Maine has added Rick Bennett to the lads’s hockey employees as an assistant coach forward of the 2025-26 season.
Bennett, who brings over 20 years of collegiate teaching expertise to the Black Bears, spent the 2024-25 season as an assistant coach at Quinnipiac and elements of the earlier two seasons as head coach of the ECHL’s Savannah Ghost Pirates.
He served as the top coach at Union from 2011 to 2022, the place he gained a nationwide championship in 2014 and was named the Spencer Penrose Award winner because the NCAA Division I coach of the yr in 2014.
“Rick is one probably the most real folks I’ve ever met,” mentioned Maine head coach Ben Barr in an announcement. “Maine hockey is lucky to have him on employees.”
As a head coach at Union, Bennett guided this system to a few ECAC Hockey regular-season titles and three event titles whereas incomes 4 NCAA event appearances and advancing to 2 Frozen Fours. Previous to serving as head coach, Bennett spent six seasons (2005-11) as an assistant coach at Union. Moreover, he served 5 seasons (2000-05) as an assistant coach at his alma mater, Windfall.
Bennett skated for the Friars from 1986 to 1990 and served as a co-captain. He was a Hobey Baker finalist as a senior and was named an All-American for the 1988-89 season whereas totaling 134 factors in 128 profession video games.
A 3rd-round draft decide (54th general) of the Minnesota North Stars within the 1986 NHL Draft, Bennett went on to play professionally for 10 seasons throughout the NHL, AHL, IHL and ECHL.
The Springfield, Mass., native earned his bachelor’s diploma in Normal Research from Windfall in 1990.
