If ever there was a team that needed a spark plug, it was UMass Lowell at the end of last season.
The River Hawks got it with a 2024-25 roster full of young players that have turned the River Hawks into not just a great comeback story, but a bona fide contender. After an 8-24-4 campaign last season (4-17-3 in Hockey East) – by far the worst of coach Norm Bazin’s otherwise illustrious 13-year tenure – the River Hawks are 10-4-2 overall (5-3-1), tied for second place in the Hockey East standings and are tied for 10th in the latest edition of the USCHO Division I men’s poll.
Among the River Hawks’ top six scorers, three are freshman and one is a graduate transfer.
“(It’s) a totally new team,” Bazin said. “Last year was not what we’re all about. And we hope to prove in the second half that we can turn in a very good season this year.”
Stressing that it’s not an excuse for Lowell’s poor performance last year, Bazin noted that the team was hampered by injuries all season long, including four players that required season-ending surgery.
While the new faces have served Lowell well, Bazin credits his upper-class leadership – he mentioned by name captains Owen Cole, Piers Brandon and Ben Meehan – as a driving force contributing to the team’s success.
“The leadership is excellent,” Bazin said. “They’ve all been major cogs – bringing everybody together, making them feel welcome. (They’re) excellent human beings.”
Another bright spot for Lowell has been the play of freshman Chris Delaney. Through 16 games, the forward from Hopkinton, Mass., has six goals and three assists, including an assist in Monday night’s 3-2 loss at Boston College.
“When he’s on, he’s an energetic player,” Bazin said. “He was certainly on all cylinders the first 13 (games) or so, and the last few, the gas tank is half empty. But that’s normal for a young guy who’s going through it for the first time. He’s a really good player. He brings energy, he brings you emotion to the lineup. And certainly, he’s a real spark plug when he’s on.”
Freshman Mirko Buttazzoni of Langley, B.C., leads Lowell in scoring with five goals and nine assists. He scored twice in a 3-3 tie vs. Boston College on Dec. 6, a contest in which the River Hawks earned the extra league point with a shootout win at the Tsongas Center.
Lowell will restart its season on Jan. 3 with an appearance in the Coachella Valley Cactus Cup tournament in Palm Springs, Calif., against Michigan Tech (CCHA). Omaha (NCHC) and Holy Cross (Atlantic Hockey) are the other two participants. Hockey East play resumes a week later with a weekend series vs. Maine, with both games at home.
“With the intensity ratcheting up in the league, it’s going to get tighter,” Bazin said. “It always does, right? Seems like the playoff position isn’t figured out until the last game of the year, which makes Hockey East exciting for a lot of people. What’s it going to take? The veterans to lead and the young guys to follow them.”
