When the job as head coach of the first-year Penobscot Pioneers high school girls ice hockey team became available, Michael Keim didn’t hesitate to throw his name into the mix.
“When the opportunity popped up, I was really excited about it,” said the 30-year-old Keim.
Now Keim is tasked with coaching a brand-new hockey team that will include players from seven local high schools: Bangor, Brewer, Hampden Academy, Hermon, John Bapst, Old Town and Orono.
Keim is determined to provide a positive experience for the players and create a culture that keeps kids on the team and brings in more players.
“I want the program to sustain itself long after I stop coaching,” he said.
Keim began playing hockey when he was in first grade and eventually played for John Bapst Memorial High School in Bangor.
He went on to play for the club team at the University of Maine at Farmington, where he earned a degree in community health in 2014 with a minor in coaching athletics.
Bangor High School coach Steve Vanidestine, who hired Keim to coach the Rams’ first-year lacrosse team in 2018, said he is an outstanding choice.
“He is the epitome of what a high school coach should be,” Vanidestine said. “He is in coaching for the right reasons. He makes it all about the kids.”
Vanidestine said Keim can be a disciplinarian when he has to be but the players will gravitate to him.
Brewer High School Athletic Director Dave Utterback watched Keim coach Bangor’s boys lacrosse team and was impressed.
“He brings a level of passion to coaching and a calculated approach to his language and how he speaks to his players that will be suited well to leading a team of girls from seven different high schools,” Utterback said.
Keim has directed the Bangor boys lacrosse team to a 31-13 record in its four seasons. His winning record and professionalism is why Orono Athletic Director Mike Archer agreed he was the right choice for the job.
Keim said he expects players to do “everything in their power” to provide an all-out effort every day.
“We will keep things simple at first but as the season goes on, I want the girls to develop an amazing camaraderie and support each other on and off the ice,” Keim said.
He also wants to work with three of the local feeder systems — Brewer Youth Hockey, Maine Junior Black Bears and the girls-only Maine Inferno program — to build a pipeline of players for the future.
Utterback said the team expects a minimum of 17 players but there could be as many as 26.
If the team recruits at least 20 players, the schools will also schedule JV games.
The team will practice and play at the Penobscot Ice Arena in Brewer. Its season starts on Nov. 7.
The seven schools will share the expenses.
It will be the state’s 17th girls varsity high school program and will play in Class A North with eight other teams, including Lewiston, Edward Little/Leavitt/Poland, Mt. Ararat/Morse/Lisbon/Lincoln Academy, Brunswick, Winslow/Gardiner/Cony/Lawrence/Messalonskee, Yarmouth/Freeport, Greely, and St.Dom’s/Winthrop/Gray-New Gloucester/Monmouth Academy.