John Hennessy, who served the Albany River Rats as both play-by-play man and color analyst, has been hired to call games for UMass-Amerst men's ice hockey in the upcoming season.

Hennessy can be heard on WRNX, 100.9 FM, out of Springfield, Mass., where he will also be a part of the school's football and basketball broadcasts.

"I'm excited about it. It's something new," Hennessy said today. "The people are all very nice and the campus is beautiful. It was just a great opportunity."

At UMass, Hennessy will be reunited with Dennis "Red" Gendron, an assistant coach for the Minutemen who worked as an assistant and head coach for Albany during his time with the New Jersey Devils organization.

"It's great having Red there, because it will make the transition a little easier," Hennessy said. "One thing I know is that they have a great program."

Hennessy, 48, still has some lingering effects from being hurt in the Rats' bus crash of Feb. 19.

"My memory isn't what it used to be and sometimes I find myself having trouble coming up with the right words I want to say," Hennessy said. "But the headaches are all but gone, so it's coming along. I feel pretty good."

An announcement on Hennessy's hiring can be found on the UMass website at http://www.umassathletics.com/sports/m-hockey/spec-rel/052809aaa.html