MARINERS CONGRATULATE COACH BEN GUITE ON NEW ENDEAVOR

PORTLAND, ME – July 11, 2022 – The Maine Mariners will have a new head coach when they take the ice this fall. On Monday, Bowdoin College officially named Ben Guite the new head coach of the school’s men’s hockey team. Guite departs the Mariners after leading the team to its first ever postseason appearance.

The Mariners issued the following statement:

“The Mariners family would like to congratulate Coach Guite on this next step in his coaching career. Ben led us to our first playoff appearance and helped create many long-lasting memories for our franchise.  We wish him nothing but the best and we will be rooting for Coach and the Polar Bears this season!”

The Mariners have already begun a wide-ranging search for their next Head Coach and will make announcements about that search in the coming weeks.

Guite, 43, became the second head coach in Mariners history last August, when he replaced Riley Armstrong, who joined the staff of the American Hockey League’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms. In his first season at the helm, Guite led the Mariners to a record of 33-31-5-3, good for the fourth and final playoff spot in the North Division. The Mariners fell in the first round of the playoffs, taking the top-seeded Reading Royals to six games.

“My family and I are extremely excited to join the Bowdoin College community, but it was a very hard decision to leave the Mariners,” said Guite. “Our players and staff were extremely hard working and made it so much fun coming to the rink every day. The success we had in making the playoff, the way it happened and the support of the fans during that run was one of my favorite memories in my hockey career.”

“Thank you to our fans, the Mariners players and staff that made it a special season,” added Guite. “Knowing the players already signed for the 2022-23 season and the culture already in place, Mariners fans should be very excited for the upcoming season.”

Assistant Coach Terrence Wallin will serve as interim head coach while the search takes place. Maine will be the fourth team in the North Division to have a new head coach in 2022-23, as the Adirondack Thunder, Reading Royals, and Worcester Railers all recently announced coaching changes of their own.