Coaches

Coach MacKenzie – Camp Director

Chris MacKenzie enters his eleventh season in charge of the UConn women's ice hockey program in 2023-24. He was named the second head coach in Husky program history in May of 2013. A veteran of the collegiate coaching ranks, MacKenzie has experience in both the women's and men's sides of the sport.

The 2021-22 season was the most successful season in program history. The Huskies racked up 24 wins for most in program history and advanced to the Hockey East Championship for the third time in 5 years.

In the 2017-18 season, MacKenzie led UConn to the most improbable postseason run in program history, taking a team that sat in last place in Hockey East on Jan. 26 all the way to the league championship game on March 4 at Matthews Arena. The Huskies upset No. 3 Boston College in the WHEA semifinals on March 3, finishing the season at 16-14-9 with a 2-1 loss to Northeastern in the title game.

Senior goalie Annie Belanger was named WHEA Goaltender of the Year under MacKenzie, while Leah Lum won the Sportsmanship Award, Briana Colangelo the Best Defense Forward honor and Natalie Snodgrass a place on the Pro Ambitions All-Rookie Team. UConn won six games against nationally-ranked opponents throughout the season.

The team boasted an All-American in the 2015-16 season when Elaine Chuli earned All-America Second Team honors.

For the 2012-13 season, MacKenzie served as an assistant women's coach at Ohio State. The Buckeyes posted a 19-15-3 and fourth place finish in the WCHA. The 19 wins marked the second-best win total in program history and the team reached as high as number six in the USCHO poll; the highest in program history.

Prior to joining the Ohio State staff, MacKenzie spent a two-year stint as the head coach for his alma mater at Niagara University, a year before the program was discontinued by the university. In two seasons, the Purple Eagles registered a 24-31-10 record, including two second place finishes in the CHA.

MacKenzie coached on the Division I men's side for his first eight seasons at UMass-Lowell. During those eight seasons, the Riverhawks experienced three 20-win seasons and were the Hockey East Tournament runner ups in 2009.

As a player and 2000 graduate at Niagara, MacKenzie served as a team captain for all four seasons upon the program's inception in 1996. As a senior, he helped the Purple Eagles to a CHA Regular Season and Tournament Championship as well as an appearance in the NCAA Quarterfinals. He set several records at Niagara, including most goals, assists and points in a career and season by a defenseman. MacKenzie received Player of the Year honor in 1998 and was a CHA All-Star 2000.

As a freshman, MacKenzie was honored by then-head coach Blaise MacDonald as the program's first captain. He currently holds several records at Niagara, including most goals, assists and points in a career and season by a defenseman. MacKenzie received Player of the Year honor in 1998 and was a CHA All-Star 2000.

MacKenzie earned his bachelor's of arts in Commerce from Niagara in 2000, graduating Cum Laude, and earned a master's of arts in psychology from UMass-Lowell in 2003.

MacKenzie and his wife Allison reside in Storrs, CT and have a daughter Morgan (12), and son, Ren(9).

Coach Handrahan – Co-Camp Director

A veteran of the hockey ranks with head coaching and professional playing experience, Casey Handrahan enters his nineth season as an assistant coach at UConn in 2021-22.

Handrahan helped lead the Huskies to one of their most successful seasons in program history in 2019-20. The Huskies racked up 19 wins, tying for third-most in program history. UConn advanced all the way to the Hockey East Championship with a road series win at Boston College in the Hockey East Quarterfinals, followed by a win vs. New Hampshire in the Hockey East Semi's. UConn set a program record in 2019-20 with 12 road wins.

The Huskies also tied a program-record with 13 wins in Hockey East play, matching the 2007-08 team's win total.

The Huskies reached the Hockey East championship game for the third time in program history during the 2017-18 campaign, including an upset win over No. 3 Boston College in the semifinals. Handrahan helped UConn in its late-season run, going 9-3-1 in its last 13 games.

Handrahan helped the Huskies reach the WHEA Tournament semifinals for the first time in five years in 2014-15, as UConn won a WHEA playoff series at Maine before making the trip to Hyannis for the first time since 2010. Under his guidance, the UConn power play ranked in the top-half nationally and its penalty kill came in at second in Hockey East. He also helped to mentor goaltender Elaine Chuli to her second-straight WHEA Honorable Mention All Star nod.

During his first year in Storrs in 2013-14, the Huskies posted a six-win improvement from the previous season. In addition to primary responsibilities with the UConn defensemen, Handrahan spearheaded a special teams unit that ranked as high as No. 2 in the nation in penalty kill during the season.

Handrahan came to UConn to join Chris MacKenzie's first staff after spending the prior three seasons as the head coach and assistant athletic director at Neumann University.

Handrahan compiled a 35-36-7 overall record over three years at the helm of the Neumann Knights. In his inaugural season with the Knights the team achieved its highest overall season winning percentage in program history with a 16-7-4 overall record. Under his tutelage, two student-athletes were placed on All-ECAC teams. Handrahan's teams were not only successful on the ice but also in the classroom as 25 student-athletes were placed on all-academic teams over his three years.

Prior to Neumann, Handrahan spent five seasons as a professional hockey player. In 2006, he was an integral part of the Kalamazoo K-Wings defense that won the Turner and Colonial Cup Championships in the United Hockey League. In the 2007-08 season, he was named the Defenseman of the Year with the Bloomington Prairie Thunder of the International Hockey League. In that same season, he was called-up to the American Hockey League for a stint with the Peoria Rivermen. In 2009, Handrahan went back to Kalamazoo and played his final season as a player-assistant.

A native of Niagara Falls, Ontario, Handrahan played his collegiate years at Niagara University. In 2004, he made his impact as the team won the CHA Championship and advanced to the NCAA tournament. While a Purple Eagle, Handrahan was named to the CHA All-Academic Team twice and received his bachelor's degree in business marketing.

Handrahan and his wife, Kelly, have two daughters, Madison and Ryley, and a son, Michael.

Coach Wulf – Co-Camp Director

Elizabeth Wulf was hired as an assistant coach with the Huskies on July 6, 2021.

Wulf comes to the Huskies after spending three seasons as an assistant coach at Wesleyan University. She helped guide the team to the NESCAC Tournament in her first season, while also coaching the team's first All-American, goaltender Allegra Grant

Wulf graduated from Middlebury College in 2018 after playing four seasons with the women's hockey team. She helped lead her team to three-consecutive NESCAC titles in 2016, 2017, and 2018. Her team also qualified for the NCAA Quarterfinals all four years, including a trip to the Final Four in 2016.

A forward, Wulf played in every game during her four years at Middlebury, scoring 27 goals and accumulating 37 assists for a total of 64 points in 114 games.

Wulf was a three-time member of the NESCAC All-Academic team and was named an ACHA All-American Scholar her junior and senior years

Prior to Middlebury, the Larchmont, N.Y. native went to The Hotchkiss School, where she played ice hockey, soccer, and lacrosse and was captain of the ice hockey and soccer teams her senior year. She also played club hockey for the Mid-Fairfield CT Stars.