Aug. 24, 2011
As UMass Lowell hockey enters its first season under head coach Norm Bazin, 12 new players have been added to the roster for the 2011-12 campaign. Freshmen Tyler Brickler (Riverwoods, Ill.), Stephen Buco (North Providence, R.I.), Mike Conderman (Rochester, N.Y.), Christian Cowles (Georgetown, Mass.), William Eiserman (West Newbury, Mass.), Zack Kamrass (Atlanta, Ga.), Micki Mihailovich (Westland, Mich.), Brian Robbins (Scotrun, Pa.), Jake Suter (Lac du Flambeau, Wisc.), Terrence Wallin (Avon, Conn.) and Scott Wilson (Oakville, Ont.) will join junior Malcolm Lyles (Miami Gardens, Fla.) as members of the River Hawks.
"This year's recruiting class is quite large with six forwards, five defensemen and one goalie," said Bazin. "We expect several of these individuals to compete for immediate playing time, while a couple will even contribute to specials teams play."
Marred by injuries and inexperience last season, the River Hawks faltered to a 5-24-4 overall record and a 4-21-2 mark in Hockey East play. Bazin seized the reigns of UMass Lowell in April and with the help of his new assistants, Jason Lammers and Cam Ellsworth, the program looks to restore its proud tradition of winning.
The large influx of new faces will look to replace a highly productive senior class of Ryan Blair (Ashburn, Va.), Scott Campbell (Navan, Ont.), Patrick Cey (Saskatoon, Sask.), Jason DeLuca (East Moriches, N.Y.) and Maury Edwards (Rocky Rapids, Alta.).
The new-look River Hawks will take the ice for the first time on Oct. 8 for their exhibition contest against New Brunswick in the Tsongas Center. UMass Lowell makes its season debut in Mankato, MN against Minnesota State on Oct. 14.
"These young men will join a very anxious group of upperclassmen looking for opportunities to contribute and our coaching staff is eager to teach and develop them into a team," added Bazin.
A forward from the British Columbia Hockey League, Brickler (6'0", 185) has skated for the Westside Warriors for the past two seasons. Brickler enjoyed a career year in 2010-11, totaling 24 goals and 26 assists through 60 games. He added 10 points (3g, 7a) in the playoffs, helping the Warriors reach the second round.
Buco (5'8", 175) joins the River Hawks after starring for the Boston Bulldogs of the Atlantic Junior Hockey League. The two-time AJHL Most Valuable Player and scoring champion, Buco is coming off a 100 point season (44g, 56a) in 2010-11. In two seasons with Boston, the forward totaled 79 goals and 107 assists for 186 points in 86 games. He was also named the Hockey Night In Boston Elite Showcase MVP in 2011.
Conderman (5'9", 165) arrives at UMass Lowell by way of the Muskegon Lumberjacks of the United States Hockey League. The forward totaled 32 points (11g, 21a) in 57 games with Muskegon. Prior to skating in the USHL, Conderman starred at the Cushing Academy, earning a spot on All-New England Prep School All-Star Team in 2010.
Cowles (6'0", 190) spent last season with the New Hampshire Jr. Monarchs of the Eastern Junior Hockey League. He totaled 30 points (9g, 21a) in 29 games played while helping the Monarchs win the EJHL Championship. Prior to that, Cowles captained St. John's Prep School where he earned the Catholic Conference MVP, Salem News' Player of the Year and Boston Globe All-Scholastic honors.
A local product, Eiserman (6'0", 200) skated with the Tri-City Storm of the USHL last season. The blue-liner totaled four assists in 54 games. Before joining Tri-City, Eiserman played for the New Hampshire Jr. Monarchs of the EJHL and Newburyport High School. With Newburyport in 2008-09, Eiserman won the Massachusetts Division II State Championship.
Kamrass (5'11", 190) suited up for the Sioux Falls Stampede of the USHL for each of the last two seasons. Kamrass will reunite with former Stampede teammates Daniel Furlong (Stoneham, Mass.), Josh Holmstrom (Colorado Springs, Colo.) and Chad Ruhwedel (San Diego, Calif.). The defenseman totaled six goals and 33 assists in 110 games with Sioux Falls, highlighted by a trip to the Western Conference Finals in 2011.
Lyles (5'10", 181) arrives at UMass Lowell as a junior after playing for Boston College from 2008-10, then skating for the Vernon Vipers last season in the BCHL. The blue-liner scored eight goals and 22 assists with the Vipers en route an All-Star selection, the BCHL Championship and a second place finish in the 2011 Royal Bank Cup. With the Eagles, Lyles tallied two assists in 12 games.
A second player from the Muskegon Lumberjacks, Mihailovich (6'0", 175) served as an assistant captain in 2010-11. The gritty defenseman scored one goal and 12 assists while recording a league-high 264 penalty minutes in 54 games played. Prior to joining Muskegon, Mihailovich skated with Alaska Avalanche of the North American Hockey League.
The lone incoming goaltender, Robbins (6'0", 170) was a two-time All-Star with the Capital District Selects of the EJHL. Robbins was 6-36-2 with a .892 save percentage and 5.54 goals against average in 2010-11. He led the EJHL in saves with 1818, nearly 800 more than the next closest goaltender. Robbins also led the league in saves in 2009-10 with 1352, recording a .920 SV% and 4.26 GAA.
Suter (6'0", 200) is the son of former NHL great Gary Suter and played for the Sioux City Musketeers of the USHL. A defenseman, Suter scored one goal and six assists last season while earning the team's Defenseman of the Year honor. Suter is also the cousin of former River Hawk captain Jeremy Dehner ('10).
Wallin (6'0", 180) shined as a high-scoring forward for The Gunnery School. During his career with Gunnery, Wallin won three New England Prep School Hockey Conference (NEPSHC) West Championships and served as team captain as a senior. For his career, Wallin totaled 38 goals and 73 assists in 77 games--including a 26 point (9g, 17a) senior season.
The lone NHL Draft selection, Wilson (6'0", 173) was taken with 28th pick (209th overall) in the seventh round by Pittsburgh Penguins. Wilson served as the captain of the Georgetown Raiders in the Ontario Junior Hockey League last season, scoring 61 points (20g, 41a) in 42 games. With the Raiders in 2009-10, Wilson tallied 84 points (33g, 51a) in 67 games. The high octane forward was also a member of Team Canada East for the World Jr. A Challenge; his squad won the Silver Medal and Wilson tied for second in the tournament in scoring.
