Ben Guite hadn’t deliberate on leaving the Maine Mariners, the place he simply completed his first season as the top coach of the ECHL crew.
However after Jamie Dumont stepped down as the top males’s hockey coach at NCAA Division III Bowdoin School, a number of Bowdoin alumni reached out to him to see if he was within the job.
“I do know the life-style of a professional coach and a university coach, particularly on the Division III stage. And for [my] household, I felt I a minimum of wished to look into it,” mentioned Guite, who was named the tenth head coach in Bowdoin School hockey historical past on Monday.
“From there, the connection was made with [Bowdoin athletic director] Tim Ryan. Tim and I had a superb dialog. We talked about my philosophy and what they have been on the lookout for from their program,” Guite mentioned.
“I received on campus, met a number of of the gamers and the school and the workers, and we simply hit it off.”
The 43-year-old Montreal native is changing Jamie Dumont, who stepped down after six years for private causes. Whereas Guite wouldn’t disclose the phrases of his three-year contract with Bowdoin, it’s believed to be price a minimum of $100,000 per 12 months — greater than he was making with the Mariners.
Dumont, a Lewiston native, compiled a daily season file of 42-70-8 throughout his 5 seasons at Bowdoin; COVID-19 canceled the 2020-21 season. The Polar Bears have been 29-55-6 in NESCAC.
“I wouldn’t have taken the job if I didn’t assume I may win. I like to develop gamers and other people and, on the similar time, I like to compete and win. That’s a part of the method,” Guite mentioned.
Dumont changed Terry Meagher in 2016 and beforehand served two stints as an assistant at Bowdoin together with the final one from 2011-16.
Meagher retired after registering an total file of 529-245-54 in his 33 seasons behind the Bowdoin bench.
“My first precedence is to ascertain a [winning] tradition I need our crew to have,” Guite mentioned. “And construct an actual good recruiting class that shall be coming in for 2023-24.”
The previous UMaine participant and eight-year Black Bear assistant coach is assured he generally is a profitable recruiter due to the promoting factors he has at his disposal.
“We’ve got a wonderful hockey rink,” mentioned Guite, referring to the 13-year-old Sidney J. Watson Enviornment. “The campus is phenomenal. And now we have top-of-the-line educational establishments on the earth. There’s lots happening for the athletic packages at Bowdoin and I’m actually excited to come back on board presently.”
Ryan mentioned in a press launch that “Ben brings an in depth hockey enjoying and training background to Bowdoin and I’m excited for our gamers, alumni and group members to get to know him because the considerate and caring individual he actually is. That defines him way more than his appreciable hockey accomplishments.”
Guite guided the Mariners to their first ECHL playoff berth this previous season. That they had 33 wins, 31 losses, 5 extra time losses and three shootout losses through the common season and misplaced their first-round playoff collection to Studying in six video games.
Guite had a 911-game professional profession, together with 184 NHL video games, after enjoying 4 seasons at UMaine through which he notched 47 targets and 49 assists in 146 video games. He helped the Black Bears win the NCAA title in 1989-99.
He mentioned the hardest a part of his choice was leaving the Mariners, who’re a minor league crew affiliated with the NHL’s Boston Bruins.
“That was gut-wrenching. I beloved each facet of teaching there. The gamers have been phenomenal, and the workers and the Bruins handled us like gold,” Guite mentioned.
“However this is a chance to teach at a extremely excessive stage and provides some stability to my household, which is price its weight in gold,” he added.
Guite and spouse Kristen have two sons, Patrick and Max, they usually reside in Bangor.
