LOWELL — Joe Pendenza is truly in the center of things at UMass-Lowell.
The talented two-way senior from Wilmington will perform several duties when the No. 5 River Hawks battle No. 11 Minnesota State-Mankato in the NCAA Northeast Regional semifinal tomorrow night (7:30) at the DCU Center in Worcester.
“He is the poster child of a college player growing through the process and in my three years he’s been one of our go-to people to play against the other team’s top line every night,” said UML coach Norm Bazin following yesterday’s practice at the Tsongas Center.
“He’s certainly a two-way player and he’s continued to develop that over the course of his career. He’s played wing, he played center and he’s a no-maintenance hockey player that’s a joy to coach.
“Whatever assignment he’s given, he just wants to play. He plays hard and every year he’s added something to his game.”
Pendenza has the ability to play shutdown defense without compromising the offensive components of his game. Despite routinely facing the opponent’s most troublesome combination, Pendenza leads the River Hawks in scoring with 13 goals and 16 assists for 29 points. He became the 42nd UML player to reach the 100-point career plateau on Jan. 25 against Providence.
Pendenza is a strong 5-on-5 player who logs considerable minutes on the River Hawks power play and penalty kill. The River Hawks have outscored their opponents 111-72 overall with a 32-26 advantage on the man-advantage.
Pendenza led the team with 115 shots, won 55.4 percent of his faceoffs and registered a plus/minus ratio of plus-nine. The River Hawks enter the NCAA tournament ranked No. 1 in the nation in scoring defense (1.85 goals/game) and 12th on the power play with a 21.1 percent success rate.
“I try and pride myself on being the best two-way forward I can be and play in every situation for coach,” said Pendenza. “Wherever he needs me, power play or penalty kill or going against the other team’s top line.
“A good offense is our best defense. My line has had a lot of success lately and most of that success has been keeping the puck in their D-zone which is better than playing tough D in our zone.”
Pendenza enjoyed a breakthrough year as a sophomore when he compiled 10 goals and 19 assists, while helping guide the River Hawks to the first of three straight NCAA appearances.
But Pendenza made the leap into the upper tier of Hockey East forwards last season when he was paired with left winger A.J. White and right winger Josh Holmstrom. The trio led the River Hawks to the Hockey East championship and the NCAA semifinals, where they lost to Yale, 3-2, in overtime.
The Pendenza line got even better this season, combining for 26 goals and 39 assists for 65 points on a team committed to controlling the neutral zone and protecting the defensive end for sensational sophomore goalie Connor Hellebuyck.
The plan worked throughout the regular season and was huge when the Hockey East tournament shifted to the Garden. The River Hawks recorded consecutive 4-0 shutouts over Notre Dame and New Hampshire to win their second straight crown. Pendenza contributed three assists against UNH and UML’s success in the tournament led directly to the No. 2 seed in the Northeast Regional and a favorable commute.
“We are very excited and we can’t wait for (tomorrow) to come and play some hockey,” said Pendenza. “We are excited to add another chapter to this team.”
