Well, aside from the freshmen arriving on campus and the ice to actually be laid down in the Mullins and practice rink, the final pieces are falling into place for the upcoming hockey season. Today it was announced that Massachusetts hockey can be found on WHMP next season. WHMP, which carried hockey previously, can be found on the valley on 96.9 FM out of Williamsburg, 1400 AM Northampton, and 1240 AM Greenfield. Here’s a map from their website that shows their coverage area. On Twitter, Brock Hines mentioned that the 1600 AM station in Longmeadow is a daytime station only, so will not be used for broadcasts. Games will be streamed live on WHMP.com.
As of right now there is no ability to stream the station through iPhones (and therefore I’m assuming other smart phones), though a friend mentioned that the company that provides WHMP’s streaming service, Liquid Compass, does have an app for iPhone and Android. However WHMP would have to opt-in to that service in order to become available on it. Hopefully this is something the Athletic Department is addressing as part of the agreement. But besides that the deal seems like good news for the program, though it’s a little worrisome that it appears to be just a one year contract versus the five year contract the school signed with other area stations. It’s also a little disappointing the broadcasts will not be available to the entire valley, as Springfield is out of range and they would have to stream as well. One thing to note is that the release says not only will coaches shows be available via podcast as they were before, but the games will be as well. I’ve already been in contact with Brock Hines to suggest he set up some kind of cross-promotion with this show that airs weekly on the station.
With today’s release and the season approaching I think we can finally put this tumultuous offseason behind us. As FTT reader “George” noted earlier today, “Amazing how the lack of a release 2+ months ago changed the UMass hockey landscape”, citing the news that WEEI Springfield was becoming the Flagship home for UMass Sports, as long as those sports were football and basketball. Things got ugly quickly immediately following, but no matter now. The boys are on campus, the staff is in place, and for those who cannot get out to the Mullins for every game, you can now follow the Minutemen from afar.
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A name UMass hockey fans should keep an eye on, or at least one I will be keeping an eye on, is Dennis Kravchenko. Kravchenko decommitted from Vermont yesterday citing the turnover in coaching staff as his primary reason. This blog post from the Burlington Free Press mentions he established close ties with new UMass assistant Joey Gasparini during the recruiting process. Kravchenko is a former teammate of current Minuteman Steve Mastalerz when they played at Kimball Union, where he also would’ve played with 2014 recruit Casey Miller. Kravchenko, a California native, is due to play for Sioux Falls in the USHL this coming season. At the time he committed to Vermont he was also being recruited by Denver, Maine, Northeastern, RPI, and St Cloud.
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As I mentioned yesterday, Providence will be undertaking a significant renovation of Schneider Arena (renderings start around 2:15):
Fear The Triangle - UMass Hockey Blog 
Anonymous
/ August 22, 2012I’ve seen others say this is bad because it knocks UMass’ facilities down the list, but I think it’s good for Providence and the conference. (Obviously that’s easier to say for the Friars as opposed to if BC was making renovations 🙂 ).
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Anonymous
/ August 22, 2012went to pc game last yr….maybe 100 people in attendance…pathetic fan base there
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Anonymous
/ August 22, 2012Nice to hear about the radio coverage, but really disappointing to hear about the lack of streaming options. I hope that changes. If not, maybe many fan requests could help.
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rocks22
/ August 22, 2012There is a typical streaming option. Just not one to your phone.
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Anonymous
/ August 22, 2012Right, but I’d say that’s pretty outdated. It seems the majority of stations now have streams that are also available on the more common streaming sites with apps like Tunein and Reciva. That makes them available not only on phones and tablets, but also with other devices like WiFi radios. It’s a bummer to be tied to a computer to listen.
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rocks22
/ August 22, 2012I agree completely. I just wanted to make sure I conveyed the news clearly.
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Anonymous
/ August 22, 2012Boy, you get results! Nice.
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George
/ August 22, 2012Well let’s write and tell them what we would like. Maybe the Liquid Compass thing can work out and the administration can do SOMETHING for the hockey program that is BEYOND what is expected (the radio contract).
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