Broadcaster Profile- Eric Frede, NESN, ASN, Cod Rock Media

Moving right along to showcase more of the great talent that brings you hockey to your homes- the next post here at Hockey On the Radio deals with a great friend and very talented broadcaster who has been involved with Hockey East for a long time, Eric Frede.

Eric Frede is a fixture on the college hockey scene and has been a vital part of the coverage of the sport here in New England for several years. Eric began his coverage of the game with NESN in 2002 and has since moved onto SportsNet Central where he continues to anchor for the network.

Beginning with Eric's college hockey work, he arrived at NESN in 2002, hosting Inside Hockey East, a half hour show dedicated to the coverage of college hockey for the network. He has covered all of the teams in Hockey East with his play by play coverage, and has called games for NESN and most recently the American Sports Network (ASN). He was honored with the presentation of the prestigious Joe Concannon Media Award in 2005, becoming the 14th media member to receive the award, and the third NESN personality to be honored, following Bob Whitelaw and Bob Norton.

Eric has also been exposed to hockey at the professional level, serving as the in-studio host for Boston Bruins hockey from 2005-07. He has worked alongside Cam Neely, Rick Middleton, Don Sweeney, Gord Kluzak, Barry Pederson and Paul Stewart. He has also done play by play for the Ice Hockey World Championships for the World Championship Sports Network.

An Edward R. Murrow Award winner for sports reporting, Eric began his broadcasting career in New York, covering sports for West Point as well as Marist College basketball, while also working as a production assistant at NBC Sports. He also had stints at WVII in Bangor, Maine and WMUR-TV in Manchester, N.H. He also served as the Celtics pre and post game shows on FOX Sports New England.

Eric is also known for his basketball work, as he has done many broadcasts for the America East Network. He also served as the Celtics PA announcer in 2002-03.

He is also no stranger to baseball work, as he has done many minor league games for NESN, and also has acted as a field reporter for Boston Red Sox baseball from 2004 to 2005. Eric also filled in for Tom Caron on the pre and post game shows. He also has done fill in work for the Red Sox on NESN, pinch hitting for Don Orsillo in 2010. He has worked with Jim Rice, Dennis Eckersley, Tom Caron, Jerry Remy, Gary DiSarcina and Sam Horn.

Nationally, he has called games for the Oxygen, Speed, and CSTV networks (CSTV being college hockey coverage).

To further illustrate Eric's versatility, he has done games for the Boston Breakers of the former USFL, and the New England Revolution.

He has also hosted sports specialty shows, among them being NESN Sports Desk, Red Sox Rewind and Boston Globe Sports Plus (filling in for Bob Lobel).

In addition to his work with SportsNet Central, Eric is co-owner of Cod Rock Media along with Maine radio PxP voice Dan Hannigan (you can read more about Dan and Cod Rock in an earlier post on this blog). Cod Rock specializes in sports media video productions, and is the go to source for productions of this type. Eric and Dan were colleagues also at Bangor's ABC television affiliate.

Eric was educated at Ithaca College in Ithaca, N.Y., graduating in 1988.

Here is a video which describes the work of Cod Rock, and the work of Eric and Dan:

https://youtu.be/IM1GqYQW2Aw

Eric can be seen on CSN and on NESN and ASN during college hockey season.

Broadcaster Profile- Dale Arnold, New England Sports Network

My next feature here on the Hockey On the Radio Blog features the only man to serve as the play by play voice of all five of the major sports teams in Boston- the Red Sox, Patriots, Bruins, Celtics, and Revolution- Dale Arnold of NESN.

Dale Arnold, NESN

Dale Arnold has been synonymous with Boston sports for nearly thirty years. Currently the in game studio host for Boston Bruins hockey on the New England Sports Network (NESN). Dale has a long history of play by play work in the hockey world. From 1995-2007 he was the voice of Bruins hockey on NESN, paired with former Bruins standout defenseman Gord Kluzak. Prior to his play by play work with the Bruins, Dale served as the voice of New Jersey Devils hockey in 1986 and 1987.  Leading up to his storied play by play NHL career, Dale was the voice for Maine Mariners hockey for seven seasons, in which he replaced the venerable Mike Emrick on the broadcasts. Dale worked with Tom McVie at Maine, a coach who would go on to have great success in the National Hockey League. Dale's current hockey responsibilities involve being the in studio host for Bruins telecasts on NESN, in which he anchors the pre-game, intermission and postgame coverage. 

