BUFFALO, NY – Buffalo State head men's hockey coach Steve Murphy and his staff were named the SUNYAC Co-Coaching Staff of the Year. Murphy and his staff share the honor with Joe Cardarelli and his staff at Cortland. This is the second time in program history Buffalo State has earned Coaching Staff of the Year honors as Murphy's predecessor Nick Carriere earned the honor following the 2005-06 season.
 
Murphy guided his squad from missing the postseason a year ago to one of the top teams in the SUNYAC in 2024-25. The Bengals finished the year with 16 wins, the third most in a season under Murphy's tenure, and a trip to the SUNYAC Semifinals for the fifth time under Murphy's decade long reign. Earlier this season, Murphy became the winningest coach in program history and saw a Second Team All-SUNYAC selection and two All-SUNYAC Rookie Team picks.
 
Buffalo State finished the season with a record of 16-11-0 (9-5-0 SUNYAC) and started conference play with a 5-0-0 record. The Buffalo State success to open conference play saw an overtime win at Oswego State as well as a victory at #13 Cortland. The Bengals won four of their final six games of the regular season to earn the three-seed into the SUNYAC Tournament where they hosted Canton in the SUNYAC Tournament First Round. After a thrilling 6-4 victory over the Roos, the Bengals reached the SUNAYC Semifinals for the second time in three seasons.
 
Murphy's staff includes Marcus Gloss and Dan Yustin.