Wilderness forward Bender makes NCAA DI commitment

December 23, 2015

The Minnesota Wilderness, proud members of the North American Hockey League (NAHL), are proud to announce that Cloquet native and forward Koby Bender has committed to play NCAA Division I hockey at University of Minnesota Duluth, a member of the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC).

 

Bender becomes the 11th NCAA Division I commit for the Wilderness this season and 22nd overall.  Bender also becomes the third Minnesota Wilderness player to commit to Minnesota Duluth, joining goaltender Kasimir Kaskisuo and forward Kobe Roth.

 

“It means a lot.  I’ve grown up watching them (Minnesota Duluth) play as a kid. It’s a dream come true”, Bender says on committing.  He continued, “My time with the Wilderness has helped a ton as far as playing at a faster pace with and against some better players.  Also, just learning the game more and more everyday helps a lot as well.”

 

Wilderness head coach Corey Millen had this to say about Bender’s commitment, “We are really proud and happy for Koby and his family.  He is a great hockey player and even better kid, and when one of your players can achieve a dream of theirs, it is great to see!”

 

In 28 games this season, Bender has nine goals and 14 assists with a +7 rating.  He also has racked up two goals and eight assists on the Wilderness’s league leading powerplay.