BRUNSWICK — Bowdoin College didn’t have to look too far to find its next head men’s ice hockey coach — and only the program’s third coach since 1959. They just looked a little farther down the bench.

Jamie Dumont, a Lewiston native and an assistant with the team since 2011, is the new head men’s ice hockey coach at Bowdoin, replacing Terry Meagher after the latter’s retirement this spring.

“This was certainly a case of being in the right place at the right time,” Dumont said Wednesday afternoon. “Certainly Terry is an icon, not just in the hockey community, but among the campus community here, as well. To follow in his footsteps is a huge responsibility. All I can do is take what I’ve learned from him and apply it going forward.”

Meagher stepped down this past season after 33 years, 542 career wins (sixth all-time among NCAA Division III coaches), a .669 wining percentage (10th all-time), two New England Small College Athletic Conference championships and two ECAC titles. He succeeded Sid Watson — for whom the team’s arena is named — in 1983. Watson coached the team from 1959 to 1983, making Dumont just the third head coach of the program in 57 years.

Dumont, who grew up in Lewiston and played high school hockey at Mount St. Charles in Rhode Island before playing in college at Oswego State University in New York, now lives just 20 minutes from campus.

“In this game, if you want to survive and thrive, you have to be willing to move around a bit,” Dumont said. “To have this opportunity so close to home is just incredible. It’s tough enough to find a job in this sport in your own home state, never mind 20 minutes from home.”

Dumont is another in a long line of Lewiston-born hockey talent to play or coach at Bowdoin, following the likes of Bill Provencher and Dave Boucher, among others.

“It is clear Jamie has a deep personal knowledge of, and appreciation for, the tradition in our program,” Bowdoin Director of Athletics Tim Ryan said in a news release. “He will bring his tireless support of our student-athletes in every aspect of their experience to his new role at the college.”

Dumont was a key player for Oswego State in his playing days, helping the team to four straight SUNYAC playoff bids. After graduation Dumont began his coaching career at Oswego, helping the Lakers win a regular season title and an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.

Dumont’s first stint at Bowdoin was from 2001 to 2005, helping the Polar Bears to 64 wins and assisting in recruiting numerous All-NESCAC and All-American players. Since Dumont returned to the program in 2011, the Polar Bears have accumulated 83 victories, an impressive .681 winning percentage and two NESCAC titles.

Between stints at Bowdoin, Dumont coached in Europe, in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League with the Lewiston Maineiacs, and at Division I Bowling Green State University. While overseas as head coach of the Bolzano Hockey Club in the Italian Professional League, Dumont won two National Championships along with a bronze medal at the Continental Cup. In 2008, Dumont served as associate coach with the National Junior Team representing Italy at the World Championships in Denmark.

“Jamie has been a critical member of our hockey program during both his tenures as an assistant coach at Bowdoin and his wealth of experience coaching collegiate hockey and professional hockey overseas will be of considerable benefit to our program,” Ryan said.

Dumont said Meagher started grooming him for a head coaching position over the past couple of years, adding more responsibility to Dumont’s plate beyond just working with the defense, or the offense. Dumont has been integral in the team’s recruiting process, and in the administration of the team, things he said will help going forward.

“At this level, it’s not just about coaching hockey,” Dumont said. “You’re going to wear a lot of hats, that’s part of the reality here. And I really like that part of it. This really is the best level of hockey for me.”

Dumont already likes the look of his team in the coming years.

“The culture here is healthy, the hockey team is healthy,” Dumont said. “People always say, ‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,’ and for the most part, that’s true here. For me, it’s all about consistent improvement.

“The program is in really good shape,” he added. “We have a great recruiting class coming in next fall, one of the best I’ve seen here, and we play a fun brand of hockey that’s great to watch.”

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