University of Maine interim men’s hockey head coach Ben Guite will not be offered the head coaching job, according to a source close to the program.
UMaine’s replacement for the late Red Gendron is expected to be announced at 11 a.m. Wednesday during a virtual press conference.
Gendron collapsed and died on April 9 at the Penobscot Valley Country Club in Orono during a round of golf.
UMaine launched a national search and the 42-year-old Guite was believed to be one of the finalists, although no list of candidates was ever revealed.
Guite was hired by Gendron when he replaced Tim Whitehead as the Black Bears’ head coach eight years ago.
Gendron’s successor will become the fifth head coach in program history following Jack Semler, the late Shawn Walsh, Whitehead and Gendron. Greg Cronin served as the interim head coach for a year after Walsh was suspended for NCAA violations.
Walsh returned after serving his suspension.
Guite is a former Black Bear forward who played an important role on the 1999 NCAA championship team. He returned to UMaine as an assistant coach after a 13-year pro career that included 175 games in the National Hockey League.
The Montreal native was promoted from assistant coach to associate head coach on Oct. 14, 2015.
Gendron compiled a 103-137-32 record in his eight seasons behind the UMaine bench.