Three longtime assistant coaches have taken over Division 1 programs in New England. Ben Barr, Jerry Keefe and Bill Riga have paid their dues and now get a chance to be head coaches for the first time at the collegiate level.
Barr took over at Maine after the tragic passing of Red Gendron in April. Keefe was promoted from associate head coach to head coach once Jim Madigan took over as athletic director at Northeastern. When David Berard left Holy Cross to pursue an administrative role at his alma mater, Providence, Riga was appointed to take his place.
All three have a wealth of experience as assistant coaches in Division 1. Barr’s handprints are all over national championships at Union, Providence and UMass. Keefe helped elevate Northeastern’s program to unprecedented levels of success, including Beanpot and Hockey East championships. Riga helped guide Quinnipiac to two appearances in the Frozen Four.
Besides being successful assistants at the college level, all three bring recruiting expertise to their new positions. While the trio of new head coaches all face more administrative tasks than they have previously been used to, the recruiting part of the job hasn’t changed as much as some might think.
“I haven’t noticed much of a difference because I approach it the same way. We’re trying to find a certain type of person. We all want good hockey players. Anyone can go watch a game and decide who the best hockey player is in any particular game. It’s more about finding the right fit for the vision of our program. It’s been the same way everywhere I’ve been,” Barr explained.
“It’s still the same,” Riga concurred when asked about the transition. “I want to aggressively find guys because I’ve only known how to be aggressive and proactive. I want to find guys who fit into what we’re looking for. I want guys who will stay four years, put the work in to improve, and build the program that way.”
Keefe echoed: “It’s not that much different. I find that you balance it when the season gets going. I didn’t get out as much as I would have liked anyway. Recruiting is based on your entire staff. Everyone has to do their job. You need to have a balance and trust everyone.”
All three programs are at different stages. Northeastern has enjoyed success and is primed for a big season in 2021-22, thanks in large part to Keefe’s work under Madigan. Maine is looking to build itself back to the level it was at in the 1990s when the Black Bears were at the top of the sport. At Holy Cross, Riga is looking to build a culture and help the Crusaders regain respectability in Atlantic Hockey. While all three programs are different, the path the coaches see to sustaining a high level of success is similar.
As Barr, Keefe and Riga so aptly know, having the right assistant coaches is paramount to having success on the recruiting trail and on the ice.
“I’m not on the road as much. Part of that is geographical and part of it is my family situation with newborn twins at home. I’m fortunate to have Alfie (Michaud) and Jason (Fortier). Those guys are all over the place. I trust them wholeheartedly,” said Barr.
“It’s important that everyone sees the game similarly. We want to all believe in certain qualities. We need to be on the same page that way. You have to have that trust factor with your entire staff,” commented Keefe, whose assistant coaches are Mike Levine and Mike McLaughlin. “You have to be visible all the time. We want to be known as a really hardworking staff. We want recruits to see us. We want to outwork people. All three of us have an important role in the recruiting process.”
“The amount of stuff that comes on your plate as a head coach limits what you can actually do in terms of recruiting,” Riga explained. “I’ll get out as much as I can, but the assistants have to be the eyes and ears and do the digging. Assistants have to be thorough and have a work ethic.”
“They’ve come in and gone above and beyond without being told,” said Riga of his new assistants, Eric Sorenson and Castan Sommer. “I’ve gotten calls from scouts and agents who have told me Eric and Castan are everywhere. They’re going to work to find talent. It frees me up to do other things for us to be successful.”
Recruiting is finding top talent and selling your program to players and their families. As is the case with all sales professions, the connections you have can make or break you in terms of your ability to seal the deal. All three coaches have a great appreciation for the role that relationships play in the recruiting process.
“Connections are the most important part of recruiting. In my five years at UMass, I wasn’t on the road as much as in previous places. I didn’t need to be because I had a handful of people I really trusted, whether it be coaches, advisors or random people you meet along the way,” said Barr.
