Sports
UMass hockey: No. 1 Boston College rights the ship, splits weekend series after 4-1 win over Minutemen
By GARRETT COTE
AMHERST — Two themes continued to come up during UMass hockey head coach Greg Carvel’s postgame press conference following the Minutemen’s 4-1 loss to Boston College on Saturday night at Mullins Center: desperation and fatigue.
Wrestling: Franklin Tech captures first-ever Western Mass. Division 3 championship (PHOTOS)
By THOMAS JOHNSTON
WILLIAMSTOWN — After a stellar regular season capped off by a Suburban League North title, expectations were high for the Franklin Tech wrestling team heading into Saturday’s Western Mass. Division 3 sectional championship at Mount Greylock Regional School.
UMass basketball: Shorthanded Minutemen fall to St. Bonaventure 73-59 for third loss in four games
By GARRETT COTE
AMHERST — According to UMass men’s basketball coach Frank Martin, not one player in his usual starting five – Jaylen Curry, Rahsool Diggins, Jayden Ndjigue, Daniel Rivera and Daniel Hankins-Sanford – suited up for practice on Friday, just 24 hours before the Minutemen were set to host St. Bonaventure at the Mullins Center.
UMass hockey: Michael Hrabal, Minutemen spring huge 3-2 road win at No. 1 Boston College
By RYAN AMES
CHESTNUT HILL – Hey fellas have you heard the news? The No. 16 UMass hockey team played the role of heartbreaker in its 3-2 win against No. 1 Boston College, Friday night at Conte Forum.
HS Roundup: Mahar boys basketball pulls away from Palmer in the second half to advance to Class C semis with 72-59 victory (PHOTOS)
By THOMAS JOHNSTON
ORANGE — The Mahar boys basketball team picked the right time to play its best basketball last season, winning the Western Mass. Class C tournament before making a run to the MIAA Div. 5 semifinals.
High school wrestling: Local teams ready for sectional championships
By THOMAS JOHNSTON
After months of dual meets and training, the Athol, Franklin Tech, Frontier, Mahar and Mohawk Trail wrestling teams will be competing against the best of the best on Saturday.
Bulletin Board: Turners Falls raises nearly $5,000 for alum Jenna Putala in Coaches vs. Cancer night
Turners Falls High School held its Coaches vs. Cancer night last week during its boys varsity game against Franklin Tech, with the Thunder raising money to support alumni Jenna Putala’s battle with cancer.
Indoor track: Mother Nature postpones MIAA Division 5 Championship until Monday
Mother Nature postponed the MIAA Division 5 Indoor Track Championships a day, meaning area athletes have an extra 24 hours to prepare for the biggest meet of their season.
Keeping Score with Chip Ainsworth: Harris Hill ski jump this weekend
Good morning!They’ll be flying through the air with snow on their skis at Harris Hill in Brattleboro this weekend. The forecast calls for the proverbial kitchen sink, and to better inform you how it will affect the ski jumping your humble servant called the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association in Park City, Utah.
Local roundup: Ellie Pinkham, NMH girls ski team capture NEPSAC Class A title
Thanks to some standout performances from local competitors, the Northfield Mount Hermon School alpine ski teams put it all together on Wednesday.
Boys basketball: Four Rivers gets past Hartsbrook to capture River Valley Athletic League championship (PHOTOS)
By GARRETT COTE
GREENFIELD — As the adage goes, the third time is the charm.
UMass hockey: Huge home-and-home for Minutemen with top-ranked Boston College
By RYAN AMES
If you want to be the best, you have to beat the best, and that’s exactly what the No. 16 UMass hockey team hopes to do in a home-and-home with top-ranked Boston College this weekend.
UMass men’s basketball: Davidson’s Reed Bailey scores 21 points as Wildcats take down Minutemen, 77-68 (PHOTOS)
By GARRETT COTE
AMHERST — Through about 13 minutes of action, it looked as if the UMass men’s basketball team was going to do something very few teams have done all season: shut down Davidson forward Reed Bailey, who leads the Atlantic 10 in points per game (20.0) this year.
HS Roundup: Mahar boys basketball defeats rival Athol, 46-40
It was another tightly-contested contest between the rival Athol and Mahar boys basketball teams on Wednesday.
UMass women’s basketball: Minutewomen outscore Duquesne 42-16 in the first half to cruise to 72-52 triumph
It was a blistering start for the UMass women’s basketball team against Duquesne on Wednesday.
On the Ridge with Joe Judd: Keeping contentious coyotes at bay
It’s mid-February, and we’re a few days past the midway-point of winter – between the winter solstice and the spring equinox. It’s mid-February, and the Super Bowl is over, but the days are lengthening, and the cold is strengthening. It’s mid- February, and we’re starting to see an occasional robin or blue bird, but the snow continues to deepen. It’s mid-February, and the ice fishing is great, as is the ice skating on area ponds and other small bodies of water in the region. But we need to remain ever vigilant, while always practicing “safety first” when having fun on the ice. It’s mid- February, and soon the maple trees will start to wake up again, sap will start to flow, and steam will begin to rise again at sugar houses in Franklin County and throughout New England. And it’s mid-February, and the coyotes, or brush wolf (which is my preferred way to describe them) are once again extremely active, courting their mates and defending territory, as the yearly ritual of their mating season begins again.
HS Roundup: Athol boys basketball clinches share of Hampshire League North title following 51-42 win over Smith Academy
The Hampshire League North title came down to the wire this winter.
Mohawk Trail's Addie Loomis captures another alpine ski title at PVIAC Individual Championships (PHOTOS)
By THOMAS JOHNSTON
CHARLEMONT — After a stellar regular season, the Mohawk Trail alpine ski team got to shine during the PVIAC Individual Championships on Tuesday at Berkshire East.
Mohawk Trail teams earn top 10 finishes at MIAA Nordic Ski Championships (PHOTOS)
By GARRETT COTE
WOODFORD, Vt. — The conditions couldn’t have been better at the 2025 MIAA Nordic Ski Championships Tuesday afternoon, and with the amount of waxing Mohawk Trail head coach Mark Pollard did the night before, his Warriors boys and girls teams could feel a difference immediately as they blazed through the trails at Prospect Mountain.
HS Roundup: After slow start, Pioneer boys basketball cruises past Duggan, 69-44, in battle of unbeatens
By THOMAS JOHNSTON
SPRINGFIELD — There’s a good chance Monday’s matchup between Pioneer and Duggan won’t be the last time the two boys basketball teams meet this winter.
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