Hockey is the tip of the iceberg as far as Dale's play by play work is concerned. He called New England Patriots football from 1988-90, and did work with the Red Sox on their broadcast team in 2008, assigning him to work with Joe Castiglione when Dave O'Brien called games for ESPN. He has also chipped in doing play by play for the Celtics and the Revolution while also serving as the public address announcer for the Revolution as well. He has also been at the microphone for Boston College football on WEEI. 

A three time Regional Emmy Award winner for outstanding Play By Play coverage by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, Dale has been with WEEI AM (850) since the station's inception in 1991. One of my lasting memories of Dale was his coverage of the Oklahoma City bombings on WEEI.... The moment when you transition from a sports reporter to a news one.... And he handled it brilliantly.  He also worked with WEEI-FM. He has been paired with many great sports personalities in the region, among them Eddie Andelman (in a show named the A-Team); with Bob Neumeier on the Dale and Neumy Show, and currently with former Boston Globe columnist Michael Holley in the Dale & Holley Show. He has also hosted Sunday morning talk shows with Boston Herald columnist Steve Buckley. 

He was educated at Bowdoin College in Maine and was a native of Brunswick, ME, for a time. Dale also worked at WHDH Radio. He began broadcasting games in high school in Brunswick, and he was also a fine athlete, lettering in four sports in high school (soccer, cross country, basketball, and baseball). He continued on with broadcasting while at Bowdoin, covering football and hockey for the college. 

One of the interesting aspects of Dale in popular culture is that he has a sandwich named after him- the Dale Arnold- which you can enjoy at the Maine Diner in Wells, Maine- a lobster roll with melted butter. (This author has had it and loves it).  

I had the good fortune to meet Dale and interview him at WEEI when I first started out in the business and he was the consummate professional. 

To paint a better picture of Dale's work, here is a video clip of Dale discussing Bruins hockey with NESN analyst Barry Pederson: 

https://youtu.be/wSOlLYyVRIs       

Dale can be heard from 10-2 on WEEI AM 850 AM alongside Michael Holley, and on NESN (as stated above on Bruins broadcasts. 

Hockey On The Radio Special Feature- Mike McMahon, Merrimack Warriors

I'd like to take this opportunity to welcome you back to Hockey on the Radio! It is a pleasure to be back and bringing you information on the individuals who broadcast the game of hockey to your living rooms and car radios. For the next installment I will profile a man who has had some time on the air helping us with Merrimack hockey broadcasts and has also carved out an even bigger presence through podcasts and the written word, Mike McMahon.  

Mike McMahon is a trusted, reliable and invaluable resource in his coverage of college hockey, especially to the radio broadcast effort at Merrimack College with Mike Machnik and yours truly. A graduate of Merrimack College, Mike has been covering college hockey since the 2005-06 season. Although radio is not a function that Mike does on a consistent basis, it is imperative to mention his work due to the influential nature of it. Mike has been covering Merrimack hockey since 2006-07 with the Lawrence Eagle-Tribune, and is a senior writer for College Hockey News, the recognized leader in the coverage of college hockey. He is widely known for his outstanding website " The Mack Report" at themackreport.com , in which he provides in-depth analysis, podcasts, transcripts, and articles related to Merrimack College hockey and college hockey in general. Mike has developed a reputation as a true "go-to" resource for me, as I rely heavily and depend on his insight and analysis. He also hosts the "Merrimack College Coaches show" a weekly segment in which he interviews Merrimack head coach Mark Dennehy on topics that are relevant and are important to Merrimack College specifically and college hockey in general.

In addition to breaking down college hockey games with his well-prepared analysis and commentary,
Mike also covers all other sports that are relevant at Merrimack, and has also covered the UFC and has had excellent analysis there as well. He has also written for USAHockey.com, Red Line Editorial,  ESPN.com as well as MetroWest Daily News. Mike has also appeared on several media outlets, including WEEI.com and has also been interviewed on Canadian outlets regarding his exhaustive knowledge of college hockey. He has been featured on dozens of radio programs to lend his expert analysis of college hockey.  Mike also is an excellent photographer, and his photos taken during Merrimack hockey games are featured on the mackreport.com. In addition to his work at WEEI, he has also gained valuable experience at WHDH-TV and at WBZ News Radio 1030 in Boston. He also operates live blogs during his coverage of games as well a mailbag segment, where he answers questions from fans on topics relating to college hockey (Merrimack in particular).

