NIAGARA UNIVERSITY, NY – Saturday, July 11th, 2020 – Niagara University has officially promoted Tom Mooradian [‘12] to the position of Head Coach & General Manager of the school’s ACHA Division 1 Men’s Ice Hockey Program, effective immediately. For the past 7 years, he’s served as the team’s Associate Head Coach, assuming all primary operational responsibilities following the conclusion of the 2018-2019 season. A Niagara University alumnus, Tom spent 4 seasons on this very roster. He is a former captain, 3-time Academic All-American and is presently tied for 10th place on the team’s all-time games played list.

2019-2020 marked the unofficial beginning of Mooradian’s regime and would go down as the program’s most successful season over the previous 5. Prior to securing a slot in the 2019-2020 ACHA National Tournament, Niagara would boast an [.875] winning percentage in conference play [14-2] and grabbed their 4th Northeast Collegiate Hockey League Championship banner in just 7 years.  The Purple Eagles gained a fair amount of notoriety after starting the year 10-1 and concluded the 1st semester with a 16-4 record.

The new skipper had this to say about his latest title change:

“I’m not exactly sure if there’s a word to describe what’s going on in my mind, right now. I think long and hard about my relationship with (former Head Coach) Larry Brzeczkowski and how he's helped prepare me for the next chapter of my coaching career. As happy as I am to have accepted the new role, a season without him behind the bench almost feels unnatural. From a personal perspective, there's certainly a healthy mix of emotions stirring around in my brain. Our game is so much more than a few players trying to put a puck in a net. The relationships you build with your teammates, coaches, staff members, trainers etc ... It's what means the most after it's all said and done. As sad as I am to see him go - I'm happy knowing that for once, he made a decision that's right for him. 387 wins, 2nd most in ACHA history ... All I can say is, what a career. If anyone deserves a happy retirement, it's him."

On what Niagara Hockey means to him:

"This program, in so many ways, means so much to me. It fostered my development as a student-athlete, provided me with an escape following the sudden passing of my only sibling in 2014 and is really all I’ve known on the athletic front for the past 12 years. It’s gratifying to see that the school trusts me with such an immense responsibility and feels that I can help contribute to the future success of our team. Today isn’t so much about me, however … it’s about those 30 guys in that locker room. It’s our obligation to elevate the program to new heights and establish an expectation for success, year-in and year-out. The goal has always been to win a national tournament and become a top-5 program in the country. That is what I’ll be working towards during my tenure behind the bench.”

The combination of a solid core of established veterans and the heaviest recruiting class in program history helped strengthen their lineup card from top to bottom, last season. Heading into 2020-2021, 26 of their 30 players will have committed to Niagara in the last 23 months and hail from all over North America and Europe. Albeit major, recruiting was only one facet that Tom felt their program was lacking over the previous 2 years. Growing and refining how they scout, schedule and practice is what he feels will take Niagara Hockey to a whole new level.

“Growth is painful in sports, just as much as it is in business. I think a lot of that stems from having to operate outside the realm of comfortability. In order to build what you desire; you have to test the limits and that’s exactly what we intend on doing from an athletic perspective. Attracting high-caliber talent is something that becomes a little easier when you establish a fair amount of success and square off against opponents that are going to test you, every night. We commit to 15 league games on an annual basis and I think we’re about to witness a resurgence in NECHL competitiveness. Of the remaining 19 games on our schedule, 10 will come against NCAA / top 25 ACHA opponents. This should really set the tone for building a championship mentality all while mitigating our margin for error over the course of an entire season.”

A new era has officially begun on Monte Eagle Ridge. Director of Recreation, Derek Puff announced the hiring earlier this week and is very confident in his decision. He had this to say about placing the reigns in the hands of the team’s newest Head Coach:

“Tom brings many years of experience as an Associate Head Coach and player here at Niagara University. He has put in a great deal of work in terms of recruiting, coaching and budget development and we are excited to have him helping to guide our teams moving forward.”

Covid-19 ended the 2019-2020 season, abruptly. As of right now, they plan on hitting the ice in August. Congratulations to Tom and his family on this latest achievement.