March 19, 2009

LOWELL, Mass. – Sophomore defenseman Maury Edwards (Rocky Rapids, Alta.) was named a Hockey East First Team All-Star, the league announced Thursday.

Edwards is tied for the team lead and is second in Hockey East (all games) in scoring with 28 points. He is third on the team in goals (11), tied for third in assists and leads the team in power play points (14).

Edwards is the first UML defenseman to score 10 goals since Ron Hainsey in 2000-01. Hainsey was the last River Hawks to be named a first team all-star.

Edwards led Hockey East defensemen in scoring in league games with 25 points in 27 games. He had nine goals and 16 assists. Edwards, who has 16 points (6 goals, 10 assists) in the last 20 games, has been named to the Hockey East Weekly Top Performers list three times this year. He is tied for second on the River Hawks with six multi-point games this season.

Edwards was named to the 2008 Hockey East All-Rookie Team.

The River Hawks are 19-15-2 this season. They finished 14-11-2 in Hockey East, fourth in the league standings.

UMass Lowell plays Friday afternoon (5:00 p.m.) in the Hockey East semifinals against second-seeded Northeastern. The River Hawks are the fifth seed in the tournament. This is UML’s first appearance in the Hockey East semifinals since 2002.

Friday’s game is scheduled to begin at 5:00 p.m. Fans can listen to the game on WUML, 91.5 FM and on the internet by going to www.GoRiverHawks.com. The game will also be televised on the New England Sports Network (NESN).