Shaun Hannah has resigned at Sacred Heart, leaving the Pioneers without a head coach in the month leading up to the season.
School athletic director Don Cook made the announcement Wednesday, saying the program owed Hannah a debt of gratitude for leading the program for 13 seasons.
“If there ever was someone who understood the mission, vision and core values of Sacred Heart, it was Shaun Hannah,” Cook said in a news release. “And, in every way, Shaun advanced that mission, vision and core values through the Sacred Heart men’s ice hockey program.”
Hannah, who posted a 191-204-38 record with the Pioneers, said he wanted to make a career change.
“I will forever be grateful for the opportunity that I have had to grow both personally and professionally at Sacred Heart over the last 13 seasons, but I feel that this is the right time for me to take my career in a different direction,” he said in the news release. “While I will miss not seeing the people associated with the hockey program and university on a daily basis, I expect to be following the team closely and rooting for them as they challenge for championships in the years to come.”
Hannah led the transition from independent status to the MAAC — now known as Atlantic Hockey — in 1996.
He was named the MAAC coach of the year in 1999-2000, when the Pioneers made a nine-win improvement over the year earlier.
In 2004, Sacred Heart made the inaugural Atlantic Hockey championship game, falling to Holy Cross.
A former Cornell player, Hannan played two professional seasons before embarking on a coaching career.
“If there’s any good news from this it’s that Shaun’s tenure as head coach leaves a program marked only by integrity and success on the ice and in the classroom,” Cook said. “Shaun wouldn’t have it any other way. Thankfully, he remained here long enough to give the program the organizational infrastructure and stability needed to succeed in the future. Shaun will be sorely missed, so too Sacred Heart’s most loyal fans — his wife, Amy and beautiful daughter, Emma.”
The school said a search for Hannah’s replacement would start immediately.
