Year off proved busy, productive, for Tim Lovell-This Day In Norwood History-April 2, 1995

Junior hockey season readied Norwood youth for career at Maine

The former Norwood High School hockey star did not go to work in the local supermarket. And he didn’t hang around in his room, listening to the stereo or watching the “Ricki Lake” show. He played hockey, a lot of hockey. Lovell played highly competitive Junior A hockey for the Boston Junior Bruins. In that one season, he played more hockey than he ever had in his life.

Lovell went from playing 18 games for his high school team one season to playing 78 games for the Junior Bruins. That is nearly as many as Raymond Bourque and the rest of the National Hockey League players have during a regular season. Lovell excelled, too. He scored 202 points. He was the captain of Ted Kelly’s squad, scoring 86 goals and 116 assists.

“I could have gone straight to college. I had a few scholarship offers, and I did well in the classroom,” said Lovell. “But I’m glad I played Junior A hockey. It’s a tough grind, but it prepared me. It made me a lot tougher physically.

It also took my game to another level as well.” After one year with the Junior Bruins, there were more college scholarship offers. “Yeah, there were a lot of places I could go. Boston University was interested,” said Lovell. “But I chose Maine because I like the program and they were more interested in me.” He was not the only one of those Junior Bruins to select the University of Maine. Another was Marshfield’s Trevor Roenick, whose brother Jeremy is an NHL star for the Chicago Black Hawks.

As a freshman, Lovell continued to improve, and the 5-foot-9, 160-pound Lovell was named the Most Improved Player as he scored 7 goals and 13 assists in 36 games. This year, as a sophomore, Lovell has been one reason the Black Bears advanced to the NCAA Final Four this weekend at the Providence Civic Center. In the NCAA regionals eight days ago, Lovell earned the tournament’s Most Valuable Player award for his tenacity. Lovell, 2 3 GLOBE STAFF PHOTO /JIM DAVIS University of Maine’s Tim Lovell (No. 27, right) goes after the puck at University of Denver goal in NCAA regionals last weekend.

who centers Jaime Thompson and Tony Frenette on UMaine’s third line, did some frenetic forechecking in the first period as the Black Bears took a 2-0 lead en route to a 4-2 victory over the University of Denver. Even Denver coach George Gwozdecky praised the third line. “They did a real good job putting pressure on us,” said Gwozdecky. “They earned those two goals, and we could never r make it up.” Lovell set up Thompson with the first score. Lovell’s point-blank shot by Denver goaltender Sinube Wallinheimo, and Thompson picked up the rebound and lifted it over the sprawling goalie.

The second UMaine goal was scored by Lovell on a feed from Thompson. “That goal showed a great deal of poise by Timmy,” said UMaine coach Shawn Walsh. “During the morning practice, we worked on roofing the puck. Timmy waited and waited and then lifted it over him into the net.” Walsh, who recruited Lovell, is high on his talents. “He is a tenacious defender and is opportunistic on offense,” Walsh said.

“He kept disrupting Denver as they were trying to organize any offense. Yes, he is our thirdline center, but that doesn’t mean he is our third-best center. “Our lines are only numbered 1, 2 and 3, and it has nothing to do with talent. What I do is put players with similar characteristics on the same line. The Thompson-LovellFrenette line is our speed line.

They are our fastest skaters. To beat Denver, we figured we needed to outhustle them. And that’s what our third line did.” Lovell’s statistics have vastly improved this year, and he might win the Most Improved Player award again. In 41 games, Lovell has scored 22 goals and 25 assists for 47 points. He led UMaine’s forwards in scoring throughout most of the season, but was overtaken near the end.

Lovell was second on the team in power-play goals with 11. Against Miami (Ohio) University, Lovell scored UMaine’s only hat trick this year. He has had 12 multiple-point games, with his best coming against Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute on New Year’s Eve when he connected for two goals and three assists. In high school, he was a three-time Bay State League all-star and led Norwood to the league title in 1991-92, when as a senior he scored 35 goals and 35 assists in 18 games. Lovell has always had hockey in his blood.

His father, Richard, was a star at Boston State College before the school was absorbed by the University of Massachusetts at Boston. He is the hockey coach at Xaverian High School in Westwood. His older brothers, Richard Sr. and Ryan, also played college hockey. But none of the family ever got to the NCAA Final Four – until this weekend.