ABOUT US

Ben Syer has completed nine seasons with the Cornell men's hockey team, including eight seasons as the associate head coach. Among his responsibilities, Syer serves as the Big Red's recruiting director and manages the team's vaunted defensive unit. Those efforts have been particularly noteworthy over the last three seasons, which have featured incredible defensive numbers. Cornell led the nation in team defense during the 2017-18 season with a paltry 1.58 goals-against average. The Big Red then improved that number to 1.55 goals against per game during the truncated 2019-20 season, ranking second in the country.

Syer was named the winner of the American Hockey Coaches Association's 2018 Terry Flanagan Award. One of the AHCA's major annual awards, the Terry Flanagan Award is presented to the assistant coach whose career body of work best honors that of the award's name sake.

"He can hold court with a group of assistant coaches on the road with the best of them," said Mike Schafer, the Jay R. Bloom '77 Head Coach of Men's Hockey at Cornell, adding that this is the first time he's nominated anyone for a major AHCA award in his 23-year tenure at the helm of the Big Red. "He knows the elder statesmen, but he also knows the young guys like Terry did. He would make sure to say hello to everyone in the rink and lend a helping hand to young assistants. I admired Terry for this. He and his family are of the highest character, upfront and honest."

Syer helped Cornell post the nation's highest winning percentage (.788) in 2017-18 and 2019-20 (.862). The Big Red has now won three consecutive Cleary Cups, awarded annually to the team that wins the circuit's regular-season championship. Cornell was a stellar 23-2-4 in the 2019-20 regular season before the remainder of the campaign was canceled nationwide due to COVID-19 concerns.

Syer joined Cornell in June 2011 as an assistant coach, then was promoted to associate head coach the following summer. He previously served as associate head coach during his 12 seasons at Quinnipiac under head coach Rand Pecknold. During that run, the Bobcats posted a 242-168-46 record with one NCAA tournament appearance (2002) and nine 20-win seasons. Quinnipiac won the 2005 Atlantic Hockey regular season title and the 1999 MAAC regular season and 2002 MAAC tournament championship crowns during his tenure.

Quinnipiac reached the MAAC tournament semifinals in each of the first four years of Syer’s tenure, including three straight MAAC finals appearances. Included in that span were the 2002 MAAC tournament title and the first NCAA appearance in program history. The Bobcats also won the MAAC regular-season title in Syer’s first year at Quinnipiac.

A native of Kitchener, Ontario, Syer arrived at Quinnipiac after serving one season as an assistant coach at Ohio University. At Ohio, Syer assisted with practice and game preparation as well as recruiting.

A 1998 graduate of Western Ontario, Syer earned a bachelor’s degree in urban development. He also has prior coaching experience with the North Middlesex Stars, a junior development team based in Parkhill, Ontario. He earned his master's degree in physical education with a concentration in athletic administration in 2000.

Sean Flanagan has completed four seasons as an assistant coach for the men’s hockey team, helping the guide the Big Red to a gaudy 90-31-15 record over that span.

Flanagan helped Cornell post the nation's highest winning percentage (.788) in 2017-18 and 2019-20 (.862). The Big Red has now won three consecutive Cleary Cups, awarded annually to the team that wins the circuit's regular-season championship. Cornell was a stellar 23-2-4 in the 2019-20 regular season before the remainder of the campaign was canceled nationwide due to COVID-19 concerns.

Flanagan joined the Big Red after a couple stops following a four-year playing career at St. Lawrence. His most recent experience was at UMass-Lowell, where he served as the River Hawks’ director of hockey operations for the 2015-16 season. Prior to that, Flanagan was the assistant coach at Hobart from 2012-15. Working under former Cornell assistant coach Mark Taylor with the Statesmen, Flanagan helped build a team that won the ECAC West title in 2015 and 2016 to reach the NCAA tournament. Hobart was the No. 1 seed in the NCAA’s East Region last year.

No stranger to ECAC Hockey, Flanagan played 121 career games with St. Lawrence up to the 2010-11 season. He racked up 12 goals and 40 assists for 52 points, helping the Saints advance to the league’s championship weekend twice over his four years. He served as an assistant captain during his senior season, then went on to play professionally with the Las Vegas Wranglers and Quad City Mallards in the ECHL.

Flanagan graduated from St. Lawrence with a bachelor of arts degree in history with a minor in sports studies and exercise sciences in 2010. He also earned a master of education degree from St. Lawrence in 2011.