7/26/2010 - MEN'S ICE HOCKEY Bemidji State men’s hockey player Kinne suffers stroke

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BEMIDJI, Minn. --  The Bemidji State University Athletic Media Relations office has confirmed a report by the St. Paul Pioneer Press that men’s ice hockey forward Ben Kinne (Jr., St. Paul, Minn.) suffered a stroke on Friday, July 23, 2010.

The family continues to see positive signs of improvement as he continues to recuperate.

“Our thoughts are with Ben and his family and the goal for all of us is that he will fully recuperate,” said BSU head men’s hockey coach Tom Serratore.

The Bemidji State Office of Athletic Media Relations will disseminate additional information if his condition warrants.

Kinne saw time in each of Bemidji State’s 37 games in 2009-10, which included an appearance in the NCAA Midwest Regional Tournament versus University of Michigan.  His 10 goals and 14 assists were good for 24 points and ranked fifth among his teammates, while he solidified himself as one of the Beavers’ best scorers in the clutch.  He potted a pair of “buzzer beating” goals in 2009-10, including a marker that paved the way for a BSU non-conference victory, pulling the Beavers into a 4-4 tie at University of Minnesota Duluth with 1.6 seconds left in regulation.  Kinne also added five power-play goals last season to trail only Ian Lowe’s (F, Sr., Bradwardine, Manitoba) .  He established a career-high two goals in a 3-0 victory versus the University of Northern Michigan Jan. 3, while he twice registered three-point games as a sophomore.

Kinne has skated in 74 consecutive games to begin his collegiate career at BSU piling up 18 goals and 21 assists for 39 points.  He was recognized as a member of the College Hockey America All-Academic team in 2009-10 and was named to the CHA All-Rookie Team at the conclusion of the 2008-09 campaign.

The Bemidji State men’s hockey team finished the 2009-10 season with a 23-10-4 overall record and won its fifth College Hockey America regular-season title in the last seven years with a 14-3-1 league record. BSU concluded its 20009-10 campaign with an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament’s Midwest Regional, marking the program’s fourth trip to the NCAA Tournament since 2005.

The Beavers open the 2010-11 campaign, their inaugural season calling the Bemidji Regional Event Center home and as members of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA), October 15-16 when the team hosts the University of North Dakota.

--bsu--