his three-man senior class after Saturday’s 4-3 win By Liam Flaherty, Assistant Sports Editor March 1, 2020 Greg Carvel’s been a head coach in college hockey for eight years. He was only at St. Lawrence for four years, so he only experienced one class of four-year seniors that played under his rule during his time there. That class had four players in it. In his fourth year with the Massachusetts hockey team, his first four-year class is a group of three.
After Carvel’s challenge, Marc Del Gaizo pushes UMass to crucial win
No. 2 finished with two goals and a go-ahead assist on the night Nina Walat/Daily Collegian By Liam Flaherty, Assistant Sports Editor March 1, 2020 The Massachusetts hockey team badly needed somebody to step up on Saturday night, somebody that wasn’t John Leonard. Insert Marc Del Gaizo.
Injuries, lack of energy lead to another last-second defeat
‘We looked sluggish’ Collegian File Photo/Daily Collegian By Liam Flaherty, Assistant Sports Editor February 28, 2020 HARTFORD, CT– For the second time in seven days, the Massachusetts hockey team lost a game in the final 30 seconds. Even worse, it did so yet again after blowing a third-period lead. But while the score was finalized with less than a minute to play, the outcome was ultimately decided long beforehand when the Minutemen (19-11-2, 12-8-2 Hockey East) first hit the ice.
17 games since his return, Marc Del Gaizo knows he has more in the tank
No. 2 eager to up his impact, find another gear as playoffs loom By Liam Flaherty, Collegian Staff February 27, 2020 It’s been a weird year for Marc Del Gaizo. After scoring the overtime winner in the national semifinal as a freshman last April, he underwent surgery that sidelined him for the first four games. In his first shift back on Oct. 25, he went crashing into the net and reaggravated the same injury, missing five more games. Then, after returning to the lineup on Nov.
UMass hockey shows fortitude after blowing another third-period lead, pulls out late win
Minutemen refuse to lay down after second third-period collapse in as many nights Nina Walat/Daily Collegian Nina Walat/Daily Collegian Nina Walat/Daily Collegian By Liam Flaherty, Assistant Sports Editor February 22, 2020 Send email to this address Enter Your Name Add a comment here Verification: What's 6 + 0? Greg Carvel’s frustration was at an all-time high on Friday night; a tangible anger filled the air.
Minutemen squander late lead, fall 3-2 to UMass Lowell on the road Friday
River Hawks score the game-winner with 27 seconds left in the third period Collegian File Photo By Liam Flaherty, Assistant Sports Editor February 21, 2020 Send email to this address Enter Your Name Add a comment here Verification: What's 5 + 8? LOWELL – The third period was all but over. With less than 30 seconds to go, it seemed like overtime was inevitable at the Tsongas Center.
The Playmaker and the Pest: The duality of Bobby Trivigno
How No. 8 became the versatile Minuteman he is today By Liam Flaherty, Assistant Sports Editor February 20, 2020 Imagine this: You’re at the Mullins Center, absorbed in the play of the Massachusetts hockey team when you hear a whistle signal the end of a play. But the action’s far from over. Suddenly, there’s some extracurricular activity going down near the front of the net after the referee has blown the play dead.
UMass gearing up for pivotal top-20 showdown with rival UMass Lowell
Hockey East standing riding on the line in home-and-home Nina Walat By Liam Flaherty, Assistant Sports Editor February 19, 2020 Send email to this address Enter Your Name Add a comment here Verification: What's 6 + 6? After a much-needed week off, the Massachusetts hockey team is gearing up for a major weekend. With only five games left in the season, two huge tilts with Hockey East rival UMass Lowell await.
John Leonard’s hat trick leads No. 8 UMass past No. 10 Providence, 5-1
With the top-10 sweep, the Minutemen maintain first place in Hockey East Nina Walat By Liam Flaherty, Assistant Sports Editor February 9, 2020 Send email to this address Enter Your Name Add a comment here Verification: What's 2 + 9? Have a night, John Leonard.
