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By JEFF LAJOIE

SPRINGFIELD — For the first time ever, Springfield will serve as a regional host for the NCAA Division 1 Men’s Ice Hockey Tournament this week.The MassMutual Center will play host to Denver, Maine, Cornell and UMass in a four-team regional with a spot...

By JEFF LAJOIE

The UMass hockey team is dancing.The Minutemen got in just under the wire when they were selected for the NCAA Division 1 Tournament. UMass earned a spot in the 16-team field as the final at-large pick when the brackets were released during the...

By JEFF LAJOIE

BROOKLYN, N.Y. – A year removed from the worst loss in its Atlantic 10 conference tournament history, the UMass men’s basketball team stared another one directly in the face halfway through Thursday’s Atlantic 10 quarterfinal at Barclays Center.From a...

By JEFF LAJOIE

It’s been an eventful couple of weeks for Mark Simeone.The Northampton native has been racking up the honors and accolades, highlighted by last week’s induction into the Western Massachusetts Baseball Hall of Fame.Simeone, who grew up in Northampton...

By JEFF LAJOIE

MILLBURY – It was a dream start for the Hampshire Regional girls basketball team Wednesday night.On the road in hostile territory complete with a pep band and a packed house for their MIAA Division 4 Round of 16 game against No. 9 Millbury, the...

By JEFF LAJOIE

It’s Championship Saturday for three local high school basketball programs.The South Hadley and Northampton girls, and the Granby boys will look to add some hardware on Saturday when they both take the floor to play in Western Massachusetts...

By JEFF LAJOIE

It seems that no matter what happens during a UMass men’s basketball game, all roads lead to a photo finish in the end.Such was again the case on Sunday at the Mullins Center in Amherst.The Minutemen trailed Rhode Island for almost the entire first...

By JEFF LAJOIE

WESTFIELD – Trailing 3-2 late in the second period, the Easthampton hockey team found itself locked in a tight game for the first time all season on Tuesday afternoon.The Eagles passed the test with flying colors.Easthampton responded with six...

By JEFF LAJOIE

If it feels like a family affair at Northampton Country Club, that’s because it is. And the power of that family was awarded a prestigious honor this week.The New England Golf Course Owners Association (NEGCOA) awarded NCC, and co-owners Jim and...

By JEFF LAJOIE

BELCHERTOWN – It was a feast of a second quarter for the Belchertown football team.In just that 12-minute stanza on Thursday morning, the Orioles racked up 304 yards of offense, recovered three squib kicks on special teams, and put 40 points on the...

By JEFF LAJOIE

The MIAA released its brackets for the boys and girls state soccer tournaments on Wednesday, and the South Hadley girls headline the Hampshire County contingent after earning the No. 1 seed in the Division 4 field.The Tigers (15-1-2), which lost in...

By JEFF LAJOIE

A lot has changed for the UMass women’s basketball team since they last took the court on March 20 — an 89-87 loss to Harvard in the second round of the WNIT.Head coach Tory Verdi left to take the job at Pittsburgh, and Mike Leflar was elevated to the...

By JEFF LAJOIE

It’s time to play for a state championship.The brackets for the MIAA baseball and softball tournaments were officially released on Wednesday, and a total of seven local softball and seven local baseball have qualified.State title games for baseball...

By JEFF LAJOIE

EASTHAMPTON — It’s amazing how much of an impact a reliable three-point shooter can have on a big game.Lauren Morse certainly fits the bill.The Easthampton senior was at it again on Thursday night, this time making sure the 14th-seeded Eagles weren’t...

By JEFF LAJOIE

BUCKLAND – With things tightening in the third period of a championship bout, Alex Willard remembered something Saturday evening.“After six years wrestling, I realized I really wanted to win this,” he said with a laugh.The Hampshire Regional senior...

By JEFF LAJOIE

It’s a busy time to be Rebecca Rodgers.The 22-year-old Leyden native is in the midst of a busy stretch competing at the highest levels of the sport of curling. Rodgers, who now lives and trains in St. Paul, Minn., recently captured a bronze medal...

By JEFF LAJOIE

A pair of Franklin County rivals with a spot in the state championship on the line?Local sporting fans will want to get to Westfield State University on Wednesday afternoon.Top-seeded Greenfield looks to continue its outstanding season when it tangles...

By JEFF LAJOIE

It’s 39 minutes, door to door, from Dave Wissman’s home in Guilford, Vermont, to McGuirk Alumni Stadium in Amherst. Since taking a coaching job with the UMass football team earlier this month however, Wissman could just as easily float back and forth...