Ben Barr, a former player for the Engineers at RPI and an assistant coach for the Union and UMass men’s teams, is set to return to his alma mater this weekend. However, this time, he will be leading the Maine men’s hockey team as their head coach.
As the games on Saturday and Sunday at 3 p.m. at Houston Field House approach, Barr is not letting nostalgia cloud his focus. During a Zoom interview on Tuesday, he expressed that his return to RPI is not his primary concern.
“Perhaps it will feel different when the game starts,” Barr said. “But at the moment, we’re completely engrossed in our own team dynamics. The season is in full swing, and there’s hardly any time to dwell on personal sentiments. Maybe just before the game starts, it will feel a bit different. But so far, it hasn’t, for whatever reason.”
Now in his fourth season as head coach, Barr has led the Black Bears to an impressive 8-2-2 record. They are currently ranked fifth in the USCHO.com and USA Hockey/The Rink Live college hockey polls.
Last season, under Barr’s guidance, Maine achieved a 23-12-2 record and made it to the Hockey East Tournament championship weekend and the NCAA Tournament for the first time since the 2011-12 season.
Interestingly, Barr could have been RPI’s head coach. He was a finalist for the position in 2017 after Seth Appert was let go. However, the school chose to hire Canisius head coach Dave Smith.
Some RPI fans were not pleased with the decision. The Engineers only came close to reaching the ECAC Hockey tournament championship round under Smith in the 2019-20 season. However, the tournament was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
When asked why he didn’t get the job, Barr said he didn’t know.
“That’s just how our game works,” Barr said. “Dave was well qualified. He was a head coach at the time. It was a disappointment for me because RPI is my alma mater. … But you couldn’t really argue with Dave being hired, so you move on.”
At the time of his interview with RPI, Barr was an assistant coach at UMass under head coach Greg Carvel. He stayed with the Minutemen, helping them secure an NCAA title in 2021. Shortly after that, Barr was appointed as Maine’s new coach.
Barr reflected on the RPI situation, noting that it wasn’t the first time he interviewed for a head coaching position.
“In our profession, we’re just lucky, and sometimes it’s hard to see it,” Barr said. “I went through the head coaching [interview] process at three or four places, and I was always kind of one of the last two. I didn’t get some jobs in RPI, in Vermont. Sometimes you step back and you realize how fortunate you are just to be in this game, whether it’s a head coach or an assistant coach. Things happen for a reason, and so I think it just puts everything in perspective for you.
“Obviously, the next few years were really special at UMass after not getting [the RPI] job. And now I’m incredibly blessed and fortunate to be here in Maine.”
Maine captain Lynden Breen believes Barr’s return to RPI means something to him.
“We don’t see that importance from him,” Breen said. “But, obviously, I’m sure deep down, there’s a little bit of fire under his skin to get in there and get a win.”
PROGRESS FROM LAST SEASON
The Union women’s hockey team’s 3-2 overtime victory over RPI on Tuesday at Houston Field House marked its fourth ECAC Hockey win of the season. This surpasses its ECACH win total from last season, when it went 3-17-2.
The Garnet Chargers’ record for most ECACH wins is five, achieved twice, in 2017-18 and 2019-20.
Another interesting fact about Tuesday’s victory. It was the Garnet Chargers’ third win at Houston Field House, and all of them have been 3-2 finals. The other two victories were on Oct. 20, 2012, and Dec. 8 of last season.
THIS WEEK IN MESSA RINK HISTORY
Let’s take a moment to look back at some memorable Union men’s and women’s games in Messa Rink history.
Dec. 1, 2012: Princeton 4, Union 4 — The Dutchmen rallied from a two-goal deficit in the third period to secure a tie. Shayne Gostisbehere scored with 7:03 left in the third to pull Union within 4-3. Then, as goalie Troy Grosenick was being pulled for an extra attacker, Gostisbehere hit Daniel Carr with a pass, and he scored with 1:14 left. Carr nearly won it with 23.8 seconds left in overtime, but his shot from the slot hit the crossbar.
Nov. 28, 2008: Union 5, Army 4 — Kelly Zajac scored on a wraparound with 0.2 seconds left in the third period to give the Dutchmen a come-from-behind victory over the Black Knights. Union trailed 4-3 entering the third period. Lane Caffaro tied it on a power-play goal with 6:04 left in the third. Mario Valery-Trabucco had three assists for the Dutchmen, who outshot the Black Knights 44-18.
Dec. 3, 2005: Union 2, RIT 0 — Jake Schwan scored 8:26 into the third period to break a scoreless tie, and Josh Coyle added a late goal to secure Union’s weekend sweep of RIT. The teams played the night before in Rochester, with Union winning 3-2. They were the first games between the former NCAA Division III rivals since Feb. 26, 1991.
Nov. 30, 2003: Union women 5, Sacred Heart 2 — Elise Nichols scored twice, and Kate Gustafson and Courtney Riepenhoff each added a goal and two assists as the Dutchwomen defeated the Pioneers. Union outshot Sacred Heart 52-17.
Dec. 3, 1999: Union 2, Brown 1 (OT) — Drew Taylor scored with 20 seconds left in overtime to give the Dutchmen a win over the Bears.
ECACH POWER RANKINGS
Here are my latest ECAC Hockey Power Rankings.
1) Dartmouth: Had a break last weekend. They face a significant challenge on Friday against No. 4 Boston College.
2) Clarkson: Recovered from a tough 1-0 loss in the final second against Brown to shut out Yale.
3) Union: Enjoyed a weekend off. They will play outside of the Capital Region for the first time since the second weekend of the season when they face Niagara in two games.
4) Colgate: The good news: They beat Princeton and Quinnipiac last weekend. The bad news: They were swept at Penn State on Tuesday and Wednesday.
5) Quinnipiac: Managed an impressive win at Cornell, then suffered a tough overtime loss at Colgate.
6) Cornell: Managed a split in the Quinnipiac-Princeton games.
7) Brown: Secured two overtime wins in the North Country. Quite an achievement.
8) Harvard: Lost to UMass last Friday. They will be playing this weekend in Belfast, Northern Ireland, in the Friendship Four.
9) Yale: Secured a solid 5-1 win at St. Lawrence.
10) RPI: Enjoyed a weekend off. They are preparing to host Maine twice this weekend.
11) Princeton: Lost the Colgate-Cornell trip.
12) St. Lawrence: Had a tough weekend at home.
Agree: It’s important to acknowledge the impact Barr’s return as head coach will have on the team, regardless of how he downplays it.
Agree: Barr’s return will definitely have a major impact on the team, whether he acknowledges it or not.
Disagree: Barr’s return as head coach will undoubtedly have a significant impact on the team’s performance and dynamics.
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