University of Maine hockey players Jack Quinlivan and Adam Dawe said the last six weeks have been difficult.
First came the sudden death of head coach Red Gendron, who collapsed April 9 while playing golf at the Penobscot Valley Country Club in Orono.
UMaine director of athletics Ken Ralph then promoted associate head coach Ben Guite to interim head coach but, after a brief search, University of Massachusetts associate head coach Ben Barr was chosen as the Black Bears’ new head coach.
“It has been a real roller-coaster of emotions for us,” said Quinlivan, a senior center and team captain. “Coach Red was a great teacher and person. Losing someone like that is tough.”
Dawe, a junior left wing and the team’s top scorer, said the players were able to work through some of their feelings by talking to each other.
“There has been a lot to think about in the last month for sure,” Dawe said. “Coach Red’s passing was overwhelming. A lot of guys had already gone home.”
Quinlivan pointed out that Guite did a terrific job helping them during the grieving period.
“He put us ahead of himself. I will never forget how he took care of us,” he said.
Dawe and Quinlivan feel bad about Guite not getting the job.
“[He will] land on his feet. He’s too good of a coach not to,” Quinlivan said.
The 39-year-old Barr has recruited players for NCAA championship teams at Union (2014) and Providence College (2015) in addition to UMass. He also helped land players at Western Michigan, which went from eight victories in 2015-16 to 22 wins and an NCAA Tournament berth the next season.
“Coach Barr seems to be really approachable. I got a chance to talk to him one on one and he was very easy to talk to,” Qunlivan said. “He has a lot of experience and he is a proven winner.”
Quinlivan will return next season after the NCAA provided an extra season of competition because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We’re excited about starting a new era for Maine hockey,” he said.
Dawe agrees that Barr is a good choice.
“He is going to be a good fit for us,” Dawe said. “He has a winning history and knows the process it is going to take to put us back on the map.”
Barr discussed his expectations for the players next season and said the coach has already done homework on the players and the team.
“He said he wanted to keep all the guys and said that we could trust him. He believes in us. We’re here for a reason,” Dawe said.
The players were pleased that Ralph and the search committee members moved quickly to hire a coach.
Barr met with the team virtually and said he is impressed by the character and culture of the program. He also praised Gendron, Guite and assistant coach Alfie Michaud for their recruiting efforts.
UMaine went 3-11-2 last season, but played all of its regular-season games on the road due to Maine’s COVID-19 restrictions for indoor gatherings. The Black Bears eventually played once at Alfond Arena, dropping a 7-2 Hockey East playoff decision to New Hampshire.
“You can’t judge what happened last year in any meaningful way. They weren’t able to play at home and they had COVID issues,” Barr said.
Barr inherits a program that has two NCAA titles, 18 NCAA Tournament appearances and 11 Frozen Fours to its credit, but hasn’t reached the semifinals of Hockey East since 2012.
There are one or two roster spots available, but Barr won’t sign players simply to fill out the roster. UMaine will explore potential transfers, especially under new NCAA rules that allow athletes to transfer once and be eligible to play immediately.
Barr is prepared for the challenges of rebuilding the program, but expects some immediate improvement.
“We are going to work hard to get better every single day and hope, at the end of the year, we are playing our best hockey and capable of beating anyone and making a run,” the Faribault, Minnesota, native said.
Barr’s father Rich, who was on hand for Barr’s formal, in-person introduction last week, is excited about the challenge that awaits his son.
“I’ve dreamed about this for him all my life,” Rick Barr said. “I knew he would get [a head coaching job]. He has shown a lot of perseverance.”