1925–26 Bowdoin Polar Bears men's ice hockey season
The 1925–26 Bowdoin Polar Bears men's ice hockey season was the 7th season of play for the program. Season In the offseason, the team received some welcome news when Ben Houser signed a 3-year contract to remain with the college. While primarily a baseball coach, his success in the abbreviated '25 season showed that he wasn't bad at leading the ice hockey team. Additionally, the team had come in well under budget, costing $283.48 against a total funding of $482.50. The team held its first meeting immediately after the conclusion of the football season and tried to get a jump on the year. With the team returning six veterans, hopes were high for the Bears and they attempted to put together an ambitious schedule that included a 3-game swing through Massachusetts. Construction on the rink was nearly complete by the second week of December, thanks in part to an early winter, and floodlight were installed so that games could be played at night. As part of a new initiative by the school, students were required to participate in at least one sport to encourage physical fitness. While track and field was by far the most popular, with 193 participants, ice hockey came in second with 62 men working out on a daily basis. The popularity of the relatively new sport, despite all of the problems that had occurred over the past several seasons, was good news for the long-term future of the program. After the winter break, Bowdoin kicked off the year by heading to Lewiston. They first took on Bates and had the measure of the Bobcats all night. the Polar Bears more than doubled the Garnet in shots (36 to 17) and Berry didn't give an inch in goal. The offense came from all quarters: starting center (Cutter), defense (Cole) and reserve forward (Thayer) to give the Whites a total victory over a team that was typically the class of the state. The team stayed in town for a match against St. Dominique but the game devolved into an ugly affair for the Polar Bears. The team was widely outplayed and were swept off the ice 0–5. Jim Berry played a tremendous game in goal, stopping 45 shots in 45 minutes, an impressive feat under any circumstance. The Bears returned home for a match with Colby and got into a pitched battle with the Mules. The match started slow but soon the Bowdoin offense began attacking the opposing cage. Cutter scored twice to pace all players but the Colby netminder, Fagerstrom, was the star of the game. Fortunately, Berry played another strong game and allowed the Polar Bears to eke out a 3–2 victory. Bowdoin travelled south the following week to take on Amherst, however, the games was cancelled due to bad weather. A couple of days later, Bowdoin took on Boston University for the second year in a row and had about a much success the second time around. The Bears were swept off the ice by