Men's Hockey Associate Head Coach Brian Hills announces retirement

ROCHESTER, N.Y. – RIT Men's Hockey Associate Head Coach Brian Hills announced his retirement, Thursday.
 
Hills joined Head Coach Wayne Wilson's staff in 2005 prior to RIT's inaugural NCAA Division I season and was a driving force behind the program's success the last 20 years.
 
A rabid recruiter, Hills helped build a program that won 10 Atlantic Hockey America (AHA) Championships, including four tournament titles and six regular-season crowns. He was also a part of four NCAA Tournament appearances, including a run to the 2010 Frozen Four in only the team's fifth season at the Division-I level.
 
Hills was named the 2011 Terry Flanagan Award winner by the American Hockey Coaches of America (AHCA), which annually honors an outstanding assistant coach's body of work.
 
"For two decades, Coach Hills has been one of the cornerstones of our men's ice hockey program," said Executive Athletic Director Jacqueline Nicholson. "His unwavering dedication, deep knowledge of the game, and mentorship have left a lasting impact on generations of student-athletes. He has played an integral role in building our culture and our success. We are incredibly grateful for his 20 years of service to RIT and wish him all the best in retirement."
 
Hills helped mentor five All-Americans during his tenure, while Simon Lambert (2007-08) and Matt Garbowsky (2014-15) were both named finalists for the Hobey Baker Award, honoring the nation's top player. Thirty-six players totaled 55 Atlantic Hockey All-Conference honors along with 19 major Atlantic Hockey awards, including three Players of the Year. Eleven players were also named AHA All-Rookie Team members, including Chris Tanev in 2010, who went on to become the first player in program history to play in the NHL, appearing in over 850 career games since.
 
Hills was part of a staff that led RIT to more conference (273) and overall (349) wins than any other current AHA team, including the seven that were original members of the conference when it was founded in 2003-04 – three years before RIT joined the league.
 
"I was very fortunate to work alongside Brian for many years," said Wilson, who recently announced his retirement after 26 seasons as head coach of the Tigers. "Starting from the first day he set foot on campus, he worked extremely hard on the recruiting trail, finding outstanding student-athletes that not only fit our program academically but also compete at a level and bring success on the ice. He was also able to develop them so they could reach their goals of playing professionally. Brian will be missed both as an outstanding coach and person by the RIT Hockey program."
 
Before RIT, Hills was the head coach at SUNY Geneseo for four seasons. In 2004, he led the Knights a State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) Championship and a run to the NCAA Division III Tournament Quarterfinals, finishing with an 18-7-4 record and a No. 7 ranking in the final national poll. Hills amassed a record of 53-42-14 while reviving the program, including a 32-14-9 mark over his final two campaigns.
 
A 1983 Bowling Green graduate, Hills was a two-time All-American and two-time Hobey Baker Award finalist for the Falcons. He was named the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) Player of the Year as a senior after leading the conference in scoring for the second time and breaking the program's all-time scoring record. Hills remains second on the list with 270 points on 116 goals and 154 assists in 156 games and still holds the single-season program record with 94 points (37 goals, 57 assists) during his senior year. 
 
Hills was also voted a CoSIDA/GTE Second-Team Academic All-American as a senior and was a two-time CCHA All-Academic team member before graduating with a degree in business administration. He went on to an 11-year professional career, playing eight years in Switzerland and three in Germany, while also winning three gold medals with Team Canada in Europe's Spengler Cup.
 
Following his playing career, Hills spent seven years (1994-01) as an assistant coach at his alma mater under Head Coach Buddy Powers, including five with Wilson on the staff as well. Hills' resume also included assisting with Team Canada's national team selection committee in 1997 and 1998.
 
BRIAN HILLS
I want to thank a number of Coaches and General Managers who had a significant influence on my coaching career. As a player, I learned from people like Mike Sadler, Dave Prpich, Owen Freeman, Jerry York, Bill Wilkinson, Buddy Powers, Terry Flanagan, Alex Andjelic and Herbert Appel.
 
Thanks to Buddy Powers for my first college coaching job and mentorship and to Marilyn Moore who hired me as Head Coach at Geneseo. In 2005, Wayne Wilson asked me to help him move RIT from Division III to Division I. We built something special and I truly thank him for that opportunity.
 
Thanks to all the assistants I had the pleasure of working with, especially Dave Insalaco and Chris Schultz. And naturally, a big shout out to all of the players at Bowling Green, Geneseo and RIT who made it so much fun to coach for the past 31 years.
 
Most importantly, I want to thank my family. Thanks to my wonderful parents, Joyce and Stan, for getting me started in hockey. Special thanks to my wife, Andrea, who two days after getting married was willing to move to Switzerland to begin our journey. She sacrificed so much as a hockey wife/mom. Thanks to our kids, Ali and Trevor, for their understanding of dad's profession and going along for the ride. I am extremely grateful to all of you for my career in coaching.