The New England Hockey Writers announced their 2011-12 Division I All-Star teams and awards on Tuesday, which recognizes the top players from New England institutions.
    Norm Bazin was named the recipient of the Clark Hodder Division I Coach of the Year Award. Two players were also honored as freshman Scott Wilson (Oakville, Ont.) earned the George C. Carens Rookie of the Year Award and sophomore Doug Carr (Hanover, Mass.) was named one of two Division I All-Star goalies and the Paul Hines Most Improved Player Award winner.
    The New England Hockey Writers Division I All-Star teams and awards are selected by the Division I coaches and media outlets in New England. The banquet will be held Tuesday, April 10 at the Prince Restaurant in Saugus, MA. The cost to attend is $40 per person, please contact Pete Souris at (781) 245-2122 for more information.
    Bazin becomes the second coach in program history to receive the honor as two-time winner Bruce Crowder was recognized in 1993-94 and 1995-96. In his first season behind the bench, Bazin led the River Hawks to the second largest turnaround in NCAA Division I history (+19) and the largest by a first-year head coach.
    The 2012 Hockey East Coach of the Year as well, Bazin's squad finished with a 24-13-1 record, a tie for second-place in Hockey East and earned the program's first NCAA Tournament berth since 1996. In the East Regional, UMass Lowell defeated Miami University in the opening round and fell just a game short of the school's first-ever Frozen Four.
    Wilson was voted as New England's top freshman after finishing the season as the second highest scoring rookie in the nation with 1.03 points per game. He joins Jon Morris (1984-85) as the only River Hawks to be honored as the New England Hockey Writers' Rookie of the Year.
    In 37 games, Wilson scored 16 goals and 22 assists for 38 points, including five power play goals and two game-winners. He carried a plus-12 rating for the season and led all Hockey East rookies in league scoring with 28 points (12g, 16a).
    Another key piece of the turnaround, Carr was named a Division I All-Star and the Most Improved Player. He is the program's third recipient of the Paul Hines Award, joining Shane Henry (1992-93) and Brendan Concannon (1996-96), and the first UMass Lowell goaltender to be named an All-Star since Dwayne Roloson in 1993-94.
    Carr finished the year with a 22-10-1 record, .928 save percentage and 2.13 goals against average. He ranked fifth in the NCAA in winning percentage (.682), 10^th in shutouts (4), tied for 10^th in save percentage and 11^th in goals against average. Those numbers are a large improvement over his freshman campaign, where he posted a 3.63 goals against average and .896 save percentage.