Maine announced the hiring of Tim Whitehead as an assistant coach today. Whitehead, a former assistant under head coach Shawn Walsh, returns to Maine after spending the last 10 years at UMass-Lowell, the last five as head coach. He fills the vacancy created by the departure of Gene Reilly to the Grand Rapids Griffins of the American Hockey League.
“I’m excited to go back to Maine, and I’m looking forward to working with Shawn and Grant [Standbrook] again,” said Whitehead. “I love to coach, and this is a great coaching opportunity for me. We have a lot of family in Maine, and my wife and I will really enjoy being close to family.”
The addition of Whitehead gives the Black Bears two experienced former Division I coaches; Standbrook coached five years at Dartmouth and has been an assistant for five different national champions. This experience is especially important given Walsh’s battle to defeat cancer over the past 16 months.
“Tim will help us keep consistency in our program,” said Walsh. “He knows our system, and he knows the league inside-out. He’s a top-notch teacher and coach that will add a lot to the success of our program. Personally, I can’t wait to see him on the ice with our team.”
Whitehead served as an assistant at Maine during the 1990-91 season before moving on to Lowell, where he was an assistant for five years before assuming the head role.
In his five years as the River Hawks’ head coach, Whitehead went 76-93-11. He was honored as a finalist for the American Hockey Coaches Association (ACHA) Spencer Penrose Coach of the Year Award in 1997 and 2001, and was also runner-up for Hockey East Coach of the Year honors in 1997 and 2001.
Following a year of uncertainty over his status, Whitehead and Lowell athletic director Dana Skinner could not agree on a new contract following last season, and the two sides parted ways.
Whitehead, 40, graduated from Hamilton College in 1985 with a bachelor’s
degree in government, and earned a master’s degree in education from Maine
in 1991.
