Ben Barr, associate head coach at the University of Massachusetts, has been named the fifth head coach in Maine men's hockey history, director of athletics Ken Ralph announced Wednesday.
Barr, 39, has served in his role at UMass since 2016 and helped lead the Minutemen to their first national championship this past season. He has agreed to terms on a four-year contract to serve as head coach of the Black Bears.
"We are thrilled to welcome Ben Barr to the University of Maine," Ralph said. "He brings with him an amazing track record of success in collegiate hockey. In a very competitive field of candidates, Ben stood alone with his comprehensive plan for building and sustaining success for UMaine hockey. It was also clear from the research we conducted with people throughout the hockey world that we have hired the exact right person for the job. I'd like to thank Jim Montgomery, Garth Snow, Bruce Major, Brian Faison and Samantha Hegmann for all of their time and efforts on the search committee. Our Black Bears are in great hands with Coach Barr behind the bench."
Barr arrives at UMaine with 15 years of assistant coaching experience in Division 1 programs and a tradition of success at each of his stints at five different institutions. Most recently, Barr spent five years at UMass as associate head coach and recruiting coordinator, where he helped guide the Minutemen to a 94-75-10 record, including a 72-26-6 mark over his last three seasons. His time at UMass included a Hockey East regular-season and tournament title, three NCAA appearances, back-to-back NCAA title game appearances, and the 2021 national championship.
"Being named the fifth head coach of the Maine Black Bears is an incredible honor and very humbling," Barr said. "There is a tremendous sense of responsibility and pride from all of the student-athletes and coaches that have passed through this program, and we will bring that passion with us as we build a program which reflects the values of the state and University of Maine. The past year has taught us that we can not take anything for granted. Black Bear Hockey is an essential part of the University and the community, and I know the people of Maine are eager to see their Black Bears compete for Hockey East and NCAA championships again. I'd like to thank president Ferrini-Mundy, Ken Ralph and the entire search committee for trusting me with this position. My family and I are excited to be a part of the community in Orono."
During his 15 year coaching career and impressive recruiting efforts, Barr has mentored and recruited 26 players who went on to play in the NHL. Barr has developed four Hobey Baker Finalists, including 2019 Hobey Baker Award winner Cale Makar at UMass, 13 first- or second-team All-Americans, and 17 All-Conference honorees, with numerous individual All-Conference honors.
Barr began his coaching career at his alma mater, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, where he spent the 2004-05 and 2007-08 seasons as a volunteer assistant coach. Barr joined Union College in September 2008 as a full-time assistant. In his three seasons at Union, Barr played a key role in developing Union into a national champion. In his final year on staff, the Dutchman captured their first ECAC regular-season championship and earned their first trip to the NCAA tournament in school history. At the time, working under head coach Nate Leaman, 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 College. 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, with players both recruited and developed by Barr, 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 University, where he would stay for two seasons. At Western Michigan, Barr again served as recruiting coordinator and assisted head coach Andy Murray in developing a championship culture. The team transformed into a top-10 program and reached the NCAA tournament the year after Barr's departure.
The Faribault, Minn., native began his role at UMass in April 2016 where he went on to serve five seasons as the associate head coach and recruiting coordinator. In his first season at UMass, the team finished the year at 5-29-2. Just two seasons later, the program registered a 31-10 overall mark, a Hockey East regular-season championship, and finished as the NCAA runners-up. Two years later, the Minutemen achieved greatness as they were crowned the Hockey East and NCAA Champions.
In his five seasons behind the bench at UMass, Barr led the charge in his recruiting coordinator role in recruiting the top producing freshman class in all of NCAA hockey in 2017-18. Under the leadership of Greg Carvel, Barr earned his second Spencer Penrose National Coaching Staff of the Year award. Barr played a key role in bringing several firsts to UMass as the Minutemen earned their first Hockey East regular-season title in school history in 2019, their first Hockey East tournament title in 2021, and the school's first-ever national championship in April 2021.
Barr attended Shattuck-St. Mary's Prep School in Faribault, Minn., where he served as captain of the Shattuck-St. Mary's Midget hockey team in 1999. A Williams Cup recipient, Barr was named Shattuck-St. Mary's Best All-Around Athlete in 2000. Prior to his playing career at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Barr competed as a member of the 1999 USA National Championship team.
Barr earned a four-year athletic scholarship at RPI where he went on to achieve four letters for the men's ice hockey team from 2000-04. He served as the team's captain during the 2003-04 season, leading the program to a 22-win season. Barr earned the Rensselaer Coach's Award in 2003 and 2004 and was named the team's Most Valuable Player for the 2002-03 campaign. Barr graduated from RPI in May 2004 with a bachelor of science in management and technology with a marketing concentration.
Barr and his wife, Tara, are the proud parents of a son, Brooks (3), and newborn twins, Isla and Griffin.
