Nichols has announced that Alex Gacek has been appointed the head men’s hockey coach for the Bison.
Gacek, a former player at Miami, comes to Nichols fresh off a two-season stint as the associate head coach of fellow CCC school Wentworth. During his time with the Leopards, Gacek helped lead the squad to its first CCC championship berth in team history in 2019-20.
“Alex Gacek brings a new direction to our men’s hockey program, and we are incredibly excited to have him join our staff,” said Nichols VP and director of athletics Jack Hayes in a statement. “He has a wealth of experience at both the professional and collegiate levels and will be able to recruit and develop a successful brand of ice hockey to Nichols College.”
“I am very excited to be part of the Herd,” added Gacek. “I can’t thank president Glenn M. Sulmasy and director of athletics Jack Hayes enough for the opportunity to lead the Bison. The tight family culture was something that stood out to me right away, and I can’t wait to start developing relationships throughout the Nichols community. I am eager to hit the ice and continue the tradition of Nichols hockey.”
Prior to his time in Boston, Gacek served as an assistant coach with the Saint Anselm men’s hockey team for the 2018-19 season, helping the Hawks to a Northeast-10 regular-season championship as well as a spot in the conference tournament final game.
Gacek co-founded the North Shore Chill Hockey program out of Hampton, N.H. in 2013, and has served as the head of operations and head coach ever since.
Gacek’s resumé as a player spans to the professional level, where he suited up for the ECHL’s Atlanta Gladiators from 2016 to 2018, playing in 44 games and notching 12 goals and 16 assists for 28 points. In 2017, Gacek was invited to the Boston Bruins rookie camp.
Prior to his time in the pros, Gacek was a four-year member of the Miami program from 2012 to 2016, partaking in 149 career games, contributing 16 goals and 30 assists for the RedHawks.
Gacek graduated from Miami in 2016 with a bachelor’s degree in sport leadership and management, minoring in entrepreneurship. He also completed a master of business administration at Southern New Hampshire in 2022.
