All Episodes

October 30, 2024 • 23 mins
Maine head coach Ben Barr joins hosts Jim Connelly (@jimmyconnelly) and Ed Trefzger (@EdTrefzger) to talk Black Bears hockey through the early part of the season, transfer portal, recruiting, factors toward recent success, CHL eligibility, pending legislation, rule changes, and series this coming weekend vs. Merrimack.
Mark as Played
Transcript

Episode Transcript

Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:03):
Usccho dot com.

Speaker 2 (00:13):
Welcome to US Echo Spotlight were Wednesday, October thirtieth, twenty
twenty four. I meant Trevsker alongside Jim Connolly after a
few years in the Doul drums. It has been an
exciting time to be a fan at the University of
Maine and.

Speaker 1 (00:29):
Enjoying us now in US Echo Spotlight. The head coach
of the main Black Bears, Ben Barr ben nice start
to this season five to ozho and one at this point,
including two great games against Nashley ran Quinnipiac and a
five out of six point series last weekend against Northeastern. Now,
what do you like about the season thus far?

Speaker 3 (00:50):
We have, you know, more depth on our team, which
is which has really helped us, you know, up and
down the lineup, you know, more depth than our staffs
had since we've been here, which is has been good.
And that's in every position. So still a lot of
room for improvement, no question. And you know we've we've
we've played some really good teams the last couple of

(01:11):
weekends here and he's had good stretches and some stretches
that haven't been great.

Speaker 4 (01:15):
So we're still pushing.

Speaker 1 (01:17):
I look up and down your points right now, Harrison
Scott with eight transfer, Taylor mccarr from transfer from UMass
seven points, four goals. Already, you're getting some good contributions.
As you said, dat up and down those lines. Take
me through some of these top players. Maybe start with Scott.

Speaker 3 (01:34):
Well, yeah, Scotty had a great year and that last
year transferred from Bentley and kind of came out of
nowhere and was just a huge, super important part of
our team.

Speaker 4 (01:44):
And he's just continued to get better.

Speaker 3 (01:47):
Plays in every situation and never never has a bad
shift really just his effort is phenomenal, and his focus
and his detail is he's always trying to get a
little bit better. So he's been, uh, he's been a
great part of our team for the last couple of years.
And you know that we've added some guys obviously some
you know, we've added a few more transfers this year

(02:09):
than we had, you know, in previous years, just because
you know, we were pretty familiar with some of them,
you know, like Taylor and you know, Ross Minton and
Charlie Russell and Frank Tchurisevik, like these guys have all
been you know, kind of seamless as far as fitting
into our locker room. And their play has been good too,
but uh more, more of the personalities has been really good.

(02:31):
And that's what's really I think helped us early on here.
How difficult as a coach is it too?

Speaker 1 (02:39):
I guess you say, you know some of these players,
and I understand some of these players that you've recruited
in the past, but to keep your eye on the
pulse and then when you make a decision to bring
in a transfer, have the confidence that they will fit
into what you're trying to do up in Orno.

Speaker 4 (02:54):
It's a good question.

Speaker 3 (02:55):
Uh last year kind of changed my opinion on it
a little bit. And we do this with the recruiting
you know, freshmen as well, Like we kind of believe
you know, our staff and you know, Jason LP and
Eric Soltis do a great job.

Speaker 4 (03:11):
You know, they're they're obviously, you know, more involved in
it than I am.

Speaker 3 (03:17):
But we're not really you know, in our world these days,
I don't know if you're really recruiting players anymore.

Speaker 4 (03:22):
You're just kind of seeing who has interest to come.

Speaker 3 (03:25):
I mean, we have no idea every year, Like this
whole transfer portal thing is it's such a new thing.
And it's always evolving. Now we have some other things
that are evolving in college hockey. So it's you can
you can spend your tires and run around and talk
to a million people, but you know, if you're doing
the right things and you know you're you're developing a

(03:48):
culture that has some you know that that has some
real roots in it, We've found that the right players
will come and will approach you, you know, and hey,
this is we like to be part of this. And
that's you know, we're trying to take care of what
we do here within our locker room with our team today.
And you know, and I think it kind of you know,

(04:09):
happened for us last year that the players that see
value in that will be the ones that approach you
and decide to come.

Speaker 4 (04:16):
And that's kind of how we view it.

Speaker 3 (04:17):
It's kind of a different way of looking at it,
but that's just kind of our experience up here the
last couple of years.

