Don Orsillo will try to keep a straight face for at least another three years after signing a contract extension with New England Sports Network.

The affable Orsillo – known for his inability to keep from giggling uncontrollably, usually due to an ad-libbed comment by Boston Red Sox TV broadcast partner Jerry Remy – was born in Massachusetts, grew up in New Hampshire, and earned his communications degree from Northeastern University in Boston.

The 37-year-old Orsillo is known by many fans as “announcer boy” after he was called that by Tim Wakefield in a Red Sox promotional commercial three seasons ago. He has won two New England Emmy Awards for sports play-by-play and been named Massachusetts sportscaster of the year by the Nationals Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association (2005) since joining NESN in 2001. Before doing NESN’s Red Sox broadcasts, Orsillo was the radio play-by-play voice and director of community relations for the Pawtucket Red Sox for four seasons.

He was also the radio and TV play-by-play man for American Hockey League team Springfield from 1991 to 1996. Orsillo got his professional start doing New York-Penn League minor league games for the Pittsfield Mets in 1991 and 1992. He moved on to do Double-A games for the Binghamton Mets in 1993.

NESN tags Terriers

NESN has selected the second game of the Hockey East quarterfinal series between third-seeded Boston University and No. 6 Vermont for its wildcard playoff broadcast tonight. The game will start at 7:30 p.m.

Tonight’s 7 p.m. game between Maine and the University of Massachusetts will open the best-of-three series at Amherst. The game will not be televised but will be broadcast live on Bangor radio station WZON (620 AM) and online at www.zoneradio.com and www.b2networks.com.

Andrew Neff can be reached at 990-8205, 1-800-310-8600 or at aneff@bangordailynews.net