Dave LaCouture, who played on the University of Maine’s 1992-93 NCAA championship team and went on to coach the Walpole Stars to three Eastern Junior Hockey League championships, has been hired by the Brewer-based Penbay Mariners Junior hockey team.

Junior hockey throughout North America is for players 15-20 years of age who want to play a more ambitious schedule than the ones offered by high school programs. They are a feeder system for college hockey.

The Mariners were an independent first-year franchise that went 28-12-3 last season. Next season, they will compete in the Continental Hockey Association, which had 13 teams ranging from Massachusetts to Oklahoma a year ago.

The Mariners play their home games at the T.J. Ryan Center in Brewer.

LaCouture will focus on player recruitment and evaluation as well as college placement. Penbay General Manager Lou Janicki said he expects LaCouture to be on the ice once a week helping coach Eric Marsh. Marsh took over in midseason from Bill Schwarz, who resigned.

“Our expertise is very limited. We’ve been doing things by the seat of our pants,” said Janicki. “He brings us expertise.

“We had a very successful season with the record we had but we want to be an elite Junior hockey team that can compete with the Eastern Junior Hockey League,” said Janicki.

LaCouture left the Walpole Stars after the 2000-2001 season to establish a Junior hockey franchise in a proposed new arena (Midcoast Recreation Center) in Rockport.

“But the owners made a decision to get the facility and the youth hockey programs going first,” said LaCouture.

The Junior franchise fell by the wayside so LaCouture has been involved with the youth programs and with helping his children, 9-year-old Christian and 7-year-old Taylor, in their hockey pursuits.

He is looking forward to working with the Mariners.

“I want to help them bring their program to the next level,” said LaCouture. “Having a good Junior program would be great for the state of Maine. But it will take time. You can’t do it overnight.”

LaCouture and his wife, Amy (Henderson), who is a Brewer High School graduate, started the Junior program in Walpole and ran it for five years before coming to Maine.

The 34-year-old LaCouture said successful Junior programs have their own feeder systems that include elite youth programs comprised of players who aspire to eventually play for the junior team.

“I’d love to see that happen up here,” said LaCouture, who works for MBNA in Rockland and lives with his family in Rockport.

Janicki indicated he hopes to get LaCouture even more involved in two years, perhaps even as the GM.