UMass hockey focused on attention to details heading into No. 10 Providence series
Greg Carvel: ‘It’s on me that I’ve let this slip for whatever reason’ (Parker Peters/ Daily Collegian) (Parker Peters/ Daily Collegian) (Parker Peters/ Daily Collegian) By Liam Flaherty, Assistant Sports Editor February 6, 2020 Send email to this address Enter Your Name Add a comment here Verification: What's 5 + 3? The Massachusetts hockey team didn’t get the result it was looking for in Friday’s shutout loss.
Flaherty: On a big night at the Mullins Center, UMass unable to get it going in loss
The Minutemen were shut out 3-0 by Boston College Parker Peters By Liam Flaherty, Assistant Sports Editor January 31, 2020 Send email to this address Enter Your Name Add a comment here Verification It was all there. The rivalry, the atmosphere, the battle for first place. All the ingredients were in Amherst on Friday night – the set up for a momentum shifting win.
Flaherty: No. 7 UMass playing better than January record indicates
The Minutemen are 4-4-1 since returning from winter break Collegian File Photo By Liam Flaherty, Assistant Sports Editor January 30, 2020 Send email to this address Enter Your Name Add a comment here Verification Sometimes, records can be deceiving. From the outside looking in, a 4-4-1 record to start the second half, with just three wins in January, could spell future trouble for the Massachusetts hockey team. But on the inside, it’s actually quite the opposite — it’s not like the sky is falling.
No. 7 UMass unable to score the ugly goal in Friday’s loss against UNH
The Minutemen went 0-for-5 on the power play in the 1-0 defeat By Liam Flaherty, Assistant Sports Editor January 25, 2020 For the second time this year, the Massachusetts hockey team was slowed down by New Hampshire. Trailing 1-0 with seven seconds remaining and Matt Murray on the bench, the Minutemen (16-8-1, 9-5-1 Hockey East) put together one last attempt to pot the equalizer, but to no avail as UNH netminder Mike Robinson shut the door, handing UMass its first shutout loss since April.
Jake McLaughlin named UMass alternate captain
No. 27’s plus-24 rating is the highest among all NCAA skaters By Liam Flaherty, Assistant Sports Editor January 23, 2020 Jake McLaughlin was named an alternate captain ahead of his 126th career game over the weekend.
Special teams remain the focus for UMass heading into series with Vermont
Minutemen looking to jump start their dormant power play unit By Liam Flaherty, Assistant Sports Editor January 15, 2020 The Massachusetts hockey team may be coming off losses in three of its last four games, but you almost wouldn’t even be able to tell considering the type of atmosphere surrounding the facilities this week. Granted, those games were against No. 4 Denver and No. 5 Boston College, a pair of premier teams.
Eagles power play too much for UMass to handle in 6-3 loss on Saturday
Boston College went 3-for-5 on the man advantage in the win (Collegian File Photo) By Liam Flaherty, Assistant Sports Editor January 11, 2020 Send email to this address Enter Your Name Add a comment here Verification After stealing the first half of the weekend series on the road Friday night, the Massachusetts hockey team could not stop the potent attack of No. 4 Boston College and fell on home ice, 6-3.
Filip Lindberg, last-minute defensive stand wills UMass past BC on Friday night
The Espoo, Finland native made 41 stops in the top-10 road victory (Collegian File Photo) By Liam Flaherty, Assistant Sports Editor January 10, 2020 Send email to this address Enter Your Name Add a comment here Verification CHESTNUT HILL – With 1:51 remaining in the third period, the Massachusetts hockey team steps out for a defensive zone draw.
With lessons learned from Denver, UMass shifting its focus to Boston College
Top-10 series against the fourth-ranked Eagles commences on Friday night in Chestnut Hill Collegian File Photo By Liam Flaherty, Assistant Sports Editor January 8, 2020 Send email to this address Enter Your Name Add a comment here Verification The theme never changes for the Massachusetts hockey team: another week, another opponent.
