Riley has coached an AHA Player of the Year, an AHA Goalie of the Year, multiple AHA Rookie of the Years and two AHA Best Defenseman. Nine of his players have been First Team Atlantic Hockey All-Conference, while 12 were named to the second team and two to the third. Riley has also mentored 13 to the All-Rookie Team and five who received the Atlantic Hockey Sportsmanship Award. He’s had five players chosen to participate in the NCAA Frozen Four Skills Competition and 12 named to the AHA Academic All-Star Team. 

In addition to the on-ice success of his players, Riley had the pleasure of coaching 2008 and 2013 Men’s Hockey Senior CLASS Award winners Bryce Hollweg and Cheyne Rocha. Rocha earned first team Academic All-America honors two years in a row. Several other highlights include coaching eight Atlantic Hockey Scholar-Athlete of the Year honorees and 104 on the AHA All-Academic squad.

Riley was named the league coach of the year for the first time in 2005-06 when the team finished fifth in conference play after overcoming an 0-7-1 start.

In his first campaign behind the Black Knights’ bench, Riley earned his first-career win when Army stunned Colgate, 3-2, in Hamilton, N.Y. Riley reached 100 wins at Tate Rink on November 30, 2018 with a 5-4 win over Canisius. 

Riley led his team to 11 wins during that initial season, setting the Academy record for most victories by a rookie head coach. He broke the record established by his brother, Rob, in 1986-87. In addition, the younger Riley also piloted the Black Knights to their first postseason win in more than a quarter century when Army defeated American International College, 5-3, in the first round of the Atlantic Hockey tournament.

Riley’s father, Jack, started it all in 1951 when legendary football coach and athletic director at West Point, Earl “Red” Blaik hired him to head the hockey program. What began as a one-year contract turned into a 36-year Hall of Fame career that culminated in 542 victories.

Riley’s brother, Rob, took the reins from his father in the fall of 1986 and racked up 306 victories of his own over 18 winters.

When Rob officially stepped down in the summer of 2004, he passed the torch (and family tradition) on to his younger brother.

Brian played an integral role in recruiting many of the athletes that helped Army put together back-to-back 20-win seasons and tutored Corey and Ian Winer, former Colorado Avalanche forward Dan Hinote.

Riley recruited Zach McKelvie, a defenseman who was signed by the Boston Bruins organization after his senior season in 2009. He then served two years of active duty as an Infantry Officer before officially starting his professional career in the Calgary Flames organization in 2011. McKelvie now resides as the Associate Head Hockey Coach for the Black Knights and is still one of the most talented defensemen to play Army hockey. More recently, Riley mentored Dominic Franco who received an offer a one-year contract within the Buffalo Sabres organization through American Hockey League affiliate, the Rochester Americans in 2020. 

A 1983 graduate of Brown, Riley began his coaching career in 1984 with a three-year stint as an assistant coach at SUNY Plattsburgh. During that period, the Cardinals advanced to the NCAA Division III Tournament three times, reaching the championship game twice.

In 1988, Riley moved to the Division I ranks at the University of Massachusetts-Lowell. There, he teamed with his cousin, Bill Riley, for one season, directing the River Hawks to the NCAA Tournament, giving him his fourth straight postseason appearance.

The following winter, Riley joined his brother’s staff at West Point for the first time where he spent the next seven seasons. In 1996, the West Point native left the comfort and familiarity of the Academy, where he grew up, for the great Midwest and a head coaching position at Shattuck St. Mary’s Prep School in Faribault, Minn.

There, Riley carved out a stellar two-year coaching career in which his teams compiled an impressive 94-19-10 record. In his first season, Riley directed the squad to a 40-9-7 record before improving to 54-10-3 in 1997-98.

In 1999, Riley returned to West Point, where he served at his brother’s side until assuming the head coaching position in 2004.

During his collegiate playing days, Riley co-captained Brown’s hockey squad his senior season, earning honorable mention All-Ivy League. He was presented the Class of ’36 Trophy for his outstanding contributions over his four-year career and the Patrick Jones Trophy for most team spirit.

Prior to starring at Brown, Riley attended New Hampton Prep and led the hockey team to a No. 1 national ranking among prep schools. He was chosen as the school’s most outstanding athlete while captaining both the soccer and hockey teams.

Riley completed course work on his master’s, earning a graduate degree in Education from Boston University, in May 2003.

Riley is married to the former Marybeth Feldman of Highland Falls, N.Y. The couple has three children: Jack, Danielle and Brendan.

AIC earned return trips to the NCAA tournament in 2021 and 2022, and were ranked #20 in the country and headed for another NCAA berth prior to the cancelation of the 2020 tournament.

Before taking the top job at American International, Lang spent five seasons as an assistant under Brian Riley at Army, where he led the recruiting efforts, video analysis, and power play development. Lang was also a graduate assistant at AIC and the head coach of the Manhattanville women's hockey program prior to joining the Army bench.

Lang was a four-year letterwinner at AIC and graduated with a degree in Psychology in 1998. He later earned his masters in Organizational Development from AIC. A two-time captain, he was honored with the ECAC Merit Medal and the school's Henry Butova Leadership Award. He scored 25 goals and recorded 34 assists during his time in a Yellow Jacket uniform.

Lang has also worked for the National Hockey League as an off-ice official and was the head hockey coach for Byram Hills High School in Armonk, NY for four seasons before joining the collegiate ranks.