Meet the Newcomers: Lauren Bench

MINNEAPOLIS -- The Golden Gopher women's hockey team welcomes eight newcomers to the team for the 2020-21 season, including Lauren Bench, a redshirt senior goaltender from Eagan, Minn., who began her college career at Bemidji State and is starting graduate school at the University of Minnesota. Bench recalls some of her favorite hockey memories, how she got into the medical field, and more.

Gopher Sports: How did you first get into hockey? What other sports did you play?

Lauren Bench: Growing up, I played pretty much everything. My family is not originally from Minnesota, but my parents moved here right before my older brother was born. Hockey was the sport here so we both tried it, and I ended up sticking with it and loving it. It became my number one, and I just continued through all the way. I played soccer through about third grade, but then I was a skier. I was on the alpine ski team in seventh grade, but then had to quit for hockey because obviously those are both winter sports. I played baseball growing up because I wanted to be just like my brother. I idolized him. Then I switched to softball once I got to high school, so I played high school softball for three years. I ended up quitting that and joining the golf team my junior year, so I golfed junior and senior year of high school.

GS: What was it about hockey that made you like it the best?

LB: I think it was the connections I made with people. My best friends ended up playing, so it was just so fun to go to the rink and see them every day. As we got older and better, it just got more fun and more competitive. I couldn't stop.

GS: What's your earliest hockey memory?

LB: Probably out-of-town tournaments in youth hockey. The Duluth tournament was always super fun. I know we did that every year. Those were the best, going and probably causing a lot of hacov and playing ding-dong ditch on people who probably didn't want us to be, but those were the best and always so much fun.

GS: How did you pick goalie?

LB: It's kind-of a funny story. I started playing hockey in kindergarten, and I didn't play goalie. I think it was when I was in fourth grade that we really started having goalies, and I wanted to try it just like pretty much every little kid did. I liked it. It was fine, but I didn't want to play it all the time. No one else on the team really wanted to play goalie, and my coach made me keep playing it. I hated it. I absolutely hated it. Then, I started to get decently good at it, and that started the process of me falling in love with it. The next year, fifth grade, was when I started full-time goalie and started to really enjoy it, and then it took off from there.

GS: How did you choose Bemidji State to start your college career?

LB: I picked Bemidji State because I knew I wanted to play in the WCHA, be somewhat close to home, and play in Minnesota, so those were big factors for me, and getting recruited. Being up there and meeting the girls, it just seemed like a family. The coaches were awesome. It just seemed like the right fit for me – and it was. It was a great four years. My best friends are all still up there or just graduated from there. It was a lot of fun. Being up in the north, the small campus on the lake is so pretty. That's one of my favorite parts of Bemidji – just the location and feeling like you're at a cabin every single day. That was a big factor in picking Bemidji. Walking through campus and having that experience of being on the lake, seeing people parking their cars on the ice, it was a really cool experience.

GS: How did you choose to major in Chemistry for your undergraduate degree?

LB: I've wanted to go to medical school for as long as I can remember. When I got to Bemidji, I knew I wanted to go into science. I wasn't for sure set on Chemistry when I got there. I actually was a double major in Chemistry and Biology and had a five-year plan set out knowing I was red-shirting. I started out in Biology and Chemistry, but I was drawn to Chemistry so much more than Biology so I ended up going that direction and doing a Biology minor. Setting myself up for medical school was the main thing, but I've always just really enjoyed science.

GS: What is it about medicine that drew you to that field?

LB: Growing up I have had some family members who have had some pretty serious health issues, and hearing their experiences with doctors and all of the things that went into it and learning about the different diagnoses was always super interesting to me. Talking with my family about doctors they've had who have been great and then the ones that have been not-so-great really made me want to be a part of that and be the good doctor that people are excited to go talk to and learn from. The medicine side, taking anatomy classes, all that has always been my favorite – learning about the body, how it moves and how it functions, those have been my favorite classes through high school and at Bemidji. Fingers crossed, I'm applying to medical schools this year, but it's always seemed like it's the right path for me. I've loved being around doctors and learning from them. I spent way too much time in the training room at Bemidji State, not because I was injured but just because I liked being around our trainers and hearing about what my teammates were going through and doing to rehab. It's just been a huge draw of interest to me.

GS: Have you had any major injuries yourself that you've had to battle through?

LB: Nothing too major. I sprained my ankle in August going into my junior season, so the lead-up to the season was a little nerve-wracking, knowing it was coming quick. That's really the only injury that I've had to sit out for.

GS: How did you land at the University of Minnesota for your fifth year?

