Taken from The Boston Globe, Aug 2, 1994
 
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   O'Connor to play at UMass - not BC
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Tom O'Connor, the former Springfield Olympics standout
who in June was the Pittsburgh Penguins' fourth-round
draft choice, grew up a Boston College hockey fan and
made an early verbal commitment to play for the Eagles.
Yesterday came the annouuncement that the defenseman
had signed his official letter of intent to enroll
at... the University of Massachusetts.
 
What happened?
 
"Boston College offered me a full scholarship last fall;
I have it in writing from [former] Coach [Steve] Cedorchuk,"
said O'Connor, a native of Springfield.  "And all winter
long the BC people were talking to me as though everything
was OK.  Then spring came and they didn't have a scholarship
for me.  They lied to me, for the most part, through the
whole year."
 
Attempts to reach BC athletic dirctor Chet Gladchuk were
unsuccessful.  When the Globe reported in June that the
school had broken scholarship promises to hockey recruits -
leading to the resignation of coach Mike Milbury after only
62 days on the job - Gladchuk was quoted as saying the
situation was "disconcerting to me and to the university at
large.  Yes, I am very upset by this."
 
Though O'Connor, too, is upset - "I always wanted to play
for BC" - he is upbeat about joining the Minutemen.  "I'm
excited for the opportunity,"  he said.  "UMass is a young
program, but I think we're going to be better than people
expect."
 
Article written by Jeff Wagenheim - Specialist to the Globe