Paul Flanagan Announces Retirement
The only head coach in Syracuse women's ice hockey history is calling it a career. Paul Flanagan announced his retirement on Wednesday, following a historic 2022 season that finished with the program's second NCAA Tournament bid after winning the CHA Regular Season and Tournament Championships. Flanagan spent 23 years as a head coach, and built the women's hockey program at Syracuse from the bottom up in 2008.
"I am very grateful for the opportunity Syracuse University gave me 14 years ago to build a Division I women's ice hockey program here," Flanagan said in a press release. "Working alongside so many experienced coaches and capable staff members has made coaching in our athletics department a wonderful and very rewarding experience. Our program has been blessed with many excellent coaches whom I thank for their friendship and professionalism. I am particularly indebted to my longtime assistants Ali Domenico and Brendon Knight. They have both served our program for extended periods and helped me immeasurably through the years. Brendon, our current associate head coach, deserves much of the credit for our recent successes. He has been a great friend to me and such a positive influence on our program during his 10 years here.
"Although we only worked together for one season, I will miss our first-year assistant, Claudia Kepler, greatly and thank her for her enthusiasm and knowledge of our sport. As for all the student-athletes who have passed through the doors of Tennity Ice Pavilion, I thank each of you for your hard work, passion and dedication to our program. I feel fortunate for the friendships we've made and will continue to follow your successes in life. Lastly, I thank my wife, Sharon, and my children, Shannon, Brendan and Connor for all of their support allowing me to always chase my dream for the coaching profession."
Flanagan finishes his career with a 434-308-73 record. Knight will be the interim head coach while the university looks for a permanent replacement.
"Paul built our ice hockey program from its infancy into a perennial CHA contender and guided our teams to the NCAA Tournament," Director of Athletics John Wildhack said in a press release. "His leadership and commitment to the academic and athletic success of his student-athletes was stellar throughout his tenure. Paul is highly respected on and off the ice for his success as a player, coach and advocate for women's hockey. We are grateful for his dedication and commitment to Syracuse University and our hockey program. We wish Paul and his family all the best."
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