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Former River Hawks move on to professional hockey

The UMass Lowell men’s ice hockey team will be missing a significant number of key pieces when it begins its 2014-2015 season.

Senior captain Josh Holmstrom, senior assistant captain Joseph Pendenza and senior goaltender Doug Carr are moving on from college hockey, at least. Holmstrom signed an amateur try-out (ATO)deal and will play hockey with the Bridgeport Soundtigers of the American Hockey League, while counterpart Pendenza signed with the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals. Carr agreed to an ATO with the AHL’s Abbotsford Heat.

While the loss of these seniors was inevitable, a number of important younger players decided to take their games to the next level. The core trio of defenseman Christian Folin, forward Scott Wilson and standout goaltender Connor Hellebuyck all chose to leave behind their college eligibility to pursue playing hockey at the NHL level.

Wilson signed a two-year entry level contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins, who drafted Wilson in the seventh round of the 2011 NHL entry draft. The talented forward finishes his career as a River Hawk with 39 goals and 56 assists.

Folin, considered by many to be the top free-agent defenseman in college hockey, inked a two year entry-level contract with the Minnesota Wild just a day after the River Hawks departure from the NCAA tournament. He scored six goals and contributed 14 assists this season, good enough for a spot on Hockey East’s all-tournament team.

Perhaps the biggest loss for the River Hawks will be the departure of Hellebuyck, who posted remarkable numbers during his two year career in Lowell. His 38-12-2 record is almost as impressive as the 1.60 goals against average, .946 save percentage and 12 shutouts in 54 career games.

His accolades include being named Hockey East Tournament MVP and first All-Star team thanks to his efforts during the 2013-2014 season.

Hellebuyck was a Winnipeg Jets draftee (130th overall pick) in the 2012 NHL entry draft and signed an entry-level three-year deal with the team.

While many familiar faces from the UMass Lowell hockey team will be absent for next season, probably the most important figure on the team still remains: Head Coach Norm Bazin. Bazin’s success in his first three years with the River Hawks has been outstanding, and next season might be his toughest test yet in terms of coaching and molding a team.

River Hawks fans should remain optimistic so long as Bazin is standing behind the bench. His presence combined with the remaining young talent on the team should mean the River Hawks will remain a competitive team in Hockey East for the foreseeable future.