Once again, the guys at Hockey East This Week get you ready for the new season with a new set of team previews for 2012. We kick things off with last year’s last-place finisher, the UMass-Lowell Riverhawks.

Last year: 5-25-4 (4-21-2), finished 10th.

What happened: Last year, it was a question of what didn’t go wrong for Lowell. At the start of the season, they were a young team that had lost a lot of veteran scoring from the year before. But throw in a few injuries to senior anchors such as Patrick Cey and Scott Campbell, along with poor goaltending, and it wound up as a season-long train-wreck. Lowell struggled in every facet of the game: They only had two 20-plus point scorers (David Vallorani, Riley Wetmore), scored the 2nd fewest number of goals (82), gave up the most goals (136), and had the league’s worst penalty kill (76%). On any given night, even in a league with as much parity as Hockey East, Lowell was just miserable. So, not surprisingly, Lowell made the widely anticipated move to fire Blaise Macdonald as head coach, hiring alumnus Norm Bazin shortly thereafter.

Key losses:

• Scott Campbell (F): Campbell had his season cut short due to injury, which is a shame. He likely would have eclipsed 100 points for his career, and was one of Lowell’s few offensive bright spots. That became abundantly clear in his absence, and will continue after his graduation.
• Maury Edwards (D): One of the few remaining stars from the team that reached the Hockey East final in 2009, Edwards finishes his Lowell career with 79 points, though he had a poor year defensively last season (lowest +/- on the team at -31).

Key returns:

• David Vallorani (F): Vallorani was one of the few bright spots for the Riverhawks last season. He scored the 2nd most goals on the team (12), led the team in points scored (31) and was one of the few players who could be counted on to create plays in the offensive zone, while staying out of the penalty box (he was only whistled for 7 infractions all year). He’ll likely eclipse a career 100-point total this year.
• Riley Wetmore (F): While only a sophomore last year, he seized an opportunity to prove his talents after a relatively quiet freshman year. He led the team in goals (14) and got two of Lowell’s five game-winning goals. With 30 points, he doubled his freshman output and does have room to add even more than 30 this season, as he’ll be counted on for more production up top and likely on the power play.
• Chad Ruwahdel (D): Perhaps Lowell’s most reliable defenseman (a +/- of only -10), Ruwahdel immediately made in impact his freshman season both on defense and as a playmaker. He trailed only Vallorani and Wetmore for the team lead in assists (Ruwahdel had 13) but was one of the guys whose name you couldn’t help but notice on the ice. The Riverhawks will need him to continue his solid play, as he’ll likely crack the top defensive pairing.

2011-12 Outlook: One potential rallying point for Lowell is that their team remains largely intact from last season. But at the same time, that group needs sharp improvement to be competitive under new head coach Norm Bazin. This includes all facets of the game – offense, defense, and goaltending. Adding to the misery is that, amazingly, the Riverhawks still don’t have a number one goalie – all three have been mediocre so far. Norm Bazin’s group is still young, but there are some flashes of progress. If they can put a few pieces of the puzzle together, they might be able to fight for a playoff spot, but as of now, this year has “rebuilding” written all over it.

– Alex Faust

Alex Faust Hockey Fall Preview, Hockey East, UMass-Lowell