Maine announced on Wednesday that men’s hockey head coach Ben Barr has agreed to a contract extension.
The new agreement will retroactively run from Jan. 1 through Dec. 31, 2028 and will replace Barr’s current contract. Barr will earn a salary of $425,000 in 2024-2025 with an annual increase of $15,000 through 2028. The contract extension includes additional compensation for the assistant coaches.
“UMaine is truly grateful for coach Ben Barr’s commitment to rebuilding the men’s ice hockey program,” Maine president Joan Ferrini-Mundy said in a statement. “He has successfully recruited a team of both talented and academically-driven students. I am confident that our exciting 2023-24 season is attributed to the men’s ice hockey staff and the student athletes’ commitment to excellence on and off the ice. The success we are seeing in Black Bear men’s ice hockey brings great benefits to our entire university.”
Now in his third season at Maine, Barr has steadily returned the Black Bears’ hockey program to among the nation’s elite. In October, Maine earned a national ranking for the first time in over three years and has gone on to sustain that success by earning a ranking for 12 consecutive weeks for the first time since 2010-11. Maine’s current streak of 10 consecutive weeks of being ranked in the top 10 is the Black Bears’ longest stretch since the 2006-07 season.
The Black Bears are currently ranked fifth in the nation, the highest ranking for the program since Nov. 2010, and have the most wins over a ranked opponent in a season since 2011-12.
“Our staff feels fortunate to be at the University of Maine at this current moment,” said Barr. “With the commitment from the school and the generosity of the Alfond Foundation, we feel Black Bear hockey can sustain success for years to come. Our staff and my family are humbled to be trusted with this program for the foreseeable future, and we will do everything in our power to keep improving every day. I would like to thank my wife, Tara, for being everything for our family. To President Ferrini Mundy and Chancellor Malloy, thank you for sharing our vision for Black Bear hockey. Thank you to Jude Killy for his friendship and commitment to excellence in Maine athletics, and thank you Seth Woodcock for his relentless support of his alma mater.”
Under Barr, the Black Bears have seen steady year-by-year improvement in on-ice production, with their scoring margin growing in each of his first three seasons. They have produced positive results unseen within the hockey program in over 10 seasons.
As of Jan. 26, the Black Bears rank in the top 10 nationally in both goals scored per game (3.8) and goals allowed per game (2.4). This marks the first time Maine is averaging over 3.5 goals per game since 2002-03.
At 16-4-2 this season Maine has reached 16 wins in the first 22 games of the year for the first time since 2003-04. The Black Bears are currently 8-3-1 in conference play, reaching eight wins in the first 12 conference games, also for the first time since 2003-04.
Off the ice, the program recorded its highest fall grade point average ever last year with a 3.71. In each of Barr’s first two seasons, at least 22 student-athletes earned a spot on the Hockey East all-academic team. Maine led Hockey East with six Hockey East all-academic all-star team members in 2021-22 and tied for the most members in the 2022-23 season with four. Additionally, there have been 27 AHCA academic All-Americans over the last two seasons.
“Ben and his staff have done an exceptional job of building our men’s ice hockey program into a national contender again,” said Maine director of athletics Jude Killy. “There is an energy around this group that is palpable and points toward our historical place in the upper echelon of college hockey. This extension, coupled with the upcoming major facility renovations to Alfond Arena and the Shawn Walsh Training Center, are galvanizing us for what we hope to be a period of sustained success on the ice and in the classroom. We are excited for the future and believe there are no limits to what can be accomplished under Ben’s leadership.”
Barr arrived in Orono with 15 years of assistant coaching experience at Division I institutions, with prior stops at UMass, Providence, Union, Western Michigan and Rensselaer.
While at UMass, Barr played a key role in developing a championship-level program. During his stint with the Minutemen, Barr guided UMass to a Hockey East regular season and tournament title, back-to-back NCAA title game appearances and a national Championship in 2021. In 2019 under head coach Greg Carvel, the UMass staff was named the Spencer Penrose NCAA staff of the year.
Barr began his coaching career at his alma mater, Rensselaer, where he spent the 2004-05 and 2007-08 seasons as a volunteer assistant coach. Barr joined Union in Sept. 2008 as a full-time assistant coach. In his three seasons at Union, he played a key role in developing Union into a national champion. In his final year on staff, the Dutchmen captured their first-ever ECAC regular-season championship and earned their first trip to the NCAA tournament in school history. At the time, Barr and the Union staff were named the 2011 Spencer Penrose NCAA staff of the year.
After three years at Union, Barr was hired as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Providence. In his first year on staff, the Friars reached the Hockey East semifinals for the first time in 11 years. In his final year on staff, Providence advanced to the NCAA quarterfinal round in its first NCAA tournament appearance since 2001. Following his departure, the Friars went on to win the 2015 NCAA national championship.
In June 2014, Barr accepted a role as the associate head coach at Western Michigan, where he would stay for two seasons. At Western Michigan, he again served as recruiting coordinator and assisted head coach Andy Murray in developing a championship culture. The team entered into a top-10 program and reached the NCAA tournament the year after Barr’s departure.
