If anyone in college hockey knows his way around a rebuild, it’s Maine’s Ben Barr.
Though wins have been scarce so far — Barr’s Black Bears are 2-11-4 — he is seeing progress in his first season at the helm.
He’s been down this road before.
“You know you’re going to have your ups and downs going into it. Same thing happened at UMass. Same thing happened at Providence. But it’s still never easy because you go into every game wanting to win," said the 40-year-old Barr, whose five years as associate head coach and recruiting coordinator at UMass culminated in a national championship last April.
“I would say the first 10 games or so was, like, wow. I don’t know if it was just because everything was brand new. There’s a million reasons why, but we were just not a very good hockey team. Our work ethic was horrible.
“That was really surprising to me because the kids are great. They are really good kids who want to get better. They want to have success. They want the program to get better. That’s been awesome because it’s fun to work with the kids, but the first 10 games, we would be down a lot of games 2-0 or 3-0 before you could blink your eyes," he said.
Now, slowly but surely, things are moving in a more positive direction. Maine went 1-1-2 against Vermont and Union in its last four games, closing out the fall semester with a 4-3 win over the Dutchmen on Dec. 11.
“The last three or four weeks before break, things really started to change. It was a totally different team than it was the first 10-12 games. The work ethic started to pick up. If you don’t have that, nothing else you do matters. If you’re not working hard, you lose all your one-on-one battles, you’re not finishing your hits, you’re not backchecking. That completely changed right before break," he said.
“I hope in the second half, now that we have some sort of standard of work ethic, now we can improve on other things, but that was the hardest thing to get through to guys."
Barr knows how to build from the ground up. He played a pivotal part at Providence College under Nate Leaman and at UMass under Greg Carvel. The Friars in 2015 and the Minutemen in 2021 are the last two Hockey East schools to win NCAA titles.
“I’ve gone through this. Not as a head coach, but we won five games at UMass five years ago. I can’t remember whether it was eight or nine or 10 the first year at Providence, and that was probably overachieving. I’ve gone through it, which is nice because if I hadn’t gone through that before, I think it would be even tougher," he said.
As you’d expect, he is applying lessons learned at PC and at UMass, as well as stops at Union and Western Michigan.
“That first year with Carvy, yikes," he said, referring to the 2016-17 season when the Minutemen lost their last 17 straight to finish at 5-29-2.
“You just take it day by day and I think that’s what Nate is so good at. We don’t talk about winning and losing. Those are outcomes. We talk about our day-to-day details and habits and what’s our process and how we’re going to get better every day. Wins and losses and points and whatever, those things are just the result of having good details. I learned that from those guys, for sure," Barr said.
“The good thing for us is that we’re starting with really good kids. We’re just trying to help them understand how hard it is to win. How much work you have to put in, and it’s not just practice every day. It’s everything, all year. That’s the one thing that I think we’re missing a little bit."
Barr and his assistants, Alfie Michaud and Jason Fortier, have been gaining traction on the recruiting trail. Despite some mediocre years, “people know what Maine hockey is,’’ Barr said.
“Maine is a household name in college hockey, going back to the ‘90s and early 2000s. UMass didn’t have that. Union didn’t have that. Western Michigan didn’t have that. That’s the one thing that’s different for me. People still remember and they know what (Alfond Arena) is like. And it’s still like that. I’m amazed every time that we walk out there for a game, even though we haven’t won much. It’s an awesome place to play.
“Kids know that it’s a process that we’re going through and we’re honest with them. The nice thing is I’ve been through it before so it’s not like I’m talking out the left side of my mouth."
There’s no question his reputation as one of the top recruiters in college hockey helps. Players recruited by Barr, who was a captain at RPI, formed the nucleus of two national championship teams. A number have gone on to sign pro contracts.
“The biggest thing, and I’ve seen it first-hand over the years, is that the opportunity is the most important thing you can get at this level. I know a lot of people might think it’s shiny locker rooms or scoreboards. That means nothing. The only thing that matters is what kind of opportunity are you going to get? There’s not a better opportunity in our league than at Maine today," he said.
“I think the kids realize there is a phenomenal opportunity to play at a school with a great tradition in a great league. They just have to trust us, that we’re going to keep building, and the ones that do, they’ll be here."
Barr points to one unheralded freshman defenseman who is already at Maine.
“We have our Ross Mauermann this year in David Breazeale," said Barr.
Mauermann is one of the great stories in college hockey over the last 10 years. A late add to the Providence College roster out of Janesville in the NAHL in 2011, he captained PC’s national title team four years later.
Barr sees similarities in Breazeale, who played last season for Shreveport, the NAHL champion, and was headed to play club hockey at Lindenwood before Maine scooped him up.
“He’s playing with Jakub Sirota, who is probably our top guy. We took this kid in August. Jason Fortier coached against him in the Southern Division of the North American league last year. He’s just come in here and he’s so happy to be here, smile on his face, on the ice all day, every day working. He’s running one of our power plays. He’s doing things that he didn’t do in the North American league and doing it well," said Barr.
“He’s been great for us and he’s going to help us, just like Ross did (at PC). I tell everyone (Mauermann’s) story. It’s crazy that that doesn’t get more traction. It should get way more traction than it ever did. This kid has kind of been like that for us. No matter what, he’s out there loving life every day.
“That’s what Ross did. He begged us to take him, comes and does everything you’d ever ask for four years and then he’s the captain. Breazeale will be a huge part of us changing this culture – he already has in half a year.
“Believe me, I’ve searched a long time for the next Ross Mauermann. Those guys don’t grow on trees.
FREE-AGENT WATCH
Mike Callahan, Providence College
Okay, Callahan isn’t a free agent, not yet anyway. He could be this summer, though, if he opts not to sign with Arizona, the team that drafted him in the fifth round (No. 142) in 2018.
A three-year captain who plays in all situations, Callahan will receive an NHL contract, if not with the Coyotes, then with another team.
Ben Mirageas, Providence College
Like his teammate Callahan, Mirageas is not a free agent, but he could be if he doesn’t sign with the Islanders after the season. They drafted him in the third round (No. 77) in 2017.
Mirageas should be a lock for an AHL contract, either with the Islanders or another team.