I have had Mike on the air with me, and he also filled in with Mike Machnik on the one occasion I had to miss a game (one of only two misses I have had in my almost 11 years at Merrimack). Mike's transition to the radio side was seamless and effortless. His knowledge of the game and skill in communicating is a perfect fit to the success of the broadcast. He is a frequent intermission guest on our broadcasts and provides as in-depth analysis of the game as anyone I have ever known. As stated earlier, his material on the Mack Report is as critical to my preparation as is any other resource I work with.

In addition to his undergraduate degree from Merrimack College in political science and government, Mike also earned certification from the Connecticut School of Broadcasting in 2006, in which he gained valuable knowledge of the broadcasting industry which has served him well in his communication efforts. He is also the VP of Operations for Furniture Concepts, Inc.

I have referenced this site on a few occasions in this blog post, but it is an excellent reference point to getting a really good feel of Mike's work. If you would like to learn more about Mike's scope and breadth of coverage, please head over to http://www.themackreport.com  and check out his outstanding work. You can also see a lot of his work at www.collegehockeynews.com.

Broadcaster Profile- Donnie Moorhouse, Massachusetts Minutemen

It certainly has been a while, but it's great to be blogging again. Over the past season I've had the good fortune to introduce and profile some great radio voices who have called the game of hockey, from college to AHL to the pros. To a large extent my focus has been in Hockey East, the league I work in, and with this latest post I'd like to come back to Hockey East and introduce Donnie Moorhouse, who is back for his second stint as radio voice of the UMass Minutemen.

Donnie Moorhouse is in his second run as radio play by play radio voice of the UMass Minutemen, joining forces with Brock Hines on the call (for more on Brock, I invite you to check his post from earlier here on the blog). Donnie was on the call of UMass hockey from 2002-2009 and was at the mike for some great moments in Minuteman hockey history, one of which was a triple OT game against Maine in the Hockey East tournament. Donnie moved over to AIC to call games for the Yellow Jackets at his alma mater in Springfield most recently prior to coming back to Amherst.

Donnie has a rich history when it comes to staying involved with the game of hockey, as he also hosted " Hockey Night in Springfield" while doing AIC games, a program that aired on WEEI-FM, 105.5 in Springfield. The program covered not only UMass and AIC, but also also the Springfield Falcons and all of the high school teams in the area,  a great testament to Donnie's diverse coverage and knowledge base.  He also spent two years doing business development for the Springfield Falcons, and has been a music writer for The Republican newspaper for an impressive 23 years. Donnie is also very much involved with the UMass Coaches Show alongside Brock Hines, a weekly coaches show with coach John Micheletto live from the Hangar in Amherst each Tuesday night during the hockey season.

Donnie has also been involved with songwriting, as he wrote songs for a group called " Breakdown", whose style could be likened to the style of John Mellencamp. He has also written a script for a film called " Cathedral Pines" and has acted in five films, including a horror film called " Collinsville."  Although he has much experience in film and music, hockey is his first passion. He has also founded a non-profit organization called the "Hockey Project" which takes at-risk kids and gives them a chance to play hockey and get them on the ice.

Donnie travelled to Northern Ireland in 2016 alongside Brock Hines to broadcast the second annual Friendship Four Tournament for the UMass Radio Network.

Donnie made broadcast history on April 10, 2021, calling the play by play of UMass' clinching win in the national championship game , a 5-0 win over St. Cloud State University at PP&G Arena in Pittsburgh. 

I will be attempting to add some audio to highlight Donnie's work in the very near future should I be able to locate some highlights of his work, but in the meantime be sure to tune in to Donnie and Brock on the call of UMass hockey live on WHMP radio (1400 AM) in Northampton. Minuteman hockey can also be heard on 1240 AM and 96.9 FM in the Amherst area. You can also access their broadcasts on the TuneIn radio app for mobile devices (enter WHMP in the search field), or by simply visiting www.umassathletics.com.

