“This is a great day for Princeton University, Princeton Athletics, and especially Princeton Hockey,” Princeton Director of Athletics John Mack '00 said at a press conference Saturday. “We said from the beginning that we were looking for a leader who would be a good fit for our program.”
Introducing Ben Shear, the new head coach of the Princeton men's hockey team.
“It's a really exciting and exciting day to be here and begin our journey forward here at Princeton Hockey,” Scheyer said in his opening remarks.
Back in March, after a tough season for the Tigers (10-16-4 overall, 8-11-3 ECAC), it was announced that longtime head coach Ron Fogerty would not return for an 11th season. Announced. Princeton. Fogarty led Princeton to a surprise ECAC championship and NCAA Tournament berth in 2018, the Tigers' only appearance in his tenure.
“We have stability, our last coach was here for 10 years. Stability is relative, but 10 years is a very long period of stability,” Mack said. “I think what we're looking for is everything that Ben brings. It's not about the timeline. If he's been here for five years and somebody else takes him, it's him. I mean, he's done a really good job in transforming our program. Of course, I hope he's here much longer than that,” Mack continued.
Saire joins Princeton after serving as an assistant coach for 25 years at college hockey powerhouses Quinnipiac University and Cornell University. Most recently, Saire served as his assistant coach at Cornell Big He Red for the past 13 seasons. Saire is best known for his defensive acumen, as the Big Red has averaged just 2.21 points per game over the past 13 years, the third-best mark in all of Division I during that period. It becomes. Under Shear, the focus will no doubt be on improving Princeton's average of 3.50 points per game over the next few seasons.
“The standard that we look for as a group and as a program is that we want to be the hardest working, most relentless team in the ECAC,” Scheier explained. “That's something we can control. And that's something we're going to continue to move forward in our journey here to establish not just Friday and Saturday, but Monday through Thursday.”
“As an individual and as a player, he has the ability to compete, to backtrack, to block shots, to not only help the defensive system, but to really show the intangibles,” Tiger's teammate said. Please also show your determination,” Shire continued.
Scheier has also been praised throughout the college hockey world for his eye for recruiting new talent, which he plans to use to shape the Tiger roster over the next few years. At Cornell University and Quinnipiac University, he has coached 23 drafted NHL players, including current Winnipeg Jets forward Morgan Barron and Colorado Avalanche defenseman Sam Malinsky. As he moves to Princeton, recruiting will be a focus for the growth of Princeton's program.
“I hope that my experience recruiting at Cornell over the past 13 years will help me be more productive in recruiting here, because I think it's different,” Scheyer said. “I think that thriving at an institution like Princeton or an Ivy League school starts with the individual and the personality, and I think there are certain characteristics that definitely set you apart from all of those individuals.”
But for now, Scheyer is focused on the boys already wearing orange and black and the support staff already present in the Princeton hockey world. Hoping to build trust with the existing roster and staff, he hopes to connect with each player and staff member on and off the ice in individual meetings over the coming weeks.
“I think it's really important to be able to get all the right items and have the opportunity to meet the players and things like that,” Shire said. “But, you know, in the last few years they've brought some very good players here as well. So I've talked to the guys that are currently on staff and made sure we have an opportunity to improve from there.” I want to get it.”
For a team that finished second-to-last in the ECAC conference this year, hiring Ben Saire is the first step toward rebuilding a winning program.
“If we can raise the floor of our program, in our down years we can finish sixth or seventh. In our best years we're competing for championships. That's the norm here,” Mack said. .
“When you do that, when you raise the floor,” he continued. “It gives us a better chance to shoot for the stars. And that's what we want.”
Cole Keller is Prince's sports editor.
Eva Siegel is a sports editorial assistant at The Prince.
If you have any corrections, please send them to the correction address.[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