Speaker 1 (04:22):
Back to the player has been I wanted to ask
about Alvin Boria in net and he was somebody that
kind of came on in the second half of last
year and really worked almost steal a starting job away.
Now he is the man five to zero and one
with a one point seven to five goals against nine
twenty eight save percentage. I mean, those are really good

(04:42):
numbers for any goaltender, especially noting that you've played a
couple of pretty talented teams thus far. Just what have
you seen in his development from the time he got
on campus to now.

Speaker 4 (04:55):
You know, really it's been since day one.

Speaker 3 (04:57):
He's a you know, he just fits or he's a
really competitive guy.

Speaker 4 (05:03):
I don't think he's a player that.

Speaker 3 (05:06):
You know, I don't know, you know, obviously we didn't
watch him play in Sweden as a young kid like
we do some kids, you know, in North America.

Speaker 4 (05:12):
But you know, he just fits what we're trying to
do here.

Speaker 3 (05:16):
I don't think he's a guy that everyone has been
telling how great he is since he was twelve. He
just works and he continuously gets better. He's extremely competitive,
sometimes too competitive. He gets so angry when a goal
goes in and practice or a game. So he just
really fits the cultures very similar to you know, like
some of those guys we just talked about, and then

(05:37):
are current guys who have built the culture, the guys
that have been here for three four years with us
you know, he's a great part of it, and his
game is thriving so far because of it.

Speaker 2 (05:49):
Then you pointed to players who see value in building
the culture to turn a program around and make the
NCAA tournament in your third year behind the bench. What
alongside that have been some of the key parts of
building that success.

Speaker 4 (06:05):
I think just the right people. You know, we have
a long ways to go, and we know that.

Speaker 3 (06:11):
You know, it was fun last year to have you know,
to see the elphond and all that kind of stuff.
You know, come back a little bit and there's a
lot of good things that happened, but at the end
of the day, we lost, uh, you know, the Semis
in the Hockey East the Garden and then we lost
in the first round of the NCLA tournament, and that
was really disappointing for us.

Speaker 4 (06:32):
So, you know, we we have a long way to
go with that.

Speaker 3 (06:36):
But I do think the improvements that happened the last
couple of years are just are credit to obviously the
players and not what type of players they are, just
the type of people they are and how much they
care and they bring everybody back here every summer for
six weeks and they trade on their own and it's
it's pretty it's pretty unique to watch and you know,

(06:57):
the improvement you know, not just physically that they go through,
but you know, I think emotionally and spiritually just when
they're here, like getting to know each other.

Speaker 4 (07:05):
It's really important. And that's also a credit to the
assistants who spend a lot more.

Speaker 3 (07:10):
Time you know dat you know, day and day out,
you know, doing some of the small things with the
you know, with the players. Then I do, you know,
I do a lot of you know, this stuff we're doing,
and a lot of you know, a lot of things
to try to you know, to improve the program on
a you know, on a at a higher level through
the school maybe, but there on the day to day.

(07:32):
You know, Jason Fortuate with our doing our development with skills,
work healthy, works with that, and then obviously with the goalies,
he does a phenomenal job.

Speaker 4 (07:40):
Eric Soltis is you know, our third assistant that's.

Speaker 3 (07:43):
Out on the road, and yeah, you know, without those
guys like you have nothing. So you know, I think
it's really a credit to them any improvements that we've made,
and you know, obviously we have a long ways to
go with or four or five or five teams into
this season and you know, so far, okay, the result
of and fine, but we know, we know there's a
long ways to go, and we have we gotta be

(08:03):
a lot better.

Speaker 2 (08:05):
One of the things that's going to affect college hockey
that may be decided as soon as next week is
eligibility to HL players. And I want to approach this
question a little bit differently for you. One of the
things I've heard from players from Quebec, and you've got
some on your roster that have had to go to
the USHL or all the way out to the BCHL,

(08:27):
is that this might give guys from Quebec or the
Maritimes an opportunity to play somewhere like the quick Back
Major Junior League and play a little closer to home
and geographically that seems to be a good fit for Maine.
Do you see maybe some changes in that direction before
we kind of get into the broader scope of the CHL.

Speaker 4 (08:47):
I think it'll be different for every school.

Speaker 3 (08:49):
I definitely think, you know, Quebec is kind of a
foreign thing for me. It is like working at other
schools as an assistant before I got here.

Speaker 4 (09:00):
You know, we didn't really go to Quebec that often.

