Riverhawks Game Blog

Aaron King

UMass Lowell Riverhawks Game

            In between UMass Lowell’s East Campus and Lowell’s Downtown district lies Tsongas Arena. Host of many concerts and events, and located in the hub of Lowell, Tsongas Arena is certainly a social pinpoint to the city. However, one type of event central to integrating the citizens of the city and the students that go to the city’s university is a UMass Lowell Riverhawks hockey game. Fast paced, exciting, and certainly indicative of Lowell’s rich culture, these hockey games not only cater to the entertainment of students but the city as a whole. I saw this firsthand when I attended a hockey game with my friends last Friday night. These aspects of what a Riverhawks game offers was readily apparent.

            Purchased by the university in 2009, the arena is located just east of UMass’ Fox Hall. Upon purchasing of the venue the university made significant renovations to it, making it highly attractive to its guests. I saw this as descriptive of Lowell’s culture; they aim to gather people from all over, both in and out of the city, and to leave a good impression on them about the city of Lowell, and I think they succeed in this endeavor with the university’s renovation of the stadium. People who come to concerts, social events, and gatherings alike will be able to enjoy a pristine site for entertainment, and that reflects well on the city’s culture and values.

            The location of the arena is very efficient also to gather a wide variety of crowds, for Riverhawk games in particular. It is easily accessible to UMass students – perhaps a ten minute walk from East Campus. It is also close to downtown Lowell, where citizens of the city can easily access the games as well. This ease of accessibility to the arena only contributes to Riverhawk games’ influence on the city. The location of the arena assures that these hockey games aren’t meant to be just for students, they extend to all citizens of Lowell and even beyond. It is clear that UMass wants everyone to come to these games, and this is shown in the arena’s location.

            As for the game I attended, it was certainly an exciting experience. Although the team lost to Quinnipiac, the environment of the game was fervent. It was like any other sporting event – everyone feeling a sense of community in rooting for their home team. However, I think the environment of the Riverhawks game aimed to do more. With so many students gathering and socializing with people outside of the school, I think the Riverhawks game fostered a real sense of pride for not only the school but the city of Lowell itself. To come from a place where a sport can do so much to bring people together for a joint cause – supporting a great hockey team – I think that instills a significant sense of pride in the fans that only something like a Riverhawks game could do.

            I highly enjoyed my experience at the hockey game. Hockey has never been my favorite sport, but just from one game I can tell that I will be very enveloped in it during my time at UMass, because it is such an integral part of the school. And this is not without reason; the Riverhawks have done exceptionally well the past few seasons and it is exciting to witness the team do so well. Again, although the team lost, the fans were into the game which made for an exciting experience nonetheless. The atmosphere is one of excitement, anticipation, and pride of the Riverhawks. This made my time at Tsongas Arena a highly memorable experience.

            My experience at the Riverhawks game against Quinnipiac reflected well the culture of the city, having been so inclusive and entertaining. The condition of the newly refurbished arena shows that the city wants to be welcoming and inviting. The location of the arena shows that they also want to be inviting to a wide variety of people and make it accessible for many different people. Seemingly everything at the game worked to show that Lowell is a place that people should want to go to, to show that Lowell is on the map as a cultural hub.