Columbus North graduate Tanner Bennett has a knack for helping pioneer new hockey programs.
He was on the first North American league team when he played for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights, and now the Trine University sophomore has another program foundation under his belt after completing the Thunder’s first hockey season.
“It was pretty exciting because when I first came and checked out the place, there wasn’t even a rink,” said Bennett, a former member of the Columbus Icemen. “… I didn’t really know what to expect, and it turned out beautifully.”
Bennett spent his freshman year playing hockey for the University of Wisconsin River Falls before transferring to Trine. Being away from home played a major role in his decision to move closer and attend the Angola-based school, but the difference in playing-time opportunities weighed in on his decision, as well. There were more experienced players ahead of Bennett at River Falls, which limited his playing time.
He figured he could be viewed as one of the more experienced guys at Trine, considering it was a new program, and he was right. Thunder coach Alex Todd said Bennett was a highly regarded recruit for Trine because he was older and is an in-state native.
“It just gave someone in the locker room that could talk to all these brand new guys and even somebody that could talk to the people on campus about what to expect with hockey,” Todd said. “It’s a very different sport. It’s not what some people are used to if they’re fans of football or basketball or soccer.”
The Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) conference wasted no time welcoming the Thunder to the conference. The MIAA is one of the most competitive conferences in the country, and it showed when Trine played 12 consecutive conference games without a win before beating Finlandia 4-2.
The MIAA had three teams make it to the NCAA Division III Tournament. The Thunder did manage to go 4-2 against nonconference opponents. They ended with a 6-17-2 record.
“As a new program, we had no respect from anybody we played,” Bennett said. “We had to earn our respect, even from the referees. Just getting picked on in that conference was tough.”
The Thunder are filled with youth, having 13 freshmen on the roster. Bennett said having all those young players creates excitement for next year. He and his teammates have enjoyed this new journey by creating fun team traditions like the team shootout that happens every week.
The team participates in a shootout competition at the end of practice every Thursday before Friday night’s game and the loser has to wear what the players call “the donkey” every day at practice until next Thursday. The donkey is a bright orange jersey with a donkey on it that reminds the loser for seven days that they lost the shootout. The shootout is something to look forward to every every week, and it’s a way to take some stress of before game day, Bennett said.
All jokes aside, Bennett enjoyed his first hockey season with Trine and said the school did a great job of supporting the program. The Thunder also has two other Division ll and lll hockey teams.
“It’s amazing how well the school backed us financially, with moral support — just top-of-the-line traveling to games, meals on the road, stuff like that. They are just a class act,” Bennett said. “That was the biggest surprise to me — how well we were treated.”
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Name: Tanner Bennett
High school: Columbus North
College: Trine University
Year: Sophomore
Position: Forward
Height: 5-11
Weight: 195 lbs
Key season stats: Three goals; five assists.
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