LOWELL, Mass. – UMass Lowell ice hockey head coach
Norm Bazin will be heading overseas to join France's coaching staff for the 2025 IIHF World Championship. The tournament will be hosted in both Stockholm, Sweden and Herning, Denmark from May 9-25.
Bazin will serve as an assistant coach for the squad, while former River Hawk and two-time captain, Yorick Treille (Class of 2002), will lead the team as head coach for the first time, after spending several years as an assistant coach. In addition to coaching alongside Treille, Bazin will be coaching another former River Hawk in
Guillaume Leclerc, who played two seasons for UMass Lowell from 2016-18.
"It's an honor to receive the invitation to work at the World Championships," said Bazin. "I am looking forward to assisting the staff as we progress through the round robin tournament."
The tournament will begin Friday, as 16 teams will be divided into Groups A and B and compete in a preliminary round robin round. The top four teams of each group advance to the quarterfinals that will be played cross-over. The first-place team in each preliminary group will play the fourth-place team of the opposing group, while the second-place team plays the third-place team of the opposing group (1A-2B, 2A-3B, 1B-4A, 2B-3A).
In the semifinals, the top-ranked team will play against the lowest-ranked semifinalist, while the second-ranked will play the third-ranked. The two winners will play for a gold medal, while the two losing semifinalists will fight for a bronze.
France will kick off their tournament on Saturday, May 10 against Latvia, where
Gustavs Davis Grigals ('23) is among the goaltender group, as part of Group A.
For the full tournament schedule, click
here.