Speaker 3 (09:01):
You know, it's not it hasn't historically been a place
where you're spending a lot of time with, you know,
finding college hockey players. A lot of those players might
leave and go to prep school or junior down here,
and you know obviously that they might have an interest
in playing at C double A. But yeah, I think
it's you know, we have to be good in the Maritimes.
We have players from Quebec and New Brunswick, you know,

(09:24):
like and that's you know, that's what I really rely on.
You know, Jason who's in Eric who actually both coached
in the Quebec League, Jason fort Er Soltis Elfie's from Manitoba,
so he's very you know, he's very familiar with the CHL.
So I think we're set up and if this sort
of happened too, you know, at least have a you know,

(09:45):
a pretty good read with with the relationships we have
in in those leagues. Your guess is as good as mine,
Like how it goes the first couple, you know, year
or two, If it happens, it's just really it's it's
hard to predict, like what it's going to look like
where players start migrating. As far as junior hockey's concerned,
it's it's you know, obviously, uh, kind of a new frontier.

Speaker 1 (10:07):
You know.

Speaker 2 (10:08):
One of the other things that's up in the year
is this house versus NCAA decision, the twenty six scholarships,
but also a limit to roster spots and some revenue sharing.
Have you given that some thought how that may impact you?

Speaker 4 (10:22):
Yeah, I mean, you.

Speaker 3 (10:23):
Know, at the risk of sound and you know, it's
it's hard to really you know, you think about these
things and every day you hear while this is going
to happen, and this is going to happen, and it's.

Speaker 4 (10:34):
The different from the you know, last week or the
week before.

Speaker 3 (10:38):
I think the difficult part of it right now is
that it kind of feels like, you know, we don't
really have a say in what's in what's going on,
and I'm sure every sport in the NCAA feels that way.
And it's it's not necessarily anyone's fault with a lot
of these things going and you know, being dictated in
the in the courts, and you know we're reacting to them. Yeah,
I think, you know, the best of our ability, we

(11:00):
need for the health of our game. We need to
find a way to have some say in what happens
with this stuff. And you know, the NC Double A
is obviously much bigger than just college hockey or you know,
individual programs within college hockey, so it's such a bigger issue.
But you know, I think a lot of it, you know,
like roster sizes, like will adapt to whatever happens. I

(11:22):
think it's really important that we you know, that we
don't make drastic changes that really would you know, hurt
the quality of the game, because those are you know,
at least since you know, the last fifteen years or
so that I've been fortunate to work in the C
double hockey, like the progress that schools have made, and

(11:43):
now you know, the transfer port on nil changed a
lot of that stuff as far as you know, maybe
the parody and that kind of stuff in college hockey,
and you know, some of these rules potentially could do this,
you know, have even a greater effect on that, and
that's not really that's not good for for our word obviously,
and you know, we have kind of a niche sport
with sixty some teams. You know, I just hope that

(12:07):
you know, when all the dust settles here that we
find a way to you know, to have you know,
I'm never going to have the even playing field, but
find a way to you know, have some competitive balance
because they do think it's good for the development of
hockey players in North America in general, and I think
it's really important for the schools, especially some of the schools.

Speaker 4 (12:25):
The college hockey is so.

Speaker 2 (12:26):
Important to more with Maine head coach Ben Barr in
a moment, we're back with Maine head coach Ben Barr.
I want to bring us back to this season. Every

(12:48):
other year there's a new rule book, some adjustment in
the rules. This year, I think the thing that stood
out to me is face offs. But what have you
seen so far with the adjustment this season? You know,
it hasn't felt like much different so far. The one
thing that's nice is you don't get the penalty if

(13:08):
you get scored on and delayed penalty like, so you know,
those seem that you know, those instances, you know, really
have a huge effect on the game, you know, positive
or negatively. If you know, a goal happens on a
delete call, then you got to kill a penalty or
you get a power play after that.

Speaker 4 (13:23):
So it's I mean, that's I don't know. I don't
think we've had that situation yet.

Speaker 3 (13:28):
It's been close a couple of times, but it's it's,
you know, I think that's a really good one. The centerment,
our centerment didn't the first couple of games were confused
when they were getting the you know, they weren't getting
you know, the same the same warnings that they were
getting last year and they getting thrown out at times.
So but that's an easy adjustment for them. That was
kind of what it was like a few years ago,

(13:50):
you know. So it hasn't felt like there's been any
drastic changes, you know, to be honest.

Speaker 4 (13:55):
And I don't this might sound funny, I don't. I
don't spend a you know, the refs it is.

Speaker 3 (14:01):
You know, you just react to what it is and
like a lot of it's good to know about it,
but to think about it and spend time with the
guys about it. You know, the reviews are important because
you know, we don't have the technology and the bench,
so it's important that our video guys know, you know, hey,
these are the things that have changed and what you
can challenge, what you can't challenge that kind of stuff,
but you know the rest of it, the refs do
a pretty good job of, you know, managing, and we

(14:23):
just kind of let them do it.

