Former Army Hockey Head Coach To Be Honor By AHCA

Former Army Hockey Head Coach To Be Honored By AHCA

Rob Riley To Receive John MacInnes Award at annual coaches convention in April

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GLOUCESTER, Mass. – Former Army hockey head coach Rob Riley will receive the John MacInnes Award from the American Hockey Coaches Association at the 2006 AHCA annual coaches convention in April in Naples, Fla., it was announced Thursday.

The John MacInnes Award, established in 1982 to honor former Michigan Tech head coach John MacInnes, recognizes those people who have shown a great concern for amateur hockey and youth programs. Recipients possess high winning percentages as well as equally high graduation rates among former players.

“I am both very surprised and honored to receive such an award,” Riley said. “When you look back on the previous winners and study the history of the award, it humbles me to be mentioned in that same group. It includes all the greats of college hockey.”

Assuming the reins of the West Point hockey program from his father in the summer of 1986, Riley coached Army until his retirement in 2004 when he passed on the torch to his younger brother and associate head coach at the time, Brian Riley. Rob racked up 306 career wins, including 257 over his 18 years at the Academy where he retired as the second alltime winningest head coach in Black Knights history.

Riley is the third member in his family to receive the John MacInnes Award and second Army head coach to be so honored. His father, Jack, won the award in its second year (1984) and cousin Bill Riley was a MacInnes Award recipient in 2000.

Having grown up at the U.S. Military Academy, Riley understood all that was encompassed in the “West Point experience”. His teams traditionally ranked among the Academy’s top squads in grade-point average. In addition, Riley’s players also ranked among the top cadets in military and physical training. The long-time mentor of Army’s hockey fortunes also directed numerous summer camps at West Point during his 18-year coaching career. Riley helped more than 9,000 youth hockey players develop their skills and improve their game.

A financial advisor for Smith-Barney in Boston, Mass., Riley is part of a family that has produced four successful Division I head coaches. Together, the Riley clan has racked up 1,232 career wins.

Below is a list of the 2006 AHCA major award winners, who will be honored at the coaches convention in April.

JOHN MACINNES AWARD Rob Riley (Babson, Army)

TERRY FLANAGAN AWARD Billy Powers (Michigan)

JOHN MARIUCCI AWARD Vic Levine (Madison Memorial H.S. [Wis.])

JIM FULLERTON AWARD Frank “Mac” McIntosh (Vermont)

JOHN “SNOOKS” KELLEY AWARD Carl Marottolo (Yale Youth Hockey)

JOE BURKE AWARD Charlie Stryker (Minnesota Girls and Women’s Hockey)