“I’ve always told people that recruiting is all about connections,” said Riga, who has used his relationship with the Junior Bruins to secure all but two of his nine commits since taking over the Crusaders.
“There are so many leagues and players out there to look at. You can’t cover it all. The people you know and trust to give you a heads-up helps you get a jump. The connections you have need to believe in what you’re doing if they’re going to send their players here. If they know you run a good program, take care of their guys and make them better, they’ll be happy to send you more players in the future,” Riga explained.
Barr tunes in to Maine tradition
Barr is hoping to bring the Black Bears to where they once were when they dominated the sport in the 1990s and 2000s. Maine’s iconic uniforms, pep band and traveling fans were as much a part of college hockey as the great teams that Shawn Walsh and Tim Whitehead put on the ice for more than two decades.
“I’m from Minnesota. When I was a kid, I wanted to go to Maine. You’d see them in the Frozen Four. You saw the cool jerseys,” said Barr. “The world has changed. We have to adapt to it, but the school, community and state really want us to get back to where we were. The athletic department trusts that I know how it works and they’re letting us do what we need to do to bring the program back.”
Doing it is a lot easier than saying it. However, if there is one man for the job, it is Barr, who helped turn around programs at Union, Providence, Western Michigan and UMass. He’s a big believer in finding players who will do anything it takes to win, especially when the more highly touted players might still be looking elsewhere.
“Compete,” Barr emphasized when asked what one trait he is looking for in prospective recruits. “I’ve been able to build some teams based on compete level. At UMass, we had some really high-end ‘D,’ but a lot of the guys that signed weren’t always that highly thought of. They were the right people.”
“When Union won in 2014, they weren’t recruiting those guys against 10 other schools. That team was by far the best team. They were competitive. They had Shayne Gostisbehere, who turned into a superstar, but a lot of those guys just really worked hard and bought into the system.”
While Barr appreciates the tradition and passion of the fan base in Orono, he also understands the reality of the landscape and how much has changed in more than two decades.
“A lot has changed since Maine last won a national championship in 1999. We have to bring our program up operationally to this day and age. It’s going to be a challenge to provide an environment where the best players feel they can develop here and move on to play at the next level,” said Barr, referencing the player and skill development side of the coaching process.
“With individual skill development and all this other stuff, it’s hard to coach on your own and develop players. You need to have as many people around as you can because you do a lot more extra stuff than you did 15 years ago. One person can’t do all that,” said Barr, when emphasizing the importance of all three coaches being on campus and not always on the road recruiting, as was the norm when legendary assistant coach Grant Standbrook was helping Maine find players all over the world.
“Now I can pull up InStat,” said Barr, referring to the program that helps scouts and coaches watch an individual’s shifts. “It’s not the same as being there live, but it’s getting closer and closer. The world has changed a lot and technology is getting better. It’s getting more important for coaches to be around.”
Barr had come close to landing a couple of head coaching gigs over the past couple of years, including one at RPI, his alma mater. In the end, he fell short, but it could turn out to be a blessing in disguise. Barr could be the right man to get Maine back to where it once was. He’s hoping to deliver for the myriad of Black Bear fans across the country.
“All the other places I’ve worked at didn’t have the tradition. It’s been different for me. There are a lot of people around the world that Maine hockey means a lot to them. They’ve seen Maine win national championships and all the NHL players.”
On the prowl for more Huskies
Keefe has stepped into a much better situation in terms of the current standing of the program. The Huskies have won three consecutive Beanpots and two of the past five Hockey East tournaments. The 2021-22 Northeastern roster is riddled with elite players with great pedigrees and promising futures. Along with UMass, no program in Hockey East has stepped up its recruiting game the way Northeastern has since Keefe joined the staff as an assistant in 2011. He doesn’t hesitate when asked what the blueprint is in terms of the types of players he wants to find on the recruiting trail.
“I love intelligent players who are really competitive. I want kids who play their best in the big games and against other top teams. I want guys who want to be difference makers in big games. I want guys who want the puck on their stick in those key situations. I like big-game players. I love watching players in those types of games,” Keefe said, noting that current Huskies Sam Colangelo and Dylan and Ty Jackson were good examples while they were going through the recruiting process.
