A Maine native who became one of the best goaltenders in Bowdoin
hockey history, Bill Provencher set a standard against which future
Polar Bear netminders are measured. The owner of the highest save
percentage in school history, Provencher is the only Bowdoin goalie
to be nominated for the Heisman of collegiate hockey— the
Hobey Baker Memorial Award.
Raised in Lewiston, Maine, and attending Lewiston High School and
North Yarmouth Academy, Provencher was an accomplished and
versatile athlete. His Lewiston hockey teams won three consecutive
state titles and the 1975 New England Championship. In addition to
hockey he played baseball and soccer and was also an all-state
football selection. His first winter in Brunswick, he immediately
made an impact on the Dayton Arena ice by playing 375 minutes
between the pipes and posting a 3.84 goals-against-average in
Bowdoin’s ECAC Championship-winning season of 1977-78. After
a sophomore season that saw him increase his playing time and post
a 46-save effort in a game against Boston College, Provencher
assumed the role of starting Polar Bear netminder in the 1979-80
campaign. It was a role that fit well, as Provencher racked up a
school-record 700 saves that season and a save percentage of .913,
the third-best in Bowdoin history. He was tabbed as the ECAC
Division II Eastern Player of the Year and grabbed first-team
All-ECAC honors as Bowdoin went 19-5-2 during his junior
season.
Provencher carded a .909 save percentage and 2.80
goals-against—average in ECAC play in the 1980-81 season and
as co-captain cemented his place among the best goaltenders in
small college history. He was one of only ten players in all of
college hockey to be nominated for the first-ever Hobey Baker
Memorial Award, and was an AHCA Titan Eastern College Division
All-American. In addition to holding the best career save
percentage in school history (.900), Provencher graduated with the
most saves in school history (1,755, now third), second in best
goals-againstaverage (3.25, now eighth), second in most minutes
(3,613, now fourth) and second in wins (35, now seventh).
Provencher went on to play professionally with six minor league
hockey clubs, including the AHL’s Maine Mariners. In 1982 he
was named to the ACHL All-Star team while a member of the Mohawk
Valley Stars. Provencher earned his degree in government while at
Bowdoin. He lives in Olathe, Kansas with his wife, Linda, and their
two daughters.
