Given the composition of his team, Bazin is leaning on his underclassmen, a group led by Joe Pendenza, a 21-year-old sophomore forward from Wilmington via Arlington Catholic who has collected 15 points (6 goals, 9 assists) in 18 games. He is joined by sophomore defenseman Dan Furlong (Stoneham/Catholic Memorial), freshman blueliner Will Eiserman (West Newbury), and sophomore forward Derek McCoy (Newburyport).
“They’re integral parts of our team,’’ Bazin said. “If you look at their games-played record, they’ve all played a significant amount of games’’ and have only been rested by him on occasion.
The younger players all have seized the opportunity, earning their place.
“We do have great seniors with David Vallorani and a great captain in [junior] Riley Wetmore,’’ said the 5-foot-11, 190-pound Pendenza, who skated for two seasons in the Eastern Junior Hockey League with the Junior Bruins.
“But with us having a lot of youth in there, it gives freshmen and sophomores more opportunities than if we had an older team. . . . If we had an older team, I probably wouldn’t be in there on the power play and the penalty kill.’’
Pendenza has the third-best plus/minus rating on the team (+9) and has the second-longest scoring streak this year, notching seven total points in five straight games from Oct. 15 to Nov. 5.
“Joe Pendenza’s got great feet,’’ Bazin said. “He’s got a very strong scoring ability, and he is gaining some of that strength and will continue to progress in his later years. But so far he’s impressed me because he moves around the ice very, very well.’’
Furlong, who suited up for the Sioux Falls Stampede of the United States Hockey League before Lowell, is a plus-7 in 15 games.
