The Syracuse University ACHA Men’s Hockey program is excited to announce that they have hired Chris Timmons as the team’s next head coach. Timmons brings over six years of coaching experience to the Orange. Most recently, he spent 5 years with the Oswego State ACHA program where he coached the team to just over 50 wins across 4 seasons. In 2019-20, the final season played before the COVID-19 pandemic put most of the ACHA on pause, Timmons led the Lakers to their best conference winning percentage in the team’s history, got them their first playoff win in 6 years, and made a run to the NECHL Championship game before suffering a heartbreaking 4-3 loss to Niagara University.
The West Islip, NY native also brings over 4 years of ACHA playing experience. Chris played for Oswego State from 2010-2014 and racked up over 100 career ACHA points – an accomplishment that is still good for second all-time in scoring in the program’s history.
Having both played and coached against Syracuse, Chris is excited to join the Orange next season.
“The opportunity to become the head coach at Syracuse University is an honor and I am very excited to bring my experience and passion for the game to their program”, Chris continued, “Syracuse has always had a strong team and a program that I’ve admired and tried to model during my time in the ACHA. They’ve really built a nice foundation here and my hope is to continue to build off that while creating a winning culture for our players to be successful both on and off the ice.”
Chris also mentioned that he is eager to get back to hockey after the near 18 month break created by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I’m really looking forward to getting to the rink and meeting all the prospective and returning players. It has been a long year and a half with no hockey so I think everybody is just ready to get back on the ice and start to get the ball rolling on the 2021-22 season.”
Timmons currently resides in Camillus, NY and is an auditor at a local accounting firm.
The program has also hired Jordan Alhart as the team’s assistant coach. Jordan also joins Syracuse University from Oswego State – where he was Chris’s assistant for his entire 5-year tenure. Similar to Chris, the Rochester, NY native played 2 seasons for the Oswego State ACHA team from 2012-2014 where he has known as a “team first” player and an excellent locker room presence.
Jordan currently resides in Syracuse and is an Energy Analyst at an engineering firm in Liverpool, NY.
With the new coaching staff set, the Syracuse University Men’s ACHA team is ready to bring hockey back to the Tennity Ice Pavilion and start another quest to return to the ACHA National Tournament.