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Published: March 11, 2010 04:36 pm      

HOCKEY: Niagara ACHA team makes strides

By Brandon Koch
Niagara Gazette

The Niagara Purple Eagles club hockey team’s season came to an abrupt end when it lost to perennial rival and No. 17-ranked Robert Morris University, 5-2, in the American Collegiate Hockey Association ECHL semifinals in Rochester on Feb. 20.

The Colonials ended a magical run by the Purple Eagles, who finished their regular season with a 10-1 record before storming through the first round of the postseason with a 6-1 win over Mercyhurst.

Although the end result wasn’t what the team had hoped for, it’s certainly a step in the right direction, head coach Larry Brzeczkowskis aid.

“Well, we had 15 freshmen this year,” said the Purple Eagles’ bench boss, who is also the manager of Niagara’s Dwyer Arena. “We played a lot of them in the first semester. If you look at our record in the first semester, we struggled a little bit. We were getting our freshmen valuable playing time, and that paid dividends our second semester because we went 10-1 coming in to the playoffs.”

The Purple Eagles shot out of the starting gate at the beginning of the spring semester, registering wins in early January against the University at Buffalo, as well as rival Robert Morris.

Niagara’s only loss of the final 11 regular season contests came in a Feb. 6 matchup against Syracuse, where the Purple Eagles fell 4-3.

The team was paced by leading scorer and league MVP Nick Gollaher, who recorded 17 goals and 32 assists. The senior center became the school’s all-time leader in points with 171 over his four-year career.

“Everything was clicking, everything was working,” sophomore forward Tom Mooradian said. “Everything was happening because we were doing it for each other.”

Mooradian is one of three Lewiston-Porter graduates on the roster, along with Marc DeGiulio and Tyler Magliazzo. The sophomore winger finished off the 2009-10 campaign with four goals and nine assists in 24 games, and said team chemistry played a major role in the late-season surge.

“You could just tell the atmosphere on the ice and off the ice, everything was positive, everyone wanted to win and everyone understood that,” he said. “We really wanted to go out and extend our seniors’ seasons as best as possible.”

Brzeczkowski added the team’s captains did a stellar job in pulling the squad together. Some teams, he said, come to the rink, practice and don’t bother with each other outside the rink. Not this team.

“Away from the rink they hung out no matter what they were doing,” Brzeczkowski said. “It brought the team closer together. The captains pretty much took the ball and ran with that, so hats off to the captains for bringing the team together.”

Brzeczkowski added that the program is getting better every year on and off the ice, making key additions to the coaching staff while signing a deal with a sports apparel company to acquire team issued equipment.

Earlier this season, the Purple Eagles hit the ice in the great outdoors. Brzeczkowski was able to schedule a game against local rival Canisius College’s junior varsity team at the Time Warner Classic Rink in East Aurora — the same rink used for the inaugural NHL Winter Classic at Ralph Wilson Stadium.

Although NU’s club team may not get the same perks as the Division I team does, Brzeczkowski said his program is making the proper strides in attracting better recruits.

“We’ve taken our program the next couple of steps to keep up with the big teams in the country, and that’s allowed us to get better recruits, which we have coming in next year,” he said. “I expect us to be an even better team next year.”


From the Niagara-Gazette. The Niagara Falls City newspaper and main media outlet for Niagara University Sports coverage. www.niagara-gazette.com

Published: October 11, 2007 11:24 pm      

HOCKEY: NU's ACHA team getting national recognition

By Jonah Bronstein
Greater Niagara Newspapers

LEWISTON — In this locker room, the most foul four-letter word one can speak is “club.”

While the Niagara University American College Hockey Association team doesn’t expect the fanfare and funding its NCAA counterpart at Niagara receive, the squad does feel the program has risen above the other club sports and organizations under NU’s campus activities umbrella.

“When you say club, you think of guys getting together on a Friday night, putting on pinnies and skating around,” said Clay Miller, a former player who now coordinates the team’s recruiting efforts.

That’s what Dave DeMizio, a 2005 Niagara Falls High School graduate, said he expected prior to his first ACHA game at Niagara.

