The American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) has officially named former Niagara University ACHA Head Coach Larry Brzeczkowski to its 2026 Hall of Fame class.
Inducted in the “Builders” category, Brzeczkowski is being recognized for a 24-year career defined by the transformation of the Purple Eagles into a national club hockey mainstay – and establishing a model for non-varsity sports at the collegiate level.
Brzeczkowski took the helm at Niagara in 1996, inheriting a program with only 13 players and limited resources. Over the next two decades, he systematically built the program into a premier destination for elite student-athletes. By his retirement in 2020, Brzeczkowski had secured 387 career victories – the second-highest win total in ACHA history at the time – and established a culture of excellence that persists at NU today.
“Larry’s induction is a milestone moment for Niagara University ACHA hockey,” said Tom Mooradian, NU’s current men’s ACHA hockey coach who played under Brzeczkowski. “He didn’t just manage a team; he architected a program from the ground up, providing a platform for hundreds of young men to compete at a very high level while earning their degrees. This honor reflects decades of service to the sport and our university.”
Under Brzeczkowski’s leadership, the Purple Eagles reached the ACHA Men’s Division I National Championship Tournament five times and captured six Northeast Collegiate Hockey League (NECHL) conference titles. A four-time NECHL Coach of the Year, Brzeczkowski was as well-known for his community impact as his win-loss record, specifically through the team’s long-term partnership with Suneel’s Light, a foundation dedicated to Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy research. Brzeczkowski will be formally enshrined alongside Adrian College’s Austyn Roudebush at the ACHA Annual Meeting this May 14-16 in Nashville, Tennessee.