LB: Knowing I want to go to medical school and continue my education, having just graduated, it gave me a great opportunity to pursue a Master's degree at a school that's really highly ranked so that was a big draw for me. Being able to be close to home for my last season and be able to play one more year, I felt like I couldn't pass it up when the opportunity came. It just seemed like the perfect fit.

GS: Do you have a hockey role model?

LB: I wouldn't say I have anyone who I model my game after, but growing up I was always a big Marc-Andre Fleury fan. I still really enjoy watching him. I think he's one of the most fun goalies to watch play. His style is nothing like mine, but I would say he's my number one goalie that I follow.

GS: Were you a Gopher fan when you were growing up?

LB: Yes, growing up here, I remember going to games. I remember going to a game and thinking I wanted to play college hockey. I was pretty young at the time, so it's always been what I want to do – make it to college hockey. Being able to play at Bemidji State was awesome, and being able to kind-of come full circle and come back to the U is going to be really cool to finish off my career with what I dreamed of as a little girl.

GS: When did you realize that playing Division I hockey was a realistic goal for you?

LB: I think it hit me when I started playing high school hockey. I made the varsity team in eighth grade. From there, I loved it. I knew it would be a lot of work, but I knew it was what I wanted to do and that it was getting realistic. I started playing triple A hockey, I think the next year, and doing recruiting tournaments and then USA development camps, so that's when it hit me that it was realistic. I remember when I was in fifth or sixth grade, going to watch high school games and seeing some of those girls going on to play college, and then going to watch them play in college, that made me realize it was what I wanted to do, too.

GS: What is one part of your game you're confident in and one part of your game you want to work on more?

LB: I'd say I'm really confident in my skating. I think that's a really big asset for me. I'm quick for being a big goalie. I think my skating is above average for my size, which really helps me. Something to improve on would just be situationally making decisions in the moment and maybe making plays, helping the team with playing the puck, I think is something you can always work on and get better at. That's hopefully something I can improve on this year and be a big asset to the team when we're trying to break out or setting up pucks.

GS: You were the winning goalie in a four-overtime game against Minnesota Duluth in the WCHA First Round last season. What was that like?

LB: It was really cool to be a part of that. It was Coach Scanlon's 100th win, which was really cool. We really wanted to get that for him this season, and obviously wanted to continue on in our season after that weekend, but being able to get that in a game like that was super cool. We were all dead. In the locker room, people were eating full on meals because our post-game meal had been delivered. Some girls needed to eat. It was a crazy mix. Some people couldn't eat anything, others focused on just staying hydrated, and some girls were just crushing food. We'd come into the locker room and people wouldn't say much. We all knew what needed to be done. Someone just needed to score, but what else do you do? We'd come in, try to have a laugh, and get back out there. It hit a point where it just felt like it was never going to end. I was playing well. Rooney was playing well. I didn't know who was going to score. We were all so tired, too, that there wasn't a lot of offense being developed. It was crazy. It would be 20 minutes, done, and on to the next one. The periods were flying by. It was really cool, and I was really happy we could come out of that with a win. I've talked to some girls from Duluth, but going through all of that to lose would have been really mentally draining.

GS: How did you stay focused?

LB: It was definitely a challenge. Something that I've never gone through and probably won't go through again, I imagine. I see a sport psychologist, and that's one thing that we talk a lot about, staying mentally engaged and how to stay in focus or let yourself come out when you need it. It was definitely putting all of that work to use and really testing it out. It was cool to be able to recognize it was all stuff we have talked about, and being able to stay engaged. It was definitely a challenge.

GS: What's your favorite place you have visited, and what is the number one travel destination you would recommend to Gopher fans?

LB: I would say Italy is the place you have to check out. The food there is phenomenal. There's so many different places you can go in Italy that give you a lot of different looks. If you're really into history, Rome is super cool. Growing up, you read about it in a textbook, but it doesn't feel real until you're actually there and seeing where all of this happened. Seeing where the Roman Empire was built was really cool. Then in northern Italy, going to Lake Como, it's really relaxed. In the mountains, it's so pretty. Italy is a country where you could easily spend two weeks. I loved Italy. One of my favorite places that I've been would probably be Ireland. I think a lot of that is probably the experiences I've had there. Both times I've been there have been with high school friends. We don't see each other too often, so just getting back together and being there, it was so cool. It's really, really pretty. They don't call it the Emerald Isle for nothing!

GS: What are you most excited for about joining the Gophers and your last season of college hockey?

LB: I think I'm most excited just to get the season going with the girls. We've been skating a bit together with the girls here in Minnesota. I'm excited to get to know everyone a little more and really build those friendships with the team and being able to then hopefully have a successful season.

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Lauren Bench

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Lauren Bench