In addition to the 10 members of the incoming freshman class, another newcomer is making his way to the bench for the 2011-12 men’s hockey campaign. Ben Syer, the former associate head coach for the Quinnipiac Bobcats has been named Cornell’s newest assistant coach, replacing Casey Jones, who recently accepted the head coaching position at ECAC rival Clarkson.Syer spent the last 12 seasons with the Bobcats, where Quinnipiac has proven to be a fierce competitor since joining the ECAC during his tenure. The Bobcats racked up a 242-168-46 record and most recently faced the Red in the quarterfinals of the league tournament in which Cornell secured a game three overtime win to advance to the semifinals against Dartmouth.“I have a lot of respect for Ben,” said head coach Mike Schafer ’86 in a statement. “Previous assistants and other coaches I’ve talked to respect his ability to recruit top student-athletes. There is no question he is one of the top recruiters in college hockey, so we’re excited to bring a quality coach on board to replace a quality coach lost.”During Syre’s tenure, Quinnipiac made its first NCAA tournament appearance in program history (2002), boasted nine 20-win seasons and secured MAAC season and tournament championship titles prior to joining Cornell in the ECAC.“I am thrilled to join Coach Schafer’s staff and the Cornell hockey program,” Syer said in a statement. “I want to thank Mike for the opportunity to contribute to such a highly respected program. My family and I look forward to moving into the area and becoming part of Cornell community.”Hailing from Kitchener, Ontario, Syer graduated from Western Ontario in 1998 with a bachelor’s degree in urban development. He also earned a master’s degree in physical education in 2000, concentrating in athletic administration. It was also recently announced that assistant coach Scott Garrow has chosen to leave Cornell, accepting the same position for the Princeton Tigers. Garrow spent 12 seasons on the coaching staff for Cornell, broken up by a stint at his alma mater, Western Michigan, from 1999-2003. During his run at Cornell, Garrow worked primarily with the team’s forwards and power play units and also played a major role in team recruitment.
On Friday, Schafer announced that Topher Scott ’08, one of his former players, would replace Garrow on the coaching staff next season. Scott spent last year as a volunteer assistant coach at Miami (Ohio), where the RedHawks finished with an impressive 23-10-6 record. In his four-year career at Cornell, Scott tallied 107 points on 25 goals and 82 assists and was a Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award finalist. Scott was the 44th player in team history to reach the 100-point mark for career scoring and ranks second in appearances with 138 games played. The Red’s 2007-08 team MVP served as an assistant captain during his junior season, and wore the ‘C’ on his chest as a senior.
The 2011-12 men’s hockey campaign will officially begin with the annual Red-White Game on Oct. 15 in Lynah Rink, with the 10 new faces suited up and two new assistant coaches on the bench.
Evan Rich contributed reporting to this story.
Original Author: Lauren Ritter