Ben Kinne Uses Familiar Philosophy as New Bemidji Boys’ Hockey Head Coach

There’s a new sheriff in town for the Bemidji boys hockey team, or rather, an old Beaver. Former Bemidji State hockey player Ben Kinne took over as the Lumberjacks’ newest head coach back in June with a goal to not only build better hockey players, but better young men as well.

From D-3 Saint Mary’s University to the D-1 Air Force Academy, Ben Kinne has made his rounds as an assistant coach, building his knowledge of the game along the way. But there is one thing he learned right here in Bemidji.

“The relentless work,” Kinne says, “The kids work hard and they compete every shift. And I think our kids do a really good job of that…it’s kind of all woven into the fabric of Bemidji just as a whole. You know, it’s kind of a blue-collar town, work ethic, earn everything you get, everything you work for. And that’s what we’re trying to do here.”

Kinne was successful as a player, winning a Class AA State Hockey Championship in 2006 at Cretin-Derham Hall, then making it to the NCAA Frozen Four in 2009 as a Beaver, all adding credence to his coaching style. It’s something current BSU Men’s Hockey head coach Tom Serratore made note of when Kinne played for him.

“I knew right away when I had Ben, he would be a heck of a coach,” Serratore noted. “I told Ben to go into coaching and he was a two-time captain. That tells you something, right there. And Ben was as honest as a day as long as a player. He worked hard and first and foremost, but he had a great hockey IQ. You could tell him something once, and that’s all he needed was once, so no surprise that Ben’s a coach. And it’s no surprise he’s a good coach.”

In addition to his hockey IQ, the boys have taken notice of a few other aspects of Kinne’s coaching.

“He pushes us,” says Bemidji boys hockey junior defenseman Nick Johnson. “He says he’s the most intense. And it’s true. He’s at the rink 24/7. He’s always here. Like, I’ve never been at the rink when he’s not here. And that’s good to see from a coach. And he’s a good leader and a role model.”

Austin Coe, a senior forward for the Lumberjacks, agrees. “Yeah, he’s intense. He’s probably more into us than some of us players on the team. But he’s fun to be around and he does like getting into the practices.”

It’s the type of coaching that has kept the team engaged despite the 2-5 start to the season, and it continues to motivate the Jacks as they move into the heart of their schedule.

“Kind of had a rocky start, but I think we’ll come back,” says Noah Mannausau, another junior defenseman for the Jacks. “We have a young team so we need to get rolling here and then I think we’ll be fine. Hopefully make the section finals and maybe go to State.”

Johnson also noted, “We’re very bonded together. We do everything together. I mean, it’s more of a family than a team, I’d say, and it’s exciting to see us grow.”

It’s a step in the right direction as Kinne continues to build a culture of competitive development, so that when the puck drops, he knows the team will be ready to go.

“We want to make them better players like we do on the ice every day. And that’s the development piece. You know, the competitive side is every day everything we’re doing, you know, no matter if we’re playing or practicing or, you know, lifting weights or in the classroom, you want to be as competitive as possible and try to win or, you know, try to get the best scores, whatever it might be. I want to instill that in those kids, like wanting to be great and just about everything that you’re doing. I think that’s kind of the culture that we’re trying to build upon, and I think we’re on the right path to do that.”