Broadcaster Profile- Nick Gagalis, Providence Bruins

Continuing on with our discussion of radio hockey voices that shape our enjoyment of the game of hockey, for this next entry I'll head down to the Ocean State and take a look at the voice of the Boston Bruins AHL affiliate, Nick Gagalis of the Providence Bruins.

Nick Gagalis is a man who has made his mark in the broadcasting world, both in the game of hockey and across the sports landscape. Nick currently calls the action on the Providence Bruins radio network, following the path of current Bruins radio voice Dave Goucher (who like Nick is a graduate of Boston University). Nick does so much more in regards to his work with the P-Bruins than just the radio call- he is involved with media and public relations work, with the task of increasing and reshaping the public image of the team. He has also functioned in the role of official scorer in his tenure with the club prior to becoming the voice of the Bruins, as well as performing such tasks as recording audio spots, playing music and sound effects at games, running their Twitter account, and doing PA work for youth hockey games.

Nick has seen his share of games in the hockey world prior to coming to Providence. It started for him in 2007, when he was the color commentator for the BU Terriers on student radio, working alongside Kevin Edelson. In 2009, Nick helped call the BU championship win over Miami in overtime from Washington, D.C. A segment of that game was submitted to the Associated Press and subsequently won a regional award. Nick also did hockey reporting for U.S. College Hockey Online, writing for Merrimack College hockey. Nick wrote stories in support of Merrimack hockey and updated the team's happenings on his personal Twitter account. He also reported for the New England Hockey Journal in 2008.

Hockey is not the only sport Nick has experience in. He has done plenty of baseball work in his career as well. We crossed paths in 2011, working together as member of the Worcester Tornadoes baseball club in the Can-Am League, Nick doing their radio and myself doing public address. Nick was employed as their radio voice the year Jose Canseco played for the club, which caused quite a buzz for baseball fans in Central Massachusetts. Nick also worked for the Hudson Valley Renegades of the New York Penn League, doing their radio as well as social media, advertising, ticket sales, stadium operations, and pulling tarp during rain delays (I did my share of tarp pulling too, so I can relate to that last point). He also handled broadcast duties for the Brewster Whitecaps of the Cape Cod Baseball League (not a bad place to work in the summers).

Nick currently provides play by play for Merrimack College football in North Andover, and has also done football broadcast work for St. Anselm's in New Hampshire.

Other assignments have seen Nick work as a production intern for NESN, a morning show production intern for WEEI radio in Boston, as well as stops at ESPN radio in Charlestown, and WZLX radio. He has had scores of reporting jobs in his career as well..

Possessing a bachelor of science in journalism from Boston University, Nick was well involved in getting his feet wet while covering the Terriers. He was a host, panelist, and producer for BUTV, the school television station. Also Nick was an anchor and an editor for the Terrier Nation show (BU's equivalent of ESPN's SportsCenter).

He has also done social media work for Liberty Mutual and worked as a customer service representative for Shaw's Supermarkets. His specialty is branding, where he focused on that as a member of the Careerealism Company based out of Hampton, N.H.

Here is a clip of Nick on the call of a Providence game against the Manchester Monarchs from April 19, 2015 at the Dunkin Donuts Center:

https://app.box.com/s/67xjpwws9k7dq6a4zjbtf123q6sdy9vj      

To check out Nick on the call of Providence Bruins hockey, go to http://ahl.neulion.com/ahl/.

Broadcaster Profile- Adam Frenier, Massachusetts Minutemen

I'd like to continue on with my coverage of the outstanding, passionate voices of the great game of hockey. We'll stay in Hockey East for this post and we'll pay another visit  out to Amherst, MA, and take a look at the final member of the UMass hockey team, Adam Frenier.

Adam Frenier has been a solid and important part of the coverage of UMass hockey on the radio. He has filled in quite capably  on the play by play call as well as performing various other duties for Minuteman hockey coverage. He has been involved with UMass sports media since 2000, and wears many hats for the UMass athletic program.

