Greg Dumais was worn down from 20 years of working in the food and beverage industry and traveling around the country.

The 1999 Edward Little High School graduate has made a big career change, taking on three roles at Hebron Academy: director of rink operations for Robinson Arena and coach of the school’s girls hockey and baseball teams.

Greg Dumais

“I was traveling all over the place, and it came to the point here recently that I was simply burnt out and wanted to get back and do something that gave me the energy and also provided me the outlet to help kids and local organizations promote the game of hockey,” Dumais said.

Dumais played baseball at St. Joseph’s College before graduating in 2003. He also is no stranger to hockey. In addition to his previous career, he served as an on-ice official for the American Hockey League, Quebec Major Junior Hockey League and NCAA Division I from 2005-17.

Due a medical issue with his heart, Dumais had to retire from on-ice officiating and is now the supervisor of officials for high school and prep school hockey for the state of Maine.

He started talking with Hebron Academy and had a proposal for the school.

“It was kind of a conversation with the school saying, ‘You know, the rink has really been closed for a while for the public,'” Dumais said. “I think there’s an opportunity because of the shortage of the ice that we’re seeing in central Maine. To open it up and bring people back on campus. We’ve got a … tremendous facility here, the Robinson Arena, that also has a heated pavilion seated in a real serene environment here in Hebron.”

Dumais wants to use Robinson Arena to grow youth hockey.

“So, basically, I’m also running the rink, so we are opening the rink up to the public,” Dumais said. “My goal right now is to work to try to get some sponsorships in here to promote local businesses, bring in youth summer camps here, and have, you know, some boarding hockey camps here at the school. We want to bring in potentially a future youth hockey league. I’m going to try to build a youth hockey league based out of Hebron in the future.”

Greg Dumais, the new Hebron Academy girls hockey coach, has coached for the Maine Moose and Maine Gladiators youth hockey organizations. Dumais also has been hired as Hebron’s baseball coach and director of rink operations for Robinson Arena. Submitted photo

Dumais has a background in coaching hockey with the Auburn-based Maine Gladiators and the Hallowell-based Maine Moose youth organizations.

“Greg is a great fit for Hebron,” Hebron Academy athletic director Rob Morris said in a news release. “Like our school and our community, he is rooted in Maine, yet prepared to help students set their own path.”

Another part of his vision for his new job is strengthening the Lumberjacks’ hockey programs.

“But it’s basically, you know, Hebron used to be a landmark for hockey back in the day,” Dumais said. “And we’ve kind of, not lost our way, but the priorities have shifted over the years. And they drifted a little bit away from promoting hockey here at Hebron. We’ve got a new administration here that’s focusing more on athletics to drive kids in, because that is a huge factor in making that decision to go to prep school.”

Dumais has already started recruiting to bolster the Hebron girls hockey team.

“I’ve been out recruiting this weekend in Vermont and in some rinks in Maine,” Dumais said earlier this month. “I’ve got to try to get three or four girls in here before we start. So I’m going to try to get them into a strong group and looking to build upon this season and future years.”