Ben Syer is entering his 13th season with the Cornell men's hockey program, and this season marks Syer's 12th with the associate head coach title.
Among Syer's responsibilities, he 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 six seasons it has completed, as the Big Red has been ranked within the top 10 nationally in scoring defense. 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. During the timeframe, Cornell has averaged 1.95 goals allowed per game, being just one of two teams in the country (Minnesota State - 1.84) to average under two goals against per game.
Since joining the Cornell coaching staff in the summer of 2011, the Big Red has the third-lowest goals allowed per game in the country, averaging 2.15 goals allowed per contest.
In 2018, Syer was named the winner of the American Hockey Coaches Association's 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 '86, the Jay R. Bloom '77 Head Coach of Cornell Men's Ice Hockey. Schafer added that it was the first time he had nominated anyone for a major AHCA award during his 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 in 2017-18 (.788) and 2019-20 (.862). The Big Red have won three Cleary Cups, awarded annually to the team that wins the circuit's regular-season championship, with Syer behind the bench. 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.
Prior to his arrival on East Hill, Syer served as an associate head coach for 12 seasons at Quinnipiac under head coach Rand Pecknold. During his time in Hamden, Quinnipiac 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, as well as the 1999 MAAC regular season and 2002 MAAC Tournament championship crowns during his tenure.
Quinnipiac reached the MAAC tournament semifinals in each of Syer's first four years with the Bobcats, which included making a trio of MAAC finals appearances. Included in that span was the 2002 MAAC Tournament title and the Bobcats' first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance. 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 from Ohio University in 2000.
