June 9, 2009

Play-by-play voice Bob Ellis recently sat down with Coach MacDonald to recap the 2008-09 season. Click the links below to listen to the two-part interview:

Click here for Part 1 of the interview

Click here for Part 2 of the interview

The UMass Lowell River Hawks had one of their most successful seasons in recent memory in 2008-09. They won 20 games, led the league in penalty kill (87.8%) and were second in power play percentage (19.3%)

The River Hawks (20-16-2) posted a 14-11-2 mark in Hockey East play, good for fifth place in the highly competitive league. They swept Vermont in the Quarterfinals to advance to the Hockey East Semifinals for the first time since 2002.

UMass Lowell knocked off Northeastern, 3-2, in overtime in the Semifinals to advance to its second-ever Hockey East championship game appearance. The River Hawks came up just short as Boston University skated away with a 1-0 win in the title game.

UMass Lowell saw success not only on the ice but off the ice as well. The River Hawks drew an average of 4,404 fans for its 15 home games - 4,663 in its 13 Hockey East games. Both numbers represented program records in a full season at Tsongas Arena.

The River Hawks return 84% of their scoring in 2009-10 including Scott Campbell, who led the team with 30 points, and Maury Edwards, who was third among Hockey East defensemen in scoring with 29 points. UMass Lowell also returns three of its four captains - Ben Holmstrom, Jeremy Dehner and Barry Goers - in 2009-10.