For a few years now, it seemed as if UMass associate head coach Ben Barr always was a finalist but never got the final nod for every college hockey coaching opening that came up in the Northeast.
Barr was a finalist for RPI and Vermont, but Dave Smith and Todd Woodcroft ended up getting those jobs. His name was thrown around for other vacancies as well, but it took until Wednesday for the 39 year-old, Faribault, Minn., native to break through.
The University of Maine made it official that Barr would be the next head coach of the Black Bears’ hockey program. He replaces Red Gendron, who tragically passed away last month, due to a cardiac incident while playing golf in Orono. Barr beat out interim head coach Ben Guite, an alum who had been the associate head coach since 2013, and Quinnipiac associate head coach Joe Dumais, a native of the state of Maine.
Barr recently capped off his assistant coaching career with a national championship. He helped build national championship teams at Union and Providence before moving on. He also helped Western Michigan recruit good players that led the Broncos to NCAA tournament appearances. The 2004 RPI alum was a captain of the Engineers as a senior before jumping right into his coaching career. Maine athletic director Ken Ralph held the same position at RPI while Barr was a student-athlete and graduate assistant there.
Barr certainly is a good recruiter, but he’s also a good coach. He’s learned under some very good coaches, including Greg Carvel at UMass, Nate Leaman at Union and Providence, Rick Bennett at Union, Andy Murray at Western Michigan, and Seth Appert at RPI.
It is not yet known if Guite and assistant coach Alfie Michaud will be retained. In his introductory press conference, Barr said he’d speak with both, but also interview other candidates. Putting together a good staff that has one excellent recruiter will help Barr with his transition from associate head coach and chief recruiter to being the bench boss.
Candidates emerge for Quinnipiac assistant
Quinnipiac head coach Rand Pecknold is looking for a new assistant coach after Bill Riga left to become head coach at Holy Cross. He still has one assistant coach thanks to Dumais losing out on the Maine job.
According to multiple college hockey sources, Western Michigan assistant coach Pat Ferschweiler, Robert Morris assistant coach Mike Corbett, and Penn State associate head coach Matt Lindsay are the three most likely men to take the job vacated by Riga.
The Quinnipiac job pays well and the Bobcats’ tradition of success has coaches with strong résumés looking to make the move to Hamden. Ferschweiler, a Western Michigan alum, has experience as an assistant coach in the NHL with the Detroit Red Wings. Corbett is a former head coach at Alabama-Huntsville and was a longtime assistant at Air Force. Lindsay is the only one of the three with New England roots. The Deerfield, Mass., native played Division 3 college hockey at Williams. He’s been on Guy Gadowsky’s staff since 2007, following him from Princeton to Penn State.
One other name that has been mentioned is former Quinnipiac, Yale and Vermont assistant and current Albertus Magnus head coach Kyle Wallack.
Marcou headed to UMass?
It just seems to make sense. UMass alum James Marcou, who previously served as a volunteer assistant under Carvel, likely is headed back to Amherst to be an assistant coach for the Minutemen. The Harvard assistant would replace Barr, who has moved on to be head coach at Maine.
If that happens, look for Boston College alum and former associate head coach Greg Brown to take a job on Ted Donato’s staff at Harvard. Brown and Donato are longtime friends. Brown was recently let go as an assistant coach with the New York Rangers.
Brown and former Merrimack head coach and current Binghamton Devils head coach Mark Dennehy would appear to be frontrunners to take over as head coach at Boston College when Jerry York retires.