Speaker 1 (14:25):
And I want to get to this weekend's series with
Merrimack before I do that. The Alfond Arena touched on.
It has been packed all year. I watched the overtime
game you had against Quinnipiac. I don't think a fan
sat down for the entire overtime, and that's that's a
real test into what's being built up there. Maybe just
a little bit on the fan base and their resurgence

(14:46):
as a fan base, and what's happening with Alfon right
now with some of the physical changes to the building.

Speaker 3 (14:53):
Yeah, we have, but I didn't think I lose the internet.
I'd show you the out the window. I could show
you the renovations called So they're building a new structure
on the outside of the Alphon and then they'll be
combining it when our season's over. So they're doing most
of the work on the outside today, uh this year,
and they're closing it before the winner so they can
work on it during the winter, and then when our

(15:13):
season's over, they're going.

Speaker 4 (15:14):
To combine everything. We have underneath.

Speaker 3 (15:17):
So the new structure they'll they'll connect to the old,
to the older older part of the Elfon. So that's
going to be it's much needed and it's going to
be really nice state.

Speaker 4 (15:27):
To our facility for both the men and the women.

Speaker 3 (15:28):
So we're super fortunate to the you know that the
Alphon Foundation for allowing us to do that. For as
the fan base is concerned, it's you know, it really
is a special special place and uh, you know, I
I you know about it.

Speaker 4 (15:45):
You know when you're on the outside.

Speaker 3 (15:47):
You know, I've been working in Hockey East at you know,
different schools and you come up here and and you
see in an experience from time to time, but just
to see, you know, the last couple of years, you know,
the support that we have up here is just the
it is the biggest advantage that we have. And you know,
when players come in here and you know, our players

(16:07):
go up there for the first time, it like it's
almost like surreal for them a little bit, and and
in all reality it is probably for the you know,
the teams that we're playing too.

Speaker 4 (16:17):
It's like, oh my goodness, you know, and that's in
our world right now.

Speaker 3 (16:22):
It's it's it's the biggest it's probably the best you know,
hopefully our culture of our team and that piece of
you know, having this self on it and then the
student athletic experience.

Speaker 4 (16:32):
I think game day is is.

Speaker 3 (16:36):
You know that that's our competitive advantage right now, and
that we have to keep you know, fostering that and
making sure that we're we're nurturing that to the best
of our ability.

Speaker 1 (16:46):
Last couple of weekends, I mentioned Quinnipiac a two games
sweep at home of them, and going on the road
for Northeastern, a team that historically has played main very tough,
but you came away with basically all about one point
out of those four games. Now you have Merrimac coming in,
a team that maybe you can kind of worry that

(17:06):
a player might look past that they see Boston College
the next week and on the schedule. How do you
keep the mental focus for the two games you have
in Orno against Merrimack this weekend.

Speaker 3 (17:20):
That's kind of you know, going day by day is
very much you know, and that this goes back to
the summer, goes back to the spring like that that's
what we kind of build our culture on and and
trying to you know, just get a little better every day. Yeah,
I don't think anyone in our in our room, uh
doesn't believe Merrimack is fully capable coming up here and

(17:41):
beating us.

Speaker 4 (17:42):
And that's what they're gonna that's what they're going to
want to do, you know.

Speaker 3 (17:45):
And every time we've played them down there, every time
we play them, it's a one goal game. Scotting his
staff to do a phenomenal job. You know, their team,
they had a down year last year for you know,
a lot of the reasons beyond their control.

Speaker 4 (17:59):
Uh, then not going to have it down here like
that again this year.

Speaker 3 (18:03):
You know, they've had some interesting circumstances here the last
you know, with their goaltender situation, and you know, so
likely you can view anything you know in their record
with any you know, this early in the season. They're
a good hockey team. I watched them play Lowell, washing
them play U and h We're gonna have our hands

(18:23):
full and that's that's the case every week for for
our team. And you know, we we realize we're we're
a team of underdogs up here. Every one of our players.
That's what they've been their whole lives, you know, So
if we ever lose that, we're going to lose any
you know, we're going to lose the identity of our team.

(18:43):
And that's that's what you know, our staff and our
leaders on our team, we appreciate that every day and
that we have to approach every.

Speaker 4 (18:50):
Day like it's going to be the hardest day that
we have and that's what we're going to do.

Speaker 1 (18:55):
This week, well, it will be two games set in
or no with the Merrimack Warriors. Ben bar we always
appreciate the opportunity to get some insight from you, and
it's been a great start to the season.

Speaker 4 (19:07):
We wish you the best of luck the rest of
the way. Thanks for having you. Guys appreciate it. That's
main head coach Ben Barr.