Rematch: No. 9 UMass and No. 7 Denver set to meet for first time since Frozen Four
The second top-10 matchup of the season awaits the Minutemen in Colorado (Collegian File Photo) By Liam Flaherty, Assistant Sports Editor January 2, 2020 Send email to this address Enter Your Name Add a comment here Verification The Massachusetts hockey team faces its toughest test of the season this weekend, as it hits the road to play two enormous games against No. 7 Denver.
Niko Hildenbrand’s game-winner pushes UMass past Rensselaer, 5-3
The Minutemen opened the second half with a 5-3 win By Liam Flaherty, Assistant Sports Editor December 29, 2019 The Massachusetts hockey team kicked off the second half of the season with a 5-3 win over Rensselaer on Sunday, battling back and forth in the third period to win its fourth-straight game.
Niko Hildenbrand’s game-winner pushes UMass past Rensselear
The Minutemen opened the second half with a 5-3 win Collegian File Photo By Liam Flaherty, Assistant Sports Editor December 29, 2019 Send email to this address Enter Your Name Add a comment here Verification The Massachusetts hockey team kicked off the second half of the season with a 5-3 win over Rensselear on Sunday, battling back and forth in the third period to win its fourth-straight game.
UMass honors Pat Keenan’s No. 4 ahead of Saturday night’s tilt
The 1973 alumnus is the first hockey player to be cemented in the rafters at Mullins Center Nina Walat By Liam Flaherty, Assistant Sports Editor December 7, 2019 Send email to this address Enter Your Name Add a comment here Verification First it was Cale Makar, then it was Pat Keenan.
Cale Makar returns for Hobey Baker ceremony
The legendary No. 16 was named college hockey’s top player in 2019 at the Frozen Four last April (UMass Athletics) By Liam Flaherty, Assistant Sports Editor December 7, 2019 Send email to this address Enter Your Name Add a comment here Verification Cale Makar was at the Bell Centre in Montreal with the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday night.
Three first-period goals push No. 11 UMass to 5-1 win over Maine on Friday
Matt Murray made 20 saves Nina Walat/Daily Collegian By Liam Flaherty, Assistant Sports Editor December 6, 2019 The Massachusetts hockey team got out to a fast start and never looked back on Friday night. With Cale Makar in the building for the 2019 Hobey Baker banner raising ceremony, the offense returned to form. Spurred by first-period goals from Oliver Chau, Bobby Trivigno and Marc Del Gaizo in his first game back in the lineup, No. 11 UMass downed Maine 5-1 at the Mullins Center.
UMass coming to a crossroads ahead of series with Maine
Minutemen sit in 7th place ahead of the final two Hockey East games on the first half schedule (Nina Walat/Daily Collegian) (Nina Walat/Daily Collegian) (Nina Walat/Daily Collegian) By Liam Flaherty, Assistant Sports Editor December 5, 2019 Send email to this address Enter Your Name Add a comment here Verification Through 14 games, it’s been an up and down start to the season for the Massachusetts hockey team.
No. 10 UMass wins defensive battle 3-0 over Quinnipiac in Hamden
Matt Murray made 24 stops to record the shutout By Liam Flaherty, Assistant Sports Editor November 29, 2019 The Massachusetts hockey team fed off the play of junior netminder Matt Murray to down Quinnipiac 3-0 on Friday night at the People’s United Center. In the first half of the non-conference series, Murray made 24 stops and did not allow a goal. It marks the sixth shutout of the junior’s career with No. 10 UMass and sets a new program record.
UMass finishes Thanksgiving break with home-and-home against Quinnipiac
The Minutemen play in Hamden on Friday, Amherst on Saturday By Liam Flaherty, Assistant Sports Editor November 27, 2019 The grind goes on for the Massachusetts hockey team over the break, even on Thanksgiving Day. While most students will spend this Thursday with their friends and family at dining room tables, the Minutemen will spend it together on a bus bound for Hamden, Connecticut.
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