“I thought it was going to be like high school club, where you go out there and it’s no big deal,” said DeMizio, who played junior hockey for the Wheatfield Blades. “I thought I was going to go out there and skate around everybody.

“The first game, it was a big surprise. The level of competition is great”

According to coach Larry Brzeczkowski, a North Tonawanda native who took over the struggling program 10 years ago, the level of competition among the best ACHA Division I teams is close to that of an average NCAA Division III game.

The ACHA’s top team, Penn State University, defeated the NCAA Division I team from Robert Morris University two years ago. Niagara lost 3-2 at Penn State last season.

Heading into this weekend’s ACHA Showcase in Rochester, Niagara is 4-0 on the season and ranked 17th among the league’s 50 Division I teams.

“When I took over this program, we were playing games with eight, nine players,” Brzeczkowski said. “Now we’re carrying 35 guys. So the word has gotten out that we’ve got a decent program.”

“Some of those players are arguably good enough and capable of playing at the Division I scholarship level, but for circumstances weren’t given the opportunities,” said Michael Lichtberger, a Buffalo native who coaches the ACHA team at Lehigh University and was recently appointed ACHA national coaching chief.

The Niagara team practices twice weekly at Dwyer Arena, often after 10 p.m., lifts weights together regularly, and will travel to play 15 games this season. Players are required to wear coats and ties on road trips, maintain at least a 2.0 grade point average and participate in community service. Older players help with administrative tasks.

“It’s very demanding,” senior captain Brandon Wright said.

It’s also expensive. The team receives between $20,000 and $25,000 from the Niagara Student Government Association, according to Brzeczkowski. That’s slightly more than what Niagara’s athletics department will pay to televise tonight’s varsity men’s hockey season opener.

Most of the money the ACHA team receives from the student government is spent on securing ice time at Dwyer Arena. Though Brzeczkowski is the arena manager, his team does not skate on rink rates. Niagara’s men’s and women’s NCAA teams also pays full rate to use Dwyer, Brzeczkowski said.

With each road trip costing roughly $3,500 and the additional funds needed to run the team, players are required to pay $850 in annual dues and provide their own equipment, excluding uniforms.

Lichtberger, whose son Brian helped coach the Grand Niagara youth teams before graduating from NU in the spring, said its “typical” for ACHA players to pay dues. Still, some of Niagara’s rivals either receive more funding or don’t have to pay for ice time, and thus don’t ask players to subsidize the program.

“We expect to have between 400 and 500 teams and eight, nine or 10 more Division I teams in the ACHA in the next five years,” Lichtberger said. “As the ACHA grows, in terms of size and popularity, and as students demand more from institutions, we hope to receive more attention from schools for funding.”

Lichtberger said he doesn’t expect an increase in funding to come from athletics departments.

One could argue that Niagara’s ACHA team is a revenue stream for the university. This year’s team welcomes 10 freshman, all of whom intend on matriculating at NU and contributing more than $1 million combined in tuition, room and board over the next four years.

Incidentally, the university recently spent $1 million to upgrade Dwyer Arena.

Several of the new players said the chance to play ACHA hockey was the primary reason they applied to Niagara.

Joseph Finelli, a freshman from Hamilton, Ont., said he “never would’ve considered an American school” if he wasn’t recruited by Brzeczkowski and Clay. Brandon Butyniec, a senior and team co-president, said he would’ve attended Kent State University if Niagara didn’t have a competitive ACHA program.

“I knew about the (varsity) Niagara hockey team, but I never would’ve cared to learn more about the school before I learned about this team,” said Joey Chiomastro, one of two freshman from Long Island on the team.

Contact reporter Jonah Bronstein at 282-2311, ext. 2258.


From The Niagara University Eagle Magizine. The main Alumni publication which is sent to all Alumni, University staff, and donors to Niagara.

Not just another hockey club, NU Collegiate Hockey thrives.