Another key aspect for Northeastern is finding players who want to move on to pro hockey after their college hockey window is over. The video and skills work that Keefe has put in with countless prospects over the past decade have helped 10 Huskies make the NHL.
“We want players who are serious about their development. We want them invested in their own development to become better players. We want kids who want to be pushed by their coaching staff and teammates. We want guys who want to be held accountable,” Keefe commented.
Northeastern’s recent success on the ice and ability to develop players who move on to the next level certainly sells itself. The school’s reputation as a whole and its location are also major focus points when recruiting players.
“Boston is a hockey city. It is a big part of it. Academically, it’s a world-class education at Northeastern. We take a lot of pride in that,” said Keefe, who played high school hockey at Matignon before going on to play at Providence.
An interesting trend in Northeastern recruiting has been the uptick in local players suiting up for the home team at Matthews Arena.
“We want to be good in our own backyard. We want the best players. If we’re getting the best players, we want players from here. If we’re not, we’re not going to settle. There’s a lot of pride in getting players from around here. Northeastern has taken a huge step from an academic standpoint, so more kids from around here have an interest in going here,” said Keefe.
At Cross, Riga faces unique challenges
While Riga left behind one of the most successful programs in New England to take over at a school with fewer resources and a history of success on the ice, he hopes to do so his own way while building on lessons learned under Rand Pecknold at Quinnipiac.
“I’m not looking to pick up one program and take it to another. Quinnipiac and Holy Cross are two different places in different leagues with different sets of academic standards. Some things change over. What you know is what you bring,” he said.
While Holy Cross doesn’t have a significant track record in churning out pro hockey players, it has a lot to offer. Riga hopes to change the hockey part of it while maintaining and emphasizing all that Holy Cross has to offer away from the ice.
“We want guys who want to play pro hockey. However, at some point, that’s going to run its course. What are you left with? When you come to Holy Cross, you’re going to have plenty of options and opportunities that will help you for the rest of your life,” said Riga, who grew up in nearby Westboro, Mass., before playing college hockey at UMass Lowell.
No one understands the overall Holy Cross experience quite like Sommer does when it comes to the new coaching staff that hasn’t had an alum on it since Paul Pearl left to go to Harvard in 2014. Sommer, a 2016 Holy Cross alum, will be able to bring some of that pride and insider knowledge to the program.
“It’s an instant passion for the school and program. If he didn’t care about the program, he wouldn’t be here. He can provide some insight into daily life that myself or Eric wouldn’t know. It’s a plus. He knows what kind of kid will be successful here,” Riga explained.
Sommer came to Holy Cross this summer after spending the past four seasons in the WHL as an assistant coach with the Seattle Thunderbirds. Major junior to college hockey isn’t a typical coaching path, but Riga hopes his vast array of experience will pay dividends.
“He has come from a wealth of a background coming from the Western League. It’s a totally different style of play. His dad (Roy) is a head coach in the AHL. There are a lot of resources there that we can tap into. He checked a lot of boxes for me,” Riga said.
In terms of what type of player Riga is looking for on the recruiting trail, he joked that he didn’t want to give away too many trade secrets. “Intensity, pace, up and down the ice, ‘D’ in the rush,” Riga fired off. “It’s not all about trapping. I want puck possession and to create offense within the structure of our system.”
No matter how good of a coach Riga is, he’ll need more support from the administration if Holy Cross is going to truly turn the corner on the ice. He said he discussed that at great length before agreeing to take over in Worcester.
“It was a whole discussion during the hiring process,” Riga said. “I would like to take it up a level. We have new video boards and upgrades to the building. On my side, I have to change the product on the ice. I want to bring the talent to another level and get more results on the ice. I’m really excited to think ahead to the next three to five years.”
A condensed version of this article appeared in the print edition of the September/October 2021 New England Hockey Journal magazine.
