Ben Syer has been named the 18th head coach of men’s hockey at Princeton.
Syer takes over for Ron Fogarty, who was not retained after the 2023-24 season.
A 25-year veteran behind the bench of Division I college hockey programs, Syer takes the reins of the Tigers after recently concluding his 13th season overall at Cornell and his 12th as associate head coach of the Big Red. His previous 12 seasons as a college coach came while serving as associate head coach and recruiting coordinator at Quinnipiac from 1999 to 2011.
In 2018, Syer was the recipient of the Terry Flanagan Award, presented annually by the American Hockey Coaches Association (AHCA) to an assistant coach in recognition of his superior body of work over a career.
“I am thrilled to welcome Ben and his family to Princeton and the men’s hockey program,” said Princeton director of athletics John Mack in a statement. “He has a proven track record of recruiting and developing student-athletes and positioning them for success on the ice and in the classroom. He has been part of championship teams throughout his entire coaching career, navigating one of the toughest conferences in college hockey year-in, year-out. Throughout this process, it was evident that Ben possesses the qualities we are looking for in a head men’s ice hockey coach at Princeton. He is a passionate recruiter, an innovative tactician and a commanding leader inside the locker room. Under his guidance, I am confident that Princeton’s best days on the ice are ahead of us.”
Syer’s 13 seasons at Cornell included seven Ivy League championships, three ECAC regular-season titles and one ECAC postseason title which came this past March. Overall, he was part of a Big Red program that qualified for seven NCAA tournaments and reached four regional finals.
Before joining the Big Red, he was on staff during Quinnipiac’s rise into Division I hockey where the Bobcats won the 2002 MAAC championship and reached the NCAA tournament for the first time. In addition, he coached a pair of conference regular-season championship teams at Quinnipiac – one in the MAAC (1998-99) and one in Atlantic Hockey (2004-05). He was on staff with the Bobcats during their move to the ECAC that included a run to the ECAC final in their second season of conference membership in 2006-07.
“It is a privilege to represent Princeton University and Princeton athletics while we collectively build upon the strong culture of support and success the institution and its passionate staff and alumni base provide to student-athletes,” Syer said. “I would like to thank John Mack and the search committee for allowing me the opportunity to lead the next chapter of the men’s ice hockey program at Princeton. I also must extend my sincere gratitude to my family for their unconditional support, and also have the greatest appreciation and thanks to Mike Schafer and Rand Pecknold for their mentorship and guidance throughout my career. I look forward to getting started at my new home while building strong relationships with the players, staff and alumni to prepare for this new era of Tiger hockey.”
In addition to his plethora of team success over his coaching career, Syer has coached seven All-Americans and three Hobey Baker Award finalists while also helping guide his players to 42 all-conference honors and 43 all-Ivy selections.
In terms of professional hockey aspirations, Syer has helped coach 23 NHL draft picks and currently has nine former players who have appeared in NHL games. Overall during his time in Ithaca, two-thirds of his Cornell players have graduated and signed professional hockey contracts.
The hallmark of Syer’s teams at Cornell has been defense. Over his 13 years behind the bench with the Big Red, his teams have averaged 2.21 goals allowed-per-game which ranks No. 3 among all Division I programs over the past 13 seasons. This past season, the Big Red led the country in scoring defense, allowing 1.86 goals-per-game as the lone team to average fewer than two goals allowed each night. In his 13 years with the Big Red, Syer has mentored teams to a top-10 ranking in scoring defense nine times and twice has led the country in that statistic (2017-18, 2023-24).
The Big Red have won 20-plus games in six of their last seven seasons on the ice, including back-to-back seasons with 20 or more wins through this past campaign.
Syer has experience leading behind the bench as well, posting a 13-6-4 record as acting head coach with the Big Red over the past three seasons at various times.
In addition to his collegiate coaching experience, Syer served as head coach at USA Hockey Select Festivals since 2016 where he has worked with the top age-group players in the United States. The past two years, he has served as head coach of Team New York at USA Hockey events.
He also has been a guest coach at USA Hockey’s World Junior training camp in 2022 and was a guest coach at development camp with the Washington Capitals in 2018.
Syer has extensive skill development experience at camps and clinics around the country, including S&B Hockey Camps which he co-founded in Ithaca and has run since 2019. He has served as guest lecturer at coaching symposiums run by the AHCA Convention, NCAA Frozen Four, USA Hockey and Washington Capitals.
Off the ice, he is actively involved in his communities where he has volunteered with Salvation Army and Ithaca Youth Hockey. Since 2013, he has participated in the “Racker Rivals” game which annually raises over $100,000 in support of the Racker Center in Ithaca which provides strength-based support for individuals with disabilities and their families in Tompkins, Cortland and Tioga counties.
A native of Kitchener, Ont., Syer graduated from the University of Western Ontario in 1998 with an honors degree in Urban Development. In 2000, he earned a Master’s in Physical Education from Ohio University while also serving as an assistant coach with the club men’s hockey team.