When members of Niagara University’s collegiate hockey team step onto the ice, they do so because they have a passion for the game. Students that play on this team do not receive scholarships; they must pay their own way.
Despite flirting with bankruptcy five years ago, the team has persevered and become one of the more well-respected programs around collegiate hockey circles. “The quality of players we are getting now is tremendous,” said Clay Miller ‘04, a former player and current assistant coach.
The team set program marks in 2007-2008 for wins and came within percentage points of making the post-season.
“Going to nationals is the only thing that eluded me in my NU career,” said fifth-year senior Brandon Butyniec. “That is why I came back to play (this year.)”

Building blocks

The program, formerly known as NU club hockey, dates back to the 1970s, but has been affiliated with the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) since 1991. Niagara is in Division 1 of the association, the highest of its three divisions. NU collegiate hockey is also in the Eastern Collegiate Hockey League (ECHL), one of four conferences in ACHA’s Division 1.
When Miller first began playing with the team in 2000, it was more for a good time. Over the last few seasons, that mission has changed. “It is much more competitive now,” he said. “These guys are playing for the love of the sport.”
A few years ago, the team wouldn’t be able to get a player from areas like Long Island, N.Y., Canada, and Pennsylvania. They were lucky to have a player know where Niagara was.
“Nowadays, they aren’t making that same mistake,” said Miller.
There were some rocky times, though. Player dues did not go up, but the cost of running the team did. NU’s collegiate team could very well have been disbanded.

Getting stronger on, off ice

The tides began to turn when Butyniec’s class arrived on Monteagle Ridge. “Eight of us came in that year,” he recalled, “and we made an immediate impact.” Interest began to build thanks some significant steps, including the team beating Mercyhurst College, something they had not been able to do for some time.
Off the ice, Butyniec assisted with the financial side of the team. NU collegiate hockey is funded through money received from NU’s Student Government Association, fund raising, and player dues, which run over $1,000 a season.
Currently working towards his Master’s in Business Administration, Butyniec has seen many things on the ice. He has also had his eyes opened to unexpected problems that may arise off of it. “Until you really run something,” he said, “you never know how serious it is.”
The experience helping to run the financial aspects of the team has benefited Butyniec, who is the team’s president. “It’s one thing to learn about it in class,” he said. “It’s another to be able to apply it, especially on the financial side.”
He credits his professors in the College of Business Administration in helping to teach him the practical aspects of finance.
Miller does much of the recruiting for team and will do some travel. The team’s Web site is a big advantage when helping to sell students on the school. “There are really good players out there who won’t get a chance to play Division 1 hockey,” Miller said. “Our team allows them four more years to play.”
On the ice, hockey teams are gauged by the success they have in the post-season. This season’s squad finished 24-8 overall. Coached by Larry Brzeczkowski, whose day job is as facilities coordinator for Dwyer Arena, the 24 wins are the most in the team’s history. Brzeczkowski was even selected as a finalist for ACHA’s Division 1 coach of the year.
The national tournament is still something that has eluded the team. However,
Miller still sees many reasons to believe they are successful; especially, when other coaches around the country recognize the program.
“Anytime we can crack the top 25,” Miller notes, “It’s an accomplishment.” NU was ranked as high as 14th this season and finished at 17th.
In the past, the team has received players that have dropped down from Niagara’s Division 1 team. That did not happen this season.
“It says a lot about how far our program has come,” says Butyniec. “It was probably the first time we had four forward lines and six defensemen where everything fell into place.”

NU pride

Miller beams with pride when talking about the collegiate team and his alma mater. As the chief recruiter for the program, he takes great joy in talking to students and their parents about Niagara.
“It’s easy to sell something that you believe in,” he said. “I think people can see through you if you don’t.” Miller does not get paid for his efforts.
Once at Niagara, they are dedicated at the rink and in the classroom. Senior captain Brandon Wright had the second-highest GPA in the entire league, a 3.99. Eight players from NU were on the all-academic team.
Butyniec will graduate with his MBA in December; the 2007-2008 season was his last as a player. Like Miller, the Carlisle, Ont. native plans on being involved with the team in some capacity next year. By the end of the current academic year, Miller and two other assistant coaches,Thanks to the passion of its alumni and current players, NU Collegiate Hockey has a bright future.

For more information on the NU Collegiate hockey team, go to: http://www.nuachahockey.com/index.php