Niagara Gazette
July 24, 2006
By Pat Murray
Greater Niagara Newspapers
LEWISTON — Greg Gardner, the winningest goalie in Niagara University men's hockey history, is happy to be back on Monteagle Ridge.
Gardner, who played pro hockey for six seasons after graduating from NU in 2000, returns as an assistant coach on Dave Burkholder's staff.
"When I got the phone call from Dave that there was a coaching opportunity at Niagara, I thought it was a great place to start my coaching career," Gardner said. "I just felt it was the right time to make the transition from playing to coaching."
Gardner spent the last two years playing Germany, where he was the goaltender of the year last season. But he claims to have no regrets in turning in his pads for a whistle.
"I know I could still play, but I have a family now with a little girl," he said. "Long term this is what I want to do."
Gardner replaces Albie O'Connell, who left NU to become the top assistant at Holy Cross.
"Albie wanted to get back to New England," Burkholder said. "He did a great job here and I'm sure he'll do a good job at Holy Cross."
Gardner's responsibilities will include recruiting, video analysis, scouting and working with Niagara's goalies.
"He was not hired strictly to be a goalie coach," said Burkholder, a former college goalie. "But being the head coach, I thought that it would not be an issue to handle the goalies and be a head coach, but when practice rolls around I'm worried about running a Division I practice and the goaltenders didn't get the personal care they needed."
Burkholder and Gardner are familiar with each other. Burkholder was an assistant coach under Blaise MacDonald when he recruited Gardner to be a part of Niagara's first hockey team in the 1996-97 season. Four seasons later, Gardner led NU to an upset of New Hampshire in the first round of the NCAA Tournament before the Purple Eagles lost to eventual champion North Dakota.
"The 2000 season was one of my greatest memories as a player," Gardner said. "We accomplished a lot here. We had a good group of guys here, people who bought in and wanted to win for the program — and a coaching staff that pushed us hard.
"We had more guys pushing than pulling. That's the kind of message I'm going to stress as a coach."
Gardner admits that like almost every assistant coach he has aspirations to some day be a head coach, but that's some time in the future.
"For now, I plan on staying here, learn as much as I can about coaching, see my recruits graduate and then go from there."
Burkholder has no doubt that Gardner will be a strong recruiter.
"Who better to walk parents and recruits around campus? Greg was a 3.5 student. He's living proof that if you have a dream of playing, it can happen here," Burkholder said. Niagara has always been dear to his heart."
Gardner will get his first taste of game coaching action when the Purple Eagles travel to Clarkson on Oct. 6.
