University of Connecticut Athletics
Chris MacKenzie Inducted into Niagara Falls Sports Wall of Fame
1/28/2019 12:18:00 PM | Women's Ice Hockey
STORRS, Conn. – UConn women's hockey coach Chris MacKenzie was inducted into the Niagara Falls Sports Wall of Fame builder's category on Sunday afternoon at the Gale Centre in Niagara Falls, Ontario. This honor marks the second time the sixth-year head coach has been inducted into the W.O.F – In 2011, MacKenzie was enshrined as a member of the 1995-96 Sutherland Cup Champion Niagara Falls Canucks.
"I am proud to be from Niagara Falls and I am humbled and honoured to be recognized," said MacKenzie. "When you look at some of the people who are on that wall of fame, to be a part of that is something I am excited about."
The three-time finalist for the coach of the year award for NCAA Division 1 women's hockey began his coaching career in 2001 as an assistant at UMass Lowell and after eight seasons of hard work, MacKenzie was named head coach of the Niagara women's hockey team. Following a three-year stint with the Purple Eagles, he became an assistant coach at Ohio State in 2012 before moving on to take over the reins of the UConn women's hockey program in prior to the 2013-14 season.
In six seasons, MacKenzie has changed the culture of the program and continues to lead them in the right direction. Under his leadership, the 2015-16 UConn women's hockey team finished the year 18-15-5, marking the program's first winning season since 2010.
Currently, UConn sits a game over .500 and are in sixth place in the Hockey East conference. Last season, MacKenzie took the seventh-placed Huskies all the way to the Hockey East Championship and came within a goal of making it to the NCAA Tournament, falling 2-1 to Northeastern.
"Our next goal is to win our league and get into the NCAA championship," said Mackenzie. "We knocked off a few top 10 teams – Providence and Boston College – and got to the final. That was a real highlight."
