Scout Bio
Chris MacKenzie enters his nineth season in charge of the UConn women's ice hockey program in 2021-22. 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 2019-2020 season was one of the most successful seasons in program history. 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.
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.
MacKenzie helped the Huskies to their first winning record since 2009-10 and a second-straight WHEA postseason appearance in the 2015-16 season. UConn finished fourth in the league after the regular season and earned hosting rights for the WHEA quarterfinals. The Huskies capped off their 2015-16 season in the Hockey East semifinals where they fell for the second consecutive year to conference front-runner Boston College.
The team boasted an All-American in the 2015-16 season when Elaine Chuli earned All-America Second Team honors. An impressive 11 players were named to the Hockey East All-Academic Team for the second-consecutive season.
A 2015 Hockey East Coach of the Year finalist, MacKenzie guided UConn to its most successful season on the ice in five years during his second season as the Huskies advanced to the 2015 Hockey East Tournament Semifinals for the first time since 2010. Overall, the Huskies posted an 11-18-8 record in '14-15, shaving six losses from the year prior. UConn won a WHEA Championship quarterfinal series at Maine, sweeping two from the Black Bears to advance to the semifinals.
During MacKenzie's inaugural season in Storrs in 2013-14, the Huskies posted a six-win improvement from the prior year, the third-best mark in the NCAA. The team also excelled in the classroom during his first season, with UConn placing 12 student-athletes on the Women's Hockey East All-Academic Team.
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.