Maine Mariners coach Ben Guite talks with his players during an April 27 practice at the University of Southern Maine in Gorham. Guite has been named the head coach of the Bowdoin men’s hockey team. Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Portland Press Herald
BRUNSWICK — Ben Guite admits he is a little unfamiliar with the Bowdoin-Colby men’s hockey rivalry.
“Yeah, I don’t know much about it, but I hear it’s pretty awesome,” he said. “It will be fun to experience it.”
That opportunity is heading his way, after Bowdoin College announced Monday that the 43-year-old Guite as its new men’s hockey coach.
“It won’t take very long for Ben to become familiar with that rivalry, as it’s a special component of the experience here,” Bowdoin Athletic Director Tim Ryan said with a laugh.
Guite, a LaSalle, Quebec native, coached the ECHL’s Maine Mariners in 2021-22, going 33-31-5 in his lone season with the professional team. He led the Mariners to their first playoff appearance.
Guite replaces Jamie Dumont, who resigned in late May citing personal reasons. Guite becomes the 10th head coach in Bowdoin men’s hockey history, and just the fourth since 1959.
“I wasn’t looking for a change at all,” he said. “The position became available and some alumni reached out to me. I thought about it, and then talked with Tim Ryan and we hit it off right away. So I went through the process. I liked what they had to say and they liked what they heard. The hardest part in all of this is walking away from the Mariners. We had a lot of success there.”
Adam Goldberg, vice president of business operations for the Mariners, said the organization will move quickly to find Guite’s replacement.
“This just starts up the coaching search again.” he said. “We will start this immediately. First and foremost, though, we are happy for Ben. We’re happy to see him move to a position he wants. But nothing major changes for us. We’ll have a new head coach and a new philosophy, but all our player signings have been done.”
Goldberg added that the hiring process will be conducted from the corporate level, as the Mariners have been without a hockey operations director after Danny Briere was promoted to special assistant to the general manager with the Philadelphia Flyers in early February.
Maine Mariners Coach Ben Guite is leaving to become the next men’s hockey coach at Bowdoin College. Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Portland Press Herald
“The search will be led by the people in the corporate office in Philadelphia,” Goldberg said. “We won’t be dragging our feet with this one.”
Guite is a 2000 University of Maine graduate. He helped the Black Bears win the NCAA Division I national title in 1999 before playing professional hockey for 13 seasons. Guite played in 175 NHL games with Colorado, Boston and Nashville.
Including playoffs, Guite – a seventh-round draft pick of the Montreal Canadiens – played 693 games in the minors and 185 in the NHL.
He was a member of the UMaine coaching staff from 2013-21 and served as the interim head coach after the death of longtime coach Red Gendron in April 2021. While at UMaine, Guite oversaw recruiting efforts.
However, after UMaine named Ben Barr its men’s hockey coach in May 2021, Guite left to become coach of the Mariners.
“I’ve been around a lot of hockey people,” he said. ‘I’ll be pulling from all my experiences.”
Ben Guite is the new men’s hockey coach at Bowdoin College. Photo provided by Bowdoin College
Guite takes over a Bowdoin program that went 8-10-4 last season and is 42-70-8 in its last five seasons. The Polar Bears are also 0-9-1 in their last 10 games against longtime rival Colby.
“I wouldn’t take this job if I didn’t think I could win,” he said. “We’re going to work very hard. I am going to communicate clearly with the players what the expectations are, and then it will be up to me to ensure they are upheld.”
Added Ryan, the Bowdoin AD: “My first impression of Ben is that he is someone who has a deep passion of the game of hockey, and a passion for helping young men grow and develop away from the ice. The more time we spent talking, the more impressed I got.”
Guite lives in Bangor with his wife, Kristen, and two sons, 11-year-old Patrick and 9-year-old Max.
“We’ll probably operate out of Bangor for a little bit and then start looking around,” Guite said.
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