Old Town native and former University of Maine field hockey standout Shaunessy Saucier, who has spent the past eight seasons as the head field hockey coach at Bryant University in Smithfield, Rhode Island, is returning to Maine to become the owner and director of the Orono-based Black Bear Elite field hockey club.
She has purchased Black Bear Elite from Courtney Veinotte, who was the assistant coach at the University of Maine before taking a similar position at Hofstra University in New York last month.
“I’m really excited to take a little break from college coaching to go back to the grass roots of field hockey,” said the 33-year-old Saucier, who resigned from Bryant on Tuesday. “There is so much great field hockey in Maine and I want to provide Mainers with more opportunities to play.
“I’m obviously very sad to leave Bryant,” added Saucier. “I’ve grown a lot. I’ve learned a lot as a head coach. And they should have a really good team next year which is very difficult to leave.
“Leaving Bryant was one of the hardest decisions I’ve had to make professionally but this is an exciting new opportunity. I’ve always loved working with young kids and teaching field hockey.”
She will be working with her sister, Liz, who recently stepped down as the field hockey coach at Bangor’s John Bapst Memorial High School and has been the interim director at Black Bear Elite.
Shaunessy Saucier lauded Veinotte for the exceptional job she did building the program and expects to expand the club.
Under NCAA guidelines, Veinotte wasn’t able to coach players who live beyond a 50-mile radius of the club because she was coaching at the University of Maine.
“I won’t have those restrictions so, hopefully, I’ll be able to build off the foundation and grow the club,” said Saucier, who was inducted into the Old Town High School Hall of Fame in September 2014.
She intends to use the connections she has made during her coaching career to bring in a number guest coaches to work with her players.
“I want to expose our players to more opportunities. Mainers are so hard-working and so determined,” said Saucier.
Black Bear Elite practices on the University of Maine’s Astro-turf field and inside the school’s fieldhouse during the winter. They have six different age groups teams.
“The Astro-turf field at Maine is what the top clubs play on,” said Saucier, daughter of former long-time Orono High field hockey coach Dodi Saucier.
“My mom will be coaching with me,” chuckled Saucier.
Saucier compiled a 51-96 record in her eight seasons at Bryant and her best season came in 2013 when the Bulldogs went 11-7 overall.
They were 4-14 overall this past season but 4-2 in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.
“She has positioned this program for future success and we wish her the best of luck,” Bryant athletic director Bill Smith said in a news release.
Saucier has also established a strong academic tradition with her Bulldogs finishing with the country’s fourth-highest grade-point average in Division I this season.