Britni Smith steps down as Syracuse women’s ice hockey head coach
Syracuse ice hockey head coach Britni Smith announced Thursday that she’s stepping down to spend more time with family after four seasons. Courtesy of SU Athletics
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Syracuse head coach Britni Smith is stepping down from her position, she announced in a press release Thursday. Smith said she decided not to renew her contract so she could spend more time with family and be closer to home.
“The young women in our program deserve the full attention and commitment of their coach, and after more than a decade of putting my coaching career first and being away from home, I’ve chosen to prioritize my personal life and time with family,” Smith said in the release.
After eight years as an assistant coach at Clarkson University from 2014-22, Smith took over for former head coach Paul Flanagan in May 2022. Across four years at the helm, Smith guided SU to a 47-89-9 record and three postseason wins. Despite going 7-24-3 in 2023-24, Syracuse saw significant progress over the last two years, finishing with 15 wins in each season.
Smith also mentored multiple Atlantic Hockey America award winners at SU. In 2024-25, Jessica Cheung made AHA’s All-Rookie Team while Bryn Saarela and goalie Allie Kelley earned All-AHA Second Team honors. Last season, while filling Kelley’s void, freshman goalie Ava Drabyk was named to the AHA All-Rookie Team.
In February 2026, Smith was away from the team while serving as an assistant coach for Canada’s women’s ice hockey team at the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics. A search is underway for SU’s next head coach.
