PORTLAND, Maine — University of Southern Maine men’s ice hockey coach Jeff Beaney has resigned after 28 years leading the team, USM Director of Athletics Al Bean announced in a news release Wednesday.
Former Lewiston Maineiacs head coach and general manager Ed Harding has been named USM’s interim head coach for the remainder of the 2014-15 season, according to Bean.
“I want to sincerely thank Jeff for his 30 years of service to the university as head coach and assistant coach of the men’s ice hockey program,” Bean said in the release. “ Jeff has had success on and off the ice and has helped to guide and mentor countless student-athletes who now serve as coaches and role models at many different levels.”
Beaney is the sixth USM men’s ice hockey coach in school history and is the program’s winningest coach with a 260-380-50 career record.
The team is 1-9 this season, with a nine-game losing streak and an 0-7 mark in the ECAC East Conference. USM is averaging just .90 goals per game while its opponents are averaging 4 goals per game.
USM was 6-15-5 last year and 7-19-0 the previous season. Its last winning season was in 2007-08 with a 14-9-3 mark.
In the 2004-05 season, Beaney led the Huskies to a 15-10-2 record and was named the ECAC Men’s East Coach of the Year.
Beaney was an assistant coach with the Huskies for two seasons before being named head coach in 1987.
He received his degree in secondary education/history from New England College in 1982. He played hockey at NEC where he was a two-time selection to the All-ECAC Division II East team. He recorded 45 goals and 84 assists in two seasons.