Ben Birnell

A former Hamilton College hockey coachdismissed an opportunity to return tothe Mohawk Valley.

Norm Bazin, who coached the Continentals mens hockey team from 2008 to 2011 beforejoining his alma mater UMass-Lowell, recently turned down an offer from the Vancouver Canucks to be the Utica Comets head coach. The news was first reported by the Lowell Sun on Wednesday.

"It was just a personal decision," Bazin said in a briefphone interview with the Observer-Dispatch on Wednesday."It had nothing with Vancouver or Utica. Theyre both great organizations."

Bazin said the interview process with the Canucks was good, but had no further comment.

The Comets head coaching position has been available since late April when Travis Green was promoted to the Canucks top job. The Comets also have an assistant opening after Nolan Baumgartner joined Greens Canucks staff on June 7. Both Green and Baumgartner were members of the Comets coaching staff for the first four seasons. Jason King, who joined the Comets as an assistant before the 2016-17 season, remains on the Comets staff.

The 46-year-old Bazin has found success with UMass Lowell, a program that finished 5-25-4 in the season beforehebecame head coach.Bazin has led his team to three Hockey East playoff championships, five NCAA Tournament appearances and a Frozen Four trip in 2013. Bazin, who has a 151-68-21 record in his six seasons, was named Hockey East Coach of the Year in March.

Bazin, a native of Notre Dame de Lourdes, Manitoba, joined Division III Hamilton College after starting his coaching career in 1996 as an assistant at Lowell and eight seasons at D-I Colorado College as an assistant. Bazin played at UMass-Lowell from 1990 to 1994.

In three seasons at Hamilton, Bazins teams compiled a 38-31-7 record. Bazin was the New England Small College Athletic Conferences Coach of the Year in his first two seasons and was a finalist for the NCAA Division III Coach of the Year Award in 2011.

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Former Hamilton coach Bazin turns down Utica Comets job - Utica Observer Dispatch