Staff Writer

Jack Lowry has been on the ice for 49 of his 53 years. He’s played Division I hockey, tried out for the 1980 Olympic hockey team and coached two state championship high school teams.

But now, he’ll enjoy sitting on the front porch of his home in South Portland, with his basset hound sleeping next to him, taking in the afternoon sunshine.

“I’ve been very, very lucky,” Lowry said.

Lowry resigned from his position as the Cheverus High School boys’ hockey coach April 9, after 10 years with the program as both assistant and head coach. During his years with the Stags, 27 players were named to the all-state team, 11 have played Division I hockey and two players, Matt Duffy and Scott Marchesi, currently play professional hockey.

Lowry also led the Stags to two Maine Class A hockey championships, the first in the 2004-2005 season, with the second the following season. During his tenure, Cheverus also participated in the 2001-2002 state championship game, but lost to Lewiston in triple overtime.

Before his time at Cheverus, a private school in Portland with students from around the state, Lowry coached the Biddeford boys’ hockey team for 10 years, before moving on to become the Stags’ coach in 1999.

Lowry said nearly 25 of his former players are currently coaches. He shared the story of former Biddeford hockey player and current Cape Elizabeth coach Jason Tremblay. Lowry said during Tremblay’s junior season,  he injured his leg while playing against Saint Dominic’s High School. Instead of missing the rest of the game, Lowry said Tremblay bit into a hockey stick as his leg was stretched between periods.

“I said, ‘Guys, if you need anything to drive you, there it is,’” Lowry said. “We won the game 3-2.”

Lowry said he never kept track of his record as a coach. Instead, he constantly told players to learn respect and give their best effort.

Lowry said he has always loved the game of hockey because it teaches lessons, especially teamwork.

“You learn the game of life,” Lowry said. “You’re going to have to rely on people you don’t know, and they need you to help them.”

Lowry said one of his most memorable moments was Cheverus winning the first state title during his tenure at the end of the 2004-2005 season.

“It was indescribable,” Lowry said. “When the clock hit zero, I leaned back and watched the players pig-pile each other. I told the players, ‘Hockey’s a long season, you might not like it today, but if you’re the last team standing, you’ll experience something you’ll never forget.’”

Lowry said winning the state championship the next season was more of a “sigh of relief,” as teams focused on beating defending state champion Cheverus throughout the season.

Lowry began his hockey career at the age 4, in Framingham, Mass. After a successful career at Framingham South High School, Lowry was recruited by Boston University, Providence College, Northeastern University, University of Notre Dame, University of New Hampshire, Harvard and University of Vermont, but decided to play at Boston College, as he said both his parents were Irish-Catholics (Boston College is a Catholic university) and it was the school that recruited him the hardest. 

Lowry said he played for two years for Boston College, but didn’t see eye-to-eye with his head coach, and left the school after his sophomore season. He played a year of junior hockey while at the same time working on a pig farm, until he decided to go back to school and hockey at Saint Francis College in Biddeford, now known as the University of New England.

Lowry said he also had a chance to try out for the famed 1980 United States “Miracle on Ice” Olympic hockey team, which defeated the U.S.S.R. in Lake Placid, N.Y., but didn’t make the team.

After his college career, Lowry had four choices of National Hockey League organizations to play for: the Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs, Detroit Red Wings and Washington Capitols. He signed as a free agent with the Capitals and played with the team’s minor league affiliate, the Muskegon Mohawks in the International Hockey League. After some time with the Mohawks, Lowry said the “chip” on his shoulder returned and he decided to quit the team. He said he changed his mind two weeks later, but at that point it was too late to rejoin.

As his playing career ended, Lowry said he moved to Hawaii for a year to get away from hockey, but he said he missed the competitiveness of the game. He moved back to Massachusetts to work in the waste management industry, which eventually moved him to Maine. Lowry currently works in construction.

Upon his return, Lowry got into coaching, first with his alma mater at Framingham South High School and Framingham North High School before his move to Maine, where he became an assistant coach at Biddeford High School.

Lowry said he enjoyed his time coaching the Tigers, and recalls many coaching conversations he had with former football coach Mike Landry. He said even though Landry was a “fiery” coach, he always put his players first before winning. Lowry said Landry had a big influence on his own coaching career.

Lowry said he will use the time off to watch his 10-year old nephew Jimmy play baseball, and he hasn’t completely ruled out the chance to come back to coaching in the future. For now, Lowry doesn’t know how he’ll react in his first season away from hockey in 49 years.

“I love hockey,” Lowry said. “The minute I walk in an arena, there’s that certain smell or feel, and when I’m home it’s different. I’m as confident and happy as I’ll ever be [coaching]. I’m afraid of losing that feeling.”

Staff writer Dave Dyer can be reached at 282-4337 ext. 219.