Speaker 2 (19:17):
Jim as we talk to Ben and Hurt his approach
on recruiting, it really rang a bell with both of us,
really struck a chord seeing who has an interest to
come or that the right players will approach you, where
players who see value.

Speaker 4 (19:35):
There's a couple of things.

Speaker 2 (19:36):
One, it says you've built a good culture, but it
also says you've build a successful program.

Speaker 1 (19:41):
Yes, that's a big part of it. And listen, let's
not forget where Maine is. It's the furthest in the
most East team.

Speaker 4 (19:50):
It is up there.

Speaker 1 (19:51):
It is it's about five hours from Boston. It is
not easy to get to as a campus, but players
want to play there.

Speaker 4 (20:02):
And there's a reason.

Speaker 1 (20:04):
He talked a little bit about Alphond and the environment
they create up there. Their fan base is so loyal,
very educated, one of the more educated hockey fan bases
you'll ever come across. And the other is success and
now that success has returned under Ben Barr, and I
thought it was interesting to hear him say to you

(20:26):
that they haven't gotten there yet, and without having gotten there,
they've still been a really good hockey team. They didn't
make it to the Hockey's Finals last year, they didn't
win a championship.

Speaker 4 (20:38):
They got knocked out in the first round of the
NCAA tournament.

Speaker 1 (20:42):
That one probably stung a lot, and so you have
to think about what you still need to build. And
I think that's one of the things that I really
respect about Ben Barr.

Speaker 4 (20:52):
Is so easy to find a respect for.

Speaker 1 (20:56):
That because he is really aware understood coming in there
what it took to build a winning culture. He's had
a lot of success Providence um Mass as an assistant.

Speaker 4 (21:08):
This is a coach, though, that has a.

Speaker 1 (21:10):
Lot of self awareness, and I think that is one
of the most impressive traits about him, because of the
fact that he can recognize what needed to be better.
They changed a lot, but he also recognizes that they're
not there yet, and I think that is something that
he really, as a kind of a perfectionist type coach, wants.

Speaker 4 (21:33):
He wants that type of success.

Speaker 2 (21:35):
Conversations with coaches about the big picture are usually a
little different in the offseason, and sometimes I feel a
little bad about asking these questions while they're in the
midst of a league schedule. But I think it was
a pretty frank assessment from coach bar that we just
have to watch world the dominoes fall in this. There

(21:58):
are so many moving parts right now between CHL House
versus NCAA and still trying to navigate transfer portal in NL.
It's really a general manager's job that these head coaches
have had to adopt.

Speaker 4 (22:13):
Yeah, and it's not. But timing is what makes this
the most inconvenient.

Speaker 1 (22:18):
The fact that you know you had the transfer of
portal really taking prominence right as you were having adding
a gear eligibility for players that went through COVID, So
now you've got five years of eligibility versus four, and
then you had nil come along, and everybody's saying, oh, well,
impact hockey. This is really more about football and basketball

(22:39):
while we're seeing it impact hockey.

Speaker 4 (22:41):
Now you might have roster limits.

Speaker 1 (22:42):
Now, you might have a bigger player pool with the
Quebec Major Junior League, but you don't really.

Speaker 4 (22:46):
Know exactly how that's going to look.

Speaker 1 (22:48):
And every day it seems there's another memo or another
rumor coming out. As he said, week to week, you
might talk about this with your years in that conversation
changes and it's different. The fact that all of this
occurs at the same time is almost ridiculous. But the

(23:09):
best coaches, the most successful coaches, are going to be
the ones that navigate all of this together.

Speaker 4 (23:16):
It sounds like Ben Barr is up for the challenge.

Speaker 2 (23:18):
We do think Ben Barr for joining us on this episode.
For Jim Connley, I'm ed Trefskier and this has been
USCCHO spotlight
Advertise With Us

Popular Podcasts

CrimeLess: Hillbilly Heist

CrimeLess: Hillbilly Heist

It’s 1996 in rural North Carolina, and an oddball crew makes history when they pull off America’s third largest cash heist. But it’s all downhill from there. Join host Johnny Knoxville as he unspools a wild and woolly tale about a group of regular ‘ol folks who risked it all for a chance at a better life. CrimeLess: Hillbilly Heist answers the question: what would you do with 17.3 million dollars? The answer includes diamond rings, mansions, velvet Elvis paintings, plus a run for the border, murder-for-hire-plots, and FBI busts.

Crime Junkie

Crime Junkie

Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.

Stuff You Should Know

Stuff You Should Know

If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.

Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

© 2025 iHeartMedia, Inc.