UMass-Lowell starts to get the idea

Despite dropping two games to Maine at Chelmsford Forum last weekend, UMass-Lowell is making strides under sixth-year coach Blaise MacDonald.

The River Hawks submitted a terrific effort Friday (a 4-2 loss), and lost, 5-2, Saturday. MacDonald has 11 freshmen and four sophomores in the lineup on a regular basis.

One of the reasons the club is progressing is Tom Fitzgerald, who played 1,097 games over 17 NHL seasons, including 2005-06 with the Bruins. Fitzgerald has been assisting MacDonald in addition to his duties as a studio analyst for NESN's Bruins broadcasts.

MacDonald said Fitzgerald, 38, brings credibility and a wealth of knowledge.

"Tommy has made an enormous contribution to our program because we do have so many young guys," said MacDonald. "They have such respect for him. He's allowed us to kind of take our existing systems and style and complement that with some really good hockey management skills, [such as] how to keep pucks safe, puck security, how to maybe exploit people. He's really helped us with our special teams. It hasn't quite shown in the numbers but we've made great progress."

Fitzgerald, a native of Billerica, is upbeat, which has helped the team, particularly the first-year players, stay on an even keel.

"He's played for a lot of Hall of Fame coaches and he remembers the game and he lives the game," said MacDonald. "He's been a huge addition. A lot of our freshmen are playing at a very high level because of him."

Northeastern goalie Brad Thiessen was named Hockey East Defensive Player of the Week after stopping 40 of 42 shots for a 0.94 goals-against average in two games last weekend. He guided the Huskies to a 3-2 overtime victory over Boston College and held Boston University off the board in a scoreless tie for his second shutout of the season. It was the third 0-0 tie in NU history and first since Feb. 14, 2004, against Maine. It was BU's first scoreless tie since Feb. 19, 1994, against Maine at Walter Brown Arena.

In the BC game, Thiessen got off to a shaky start, allowing both goals in the opening period.

"He didn't play well early," said Northeastern coach Greg Cronin. "He struggled in the game at Maine, and at Colgate [in a 5-2 loss Dec. 29] he had kind of an off night. He's just a guy who is unflappable and poised. You don't see it in his body language [when he gets scored on]. He doesn't respond. You see goalies smashing sticks, bang the glass, or pull their masks off, and he's not like that. Everybody knew that second goal [against BC] was a bad goal; you can't give up that goal on a wide-angle shot. But he responded. He shut them out the rest of the way. That's why he's going to be a critical instrument in making this program successful down the road."

Another factor in the Huskies' 4-2-1 record in their last seven games has been the addition of assistant coach Shawn McEachern.

"It's kind of interesting," said Cronin. "He played in organizations in Ottawa and Atlanta where Bob Hartley and Jacques Martin were coaching. Then he played for Scotty Bowman on a Stanley Cup winner [in 1992] and Barry Melrose, so he has a different philosophy in his pro background than I had in New York [with the Islanders]. I had some great coaches -- Peter Laviolette, Butch Goring, Mike Milbury, Lorne Henning, good people. But he has checked me on certain things. Not trumped me, but checked me on certain things about levels of work and systems that made sense in his world but I'd never really been a part of that."

The NHL's Central Scouting Service released its midseason rankings of 2007 draft-eligible players. Ranked No. 10 among North American skaters is defenseman Tommy Cross. Cross, who plays at Westminster School in Simsbury, Conn., has committed to BC next season. He is the son of Tom Cross, who played for Dartmouth in the late '70s and early '80s with current Dartmouth coach Bob Gaudet. Cross had 15 goals and 35 assists in 22 games in 2005-06 for Simsbury High and was named Connecticut's Player of the Year. He also was on the 2006 US Under-18 Junior World Cup team . . . UMass-Lowell will be without freshman defenseman Barry Goers indefinitely. Goers suffered a separated shoulder Saturday . . . The Black Bears will be home for the first time since Dec. 6 when they take on BU in a pair of games at Alfond Arena tomorrow and Saturday. During its six-game road swing, Maine was unbeaten (5-0-1).

Nancy Marrapese-Burrell can be reached at Marrapese@globe.com.