Shane Foley and Nick Giannino
Connector Editors
“When you have a good ice hockey team, it lights up the entire campus,” said Dana Skinner, UMass Lowell athletic director. After winning back to back Hockey East championships, the River Hawks look to light up this particular campus again.
Skinner has been with the university for 18 years. Prior to that, he coached basketball at the Women’s Professional Basketball Association (now the WNBA). After that, Skinner took his knowledge and experience to Bishop Fenwick high school and Salem State basketball programs. He changed his path to administration though, because he wanted to expand his expertise to more than just basketball. “Part of the reason I got into administration was to have a broader impact than just basketball,” said Skinner.
In his 18 years tenure, Skinner has witnessed the university transform from a local state school with one Division I team to a nationally recognized powerhouse. UMass Lowell has enjoyed ascendance in enrollment and popularity, and athletics played a big role in that. “Athletics isn’t the most important thing a college does, but it may be the most visible,” said Skinner.
Skinner believes the River Hawks previous Hockey East Championships played a role in the other 13 of the university’s athletic teams’ elevation to Division I. “I don’t think I’ve seen anything like the Hockey East Championships,” said Skinner.
Skinner commented on the invaluable benefits our profile received from our hockey championships. “When you’re trying to use athletics as a rallying point for your campus,” said Skinner, “you have to identify where your opportunities are, and clearly here, the opportunity was ice hockey.”
Skinner explained the connection between UMass Lowell’s athletic success and the improvement of all our other aspects of the university, from our classes, to our residence halls, to our bookstore. “When you hear all of that good news and positive visibility, it just makes everybody stand a little bit taller,” said Skinner.
This year’s hockey team is looking forward to a new season, but with the loss of players like Scott Wilson, Joseph Pendenza, and Mike Richter award-winner Connor Hellybuck, the River Hawks have their work cut out for them. Skinner however, echoes the team’s confidence in their chances of winning many games this season. “Our coaching staff has demonstrated that they know how to do this,” said Skinner. He remembered when the River Hawks were in a similar situation years ago, when they brought in head coach Norm Bazin halfway through the season. “When we brought in Norm Bazin as head coach, he took over a team that was 5-24…and in his first year, they won 24 games.”
If there is anything more impressive than what our athletes are doing on the field, it is what they are doing in the classroom. Not only are our recruits more skilled, they are better students. “This past year, our first year in Division I, was the first time that this student-athlete population as a whole finished with a grade point average of over 3.0,” said Skinner. He identified this as his favorite moment in 18 years of affiliation with UMass Lowell athletics. “That was a moment that added an extra bounce to everyone in athletics.”
Skinner shares the excitement with the campus over watching the hockey team grow with our institutions. “What happened in the last three years to the hockey program,” said Skinner, it’s hard to put a price tag on it.”
