(Courtesy of Silver Knights staff writer – Kyle Fussner)

SYRACUSE, New York – The Syracuse Silver Knight announce Monday afternoon that Bryan O’Quinn, Silver Knight goal keeper from 2011 – 2016, will be the Head Coach for the 2016 – 2017 season. Tommy Tanner, 5 time coach of the Silver Knights, will now become the team’s General Manager with a focus on growing the franchise to new heights.

O’Quinn will be taking the clipboard for the first time in the Silver Knights second game on November 26th against the Florida Tropics in front of the Syracuse fans.  

Last season while nursing an injured hand O’Quinn was consistently on the bench with Tommy Tanner helping new goalie Andrew Coughlin adjust to the indoor game during his rookie season. Thanks to some coaching from both Tanner and O’Quinn, Coughlin was named to the MASL all-rookie team after going 5-2 while allowing just 36 goals.“Tommy and I have a great relationship and spent the better part of the last two years evaluating our talent, talking about game strategy, and preparing together for our opponents.  Tommy has a masterful understanding of this game and a great passion to teach it.  I have learned an immense amount from him over the last five years and look forward to building off of what he has taught me over that period of time.” 

O’Quinn is very excited for the opportunity to coach the Silver Knights this season and hopes to continue the success that Tommy Tanner has built going forward. Tommy said, “I really do not have any set goals for Bryan for this season, but the organizations goal is to win a championship. It takes a total team effort to win a championship and my goal as general manager is to give Bryan the best opportunity to win a championship.” 

As far as expectations go for Bryan, he is aiming high. “There is only one expectation and that is to win a championship.  Our focus and goal will be to take one game at a time and look to win each game that is in front of us.  With less teams in the league this season.  Each team has become more talented.  There will be no games or teams that we will look beyond, but at the end of the day our goal is to win the trophy.”

Tommy Tanner, who had coached the Silver Knights since their inaugural season, will now be the team’s General Manager. Tanner is looking to improve on the loyal fan base built over the previous 5 seasons and grow the team to new heights going into the franchise’s 6th season. “The goal for the organization is to sell out the War Memorial for the first time in 6 seasons. The players, staff, and fans deserve that.”

“Bryan and I spoke pretty much a couple days before every game the past two seasons to make sure that the team was prepared for our opponent. Bryan is a great student of the game and his preparation for every game was very important to our team’s success.”

The Silver Knights will open up their season on November 18th against the Harrisburg Heat at the War Memorial On Center at 7:30pm. The Silver Knights will be competing in the Eastern Division against the Harrisburg Heat, the defending MASL Champions Baltimore Blast, and MASL’s new expansion team the Florida Tropics. Coach Bryan O’Quinn and the Silver Knights will be holding their player combine on Saturday October 22nd and Sunday October 23rd. For more information on the player combine and Season Tickets that are now on sale, visitsyracusesilverknights.com or call 315-303-7261.

About the Syracuse Silver Knights

Syracuse Pro Sports, LLC owns and operate the Syracuse Silver Knights in the MASL (Major Arena Soccer League). The 2016-2017 season will be the team’s sixth consecutive season playing at The Oncenter War Memorial Arena in downtown Syracuse. The MASL represents the Major League of professional indoor soccer in in the United States and features the finest indoor soccer players from around the world. Its members are dedicated to bringing fun and affordable family entertainment to the Central New York area.