Adam has served not only as play-by-play talent for the network but has also been a studio producer as well. He has been an important part of UMass football coverage in these capacities, serving as a host for home football games. His work has also seen him serve as a sideline reporter, halftime host, and post game host for the UMass Sports Network. Adam has also stepped in very nicely as a play by play voice for UMass All Access.

Adam has been a part of five AP Massachusetts/Rhode Island play by play award winning broadcasts, three as a producer and two as on air talent. He has also been a freelance news reporter for New England Public Radio in Amherst covering news events since 2011.

Adam has also served as a producer for the Boston Red Sox radio network, a position he held from 2005 to 2007. Prior to that he functioned as a news reporter for WHMP-AM in Northhampton (which is the current  flagship station for UMass hockey) from 2000-2005.

Adam and the UMass radio hockey team made history on April 10, 2021 at the PP&G Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, as they were on the radio call for UMass' first national championship, a 5-0 victory over St. Cloud State University. 

He is a 2004 graduate of UMass and lives in Florence, MA.

Here is a clip of Adam's play by play work alongside Brock Hines, this clip being from a 2-1 OT win over Providence at the Mullins Center:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmoR3ueq3_M

And a second clip from Adam's call alongside Brock Hines of a 5-2 UMass win over the UMass Lowell River Hawks at the Mullins Center:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRUxeumtmjE 

And finally a bonus clip of Adam on the call of UMass lacrosse, in a 12-9 win over Drexel:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K75HKD8QKhQ


UMass hockey can be heard on WHMP 1400 and 1240 AM, as well as visiting the following link:

 http://www.umassathletics.com/umass-sports-network.html .

Broadcaster Profile- Cody Chrusciel, UMass Minutemen

The warm weather is finally upon us after an unforgiving winter and a winter that saw some incredible hockey played in the region. But just because the temperatures are rising doesn't mean that my look into the world of hockey radio broadcasters will disappear. With that said, I'd like to move on to profile another hockey radio broadcaster who saw time with the UMass Minutemen in 2014-15 and a good friend, Cody Chrusciel.

Cody Chrusciel's very recognizable voice was heard last season on the call of UMass Minutemen hockey splitting play by play time with John Hennessy alongside Brock Hines on the UMass Sports Network. The Wayne, N.J. native is a UMass grad who has a broad range of sports broadcasting credentials to his credit. Cody is also a sideline reporter for UMass football and is active in his production and promotion of the "UMass Sports Insider": television program. He also has been on the call for UMass women's basketball for the Atlantic 10 Digital Network and UMass All Access.

Graduating with an M.S. in Sports Management from UMass in 2011, Cody also has seen his share of minor league baseball over the years, doing play by play for the Tennessee Smokies (Chicago Cubs AA affiliate), and the New Jersey Jackals independent team in the Can-Am league (which is where I first met him), as well as the Sussex Skyhawks, also in the Can-Am. He also worked at Army covering lacrosse and also worked in the Philadelphia Philles organization in the video services department as well as with the ECHL's Trenton Devils in their broadcasting department.

As far as hockey goes, Cody was at the microphone for the longest game ever played in college hockey history on March 6, 2015 at the Compton Family Ice Arena in South Bend, Indiana, in a first round playoff game between UMass and Notre Dame (a game which the Minutemen won 4-3), alongside Brock Hines. Although this record could be broken at some point, it certainly could stand for a while and will be an impressive notation on his resume regardless. He has also been at the mike for the University of New England's hockey program.

Here is a sample of Cody's work with the Minutemen, as you can hear Cody's work enriches the deep tradition of play by play voices for the Minutemen. Check it out at https://soundcloud.com/cody-chrusciel/hockey-highlights-umass-minutemen-2014-15.  Included in the clip is Cody's call of the game winning goal in the 5 OT win at Notre Dame, scored by UMass's Shane Walsh.

To learn more about Cody, I invite you to check out his website at www.codychrusciel.com. You will find his resume, background, play by play clips, and so much more.

UMass hockey can be tuned in at WHMP 1400 and 1240 AM on the dial. You can also access Minuteman hockey on the TuneIn radio app for your smartphones and tablets, or by visiting the following link:

http://www.umassathletics.com/umass-sports-network.html .

Cody has accepted a position at Princeton University commencing in the 2015-16 season, and I'd like to wish him well in his new endeavor!