When the 2024-25 NCAA hockey season ends, it will mark the 75th consecutive campaign of a Riley behind the bench for the men’s hockey team at Army West Point. It will also mark the final such season.

Brian Riley, entering his 21st season as the head coach of Army West Point, announced that this will be his last at the helm of the historic program. Brian’s father Jack took over the program in 1951 and led the team until 1986 when Brian’s brother Rob took over until 2004. Then it was Brian Riley’s turn, and he has stayed with the program since. According to Army West Point, the Riley men combined for 1,041 wins in a run that is without parallel.

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Beginning in 2025-26, Army West Point alumnus and current associate head coach Zach McKelvie will take over the program. 

“I would like to thank our Athletic Director, Mike Buddie and our Deputy Athletic Director Dan McCarthy for their guidance during this process,” Riley said in a statement. “The opportunity to grow up at West Point, raise our children here, and be a coach here at West Point has been both rewarding and humbling. West Point has provided not only me but the Riley family with so many great memories and we are all so grateful. Growing up at West Point, I always wondered why my dad stayed here as long as he did but having sat where he sat, I now know why he stayed. The chance to be around all the amazing people, Cadets and others makes this the best coaching opportunity in all of sports. Saying all of this, the staff is excited about preparing our cadet-athletes for the upcoming season.”

Head coach Brian Riley has announced that the 2024-25 season will be his last at the helm of @ArmyWP_Hockey.

Atlantic Hockey America thanks Coach Riley for his decades of service, and the countless lives he has impacted along the way.

Coach Riley has put together a long… pic.twitter.com/7bR5m9h23W

— Atlantic Hockey America (@Atlantic_Hockey) August 21, 2024

Brian Riley has 242 career wins going into his final campaign, which puts him fifth among Atlantic Hockey America’s coaches in all-time wins. He is 20th among active coaches in NCAA men’s Division I hockey as well. Riley also was named Atlantic Hockey Coach of the Year four times, a record in that conference.

"It is with mixed emotions that I celebrate what Brian Riley, and the entire Riley family, has meant to Army hockey for decades,” said Mike Buddie, West Point’s Director of Athletics. “I am thrilled for Brian to embark on his next chapter but I also know that his presence in our department will be missed on many levels. It is extremely heartening to have someone of Zach McKelvie's experience, expertise and character waiting in the wings to continue to build on what the Riley's have devoted their careers to establishing.”

The Historic Riley Family Legacy

The Army hockey program is one of the oldest in the NCAA with a history dating back to 1904 and will be entering its 122nd season in 2024-25.

The patriarch of the Riley coaching legacy, Jack, is a member of both the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame and IIHF Hall of Fame. He was the head coach of the 1960 U.S. Olympic men's hockey team, which won the gold medal on home ice in Squaw Valley, California. Jack compiled 542 wins at Army and was second in NCAA history when he retired in 1986. His win total now ranks 19th in NCAA men's hockey history.

To put the 75 years of Riley men coaching at West Point into further context, the University of Denver, which has a record 10 NCAA national championships will be celebrating its 75th anniversary this season. 

Under Brian Riley’s leadership, Army took its first and only conference title, winning Atlantic Hockey’s regular-season championship in 2007-08. Riley also had a number of players achieve individual success including current ECHL star Colin Bilek, who was the program’s first ever two-time All-American.

While there may not be a Riley at the helm at West Point next season, there could still be a Riley on the bench as Brian’s son Jack is entering his second season as an assistant coach with the team. 

McKelvie Opens New Chapter

Among one of Brian Riley’s most prized pupils was McKelvie, who graduated from West Point in 2009. During his playing career, he appeared in 132 games for the Black Knights, recording 56 points as a defenseman. He was Atlantic Hockey Defenseman of the Year in 2008 and was named to the conference's All-Decade Team. 

Following his two years of active military service after graduating from West POint, McKelvie returned to his hockey career, playing in the ECHL and spent 104 games in the AHL for the Providence Bruins and Abbotsford Heat.

Zach McKelvie '09 will take the reins as our next head coach beginning the 2025-26 season.

McKelvie is now entering his 11th season on staff after an Atlantic Hockey Hall of Fame career on the ice at West Point.#GoArmy pic.twitter.com/T7IZL4UoCI

— Army Hockey (@ArmyWP_Hockey) August 21, 2024

Now he’ll take over the program from one of USA Hockey’s most iconic coaching families.

"I am honored to be named the next head coach of this historic program,” said McKelvie in a statement. “As a former player and a grad, West Point holds a special place in my heart. I want to thank LTG Gilland, Mike Buddie, and Dan McCarthy for their support and trust in me. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Coach Riley and his family for their unwavering commitment to this school and the Army Hockey program. His belief in me has been a cornerstone of my journey, and for that, I will be forever grateful. I am excited to embark on this next chapter and am confident we have a program capable of winning at the highest level and continuing to produce leaders of character ready to serve our Nation. GO ARMY!"

McKelvie's tenure will begin at the conclusion of the 2024-25 season. He has been part of Army's coaching staff since 2014 after retiring as a player.

The Black Knights will open Riley's final season on the road at Union College on Oct. 6. They will then open Atlantic Hockey America action at Holy Cross on Oct. 19, a game you can see, along with all Atlantic Hockey America games, right here on FloHockey.

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