Following are links to and notes about two articles from the Sunday, June
14 Lawrence (Mass.) Eagle-Tribune, as well as some news about Merrimack's
new radio deal (the latter has already been seen by readers of the warriors
list).
 
Foster: The one that didn't get away
http://www.eagletribune.com/news/stories/19980614/SP_001.htm
 
Bill Burt's article should give Merrimack hockey fans reason to be very
optimistic about the program's newest recruit, 6-2 200 pound defenseman Tim
Foster from North Andover and Cushing Academy.  Billy writes that Foster
has signed a Letter of Intent.
 
Merrimack coach Chris Serino on Foster: "In the 10 years I've been
recruiting players I've never recruited a better athlete than him. He is a
division one athlete in three sports -- hockey, football and baseball."
Serino does go on to say that Foster will only be playing hockey but he
jokes that he'll have to keep football coach Tom Caito away from him. :-)
Serino says he expects Foster to be among his top six defensemen this fall.
 
According to the article, Foster, first cousin of Merrimack assistant coach
Andy Heinze and Boston Bruin Steve Heinze, was getting serious looks from
BU, Maine and UNH.  The impression I get from the article is that a knee
injury he suffered playing football last fall may have affected his
standing -- or that since he says he was going to play junior hockey for a
year before Merrimack came in with its offer, it could be that other
schools wanted him to play junior for a year first.  In one place it says
that Foster is 19 but in another place it says 18.
 
Another aspect of this -- UNH was listed as one of the schools interested
in Foster, and I seem to remember hearing his name mentioned a while ago as
a possible UNH recruit.  And Serino comes to Merrimack from UNH and signs
Foster, who says Serino is a big reason why he is coming here.  Only time
will tell, but at first glance this seems to be the kind of "immediate
impact" that people are hoping Serino will make.
 
Merrimack lost two regular Ds, senior Ryan Guzior and senior-to-be Darrel
Scoville, but the addition of Foster, Steve Moon and Brad Mills to a
defense that got better as the year went along seems to bode very well for
Serino's stated goal of coming in and improving the Warriors' defensive
play.  Merrimack ranked at the bottom of Hockey East in goals against last
season.
 
-----
 
Lowell Lock Monsters tab new coach
http://www.eagletribune.com/news/stories/19980614/SP_003.htm
 
Here, Russ Conway writes that Lowell's new AHL team is expected to name
Frank Anzalone as head coach on Monday.  Anzalone has bounced around the
minors for a while after coaching Lake Superior to the 1988 NCAA
Championship.  The Lock Monsters' Tom Rowe would not confirm or deny the
rumor, but Russ writes that Anzalone is planning to be in Lowell for the
announcement.  And Russ has tended to be right on other things.
 
Former Merrimack coach Ron Anderson was rumored to be among the
frontrunners for the job, so it will be interesting to see whether or not
he is a candidate for a position as an assistant with Lowell or will land
someplace else.
 
-----
 
Elsewhere, as reported in the Tribune on Friday, Merrimack has signed a
deal with commercial radio station WCCM 800 AM (Lawrence, Mass.) to carry
the Warriors' full schedule next season.  All 34 games (plus playoffs) will
be broadcast for the first time ever since the program moved to Division I
in 1989.  Merrimack appeared on WCAP 980 AM (Lowell, Mass.) the last two
seasons, and 1997-98's total of 36 games (32 regular season, 4 playoffs)
was the most the program has had broadcast since 1989.
 
WCAP and Merrimack worked well together for two years, but the station
proved to be difficult to pick up on campus and in the surrounding
community, especially at night.  Switching to a station that is closer to
campus should help fans to be able to tune in more often.  As well, the
relationship between the Tribune and WCCM -- I believe the Tribune recently
became a part owner of the station and that the station may be relocated to
the offices of the paper -- should help the local media's coverage of the
program.  All the way around it looks like a terrific deal, thanks to
Merrimack AD Bob DeGregorio and SID Tom Caraccioli.
 
The broadcast crew has not been announced, but Merrimack and WCCM are
pursuing the retention of the crew from last season.  Last season's superb
play by play voice, Todd Jamison, is currently broadcasting professional
baseball for the Sioux City (Iowa) Explorers of the independent Northern
League, and it is not known yet if he will return.  I have also been asked
to return and my current plans are to do so, although the details have yet
to be worked out.
 
---                                                                   ---
Mike Machnik                [log in to unmask]               *HMM* 11/13/93
*****               Color Voice of Merrimack Hockey                 *****
*****       Unofficial Merrimack Hockey home page located at:       *****
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