Long Overdue - Curry College

8 THE CURRIER TIMES NOVEMBER 2010
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Courtesy of Curry Athletics; truck photo courtesy of Payden Benning
Ready for the Long Haul
Junior Payden Benning, who spends his summers hauling
oil equipment throughout Canada for his father’s
business, will captain this year’s hockey team as it
looks to return to the NCAA Division III tournament.
Left, the first truck Benning learned to drive.
Junior Payden Benning
leads hockey team in
defense of conference title
By Tim McCarthy
Roughly 1,900 miles from Boston, a massive
18-wheel truck comes to a noisy halt in Midwestern
Canada. It’s been 12 long, tiring days of transporting
oil-drilling equipment, and the driver finally gets two
days off to enjoy his summer. Most drivers would take
that time to relax. But not this one, Payden Benning,
captain of the Curry College men’s hockey team.
Benning uses his time off to hit the gym and ice to
prepare to lead the Colonels in defense of their ECAC
Northeast Championship. Benning, 22, has been
driving trucks for his family’s business for the past
three years, and has had to balance his time between
work and hockey each summer in the small town
of Estevan, Canada. Benning says his dad, “made
me be a stickler working for what I got.”
So far, it’s paid off pretty well. Benning, a
junior, is not just the leading point scorer from
last year’s championship team, with 19 goals
and 16 assists in 27 games played, but he’s also
a member of last year’s ECAC Northeast All-
Academic squad. The Colonels are looking to
build upon last year’s trip to the NCAA Division
3 tournament—they eventually lost to Elmira
College—with 20 returning players. Curry
entered the season ranked No. 18 in the country for
Division III, but has stumbled a bit thus far. The team
lost to Neumann University, 5-3, to open the season and
tied Elmira, 4-4, Nov. 13.
“We’re going to be a team to be reckoned with, but
we don’t take anybody lightly,” Benning says.
Benning, a winger, was named captain at the end of last
season, winning the vote of every returning and graduating
player, says Curry Coach Rob Davies. According to
Davies, a good captain is self-motivated, possesses a
strong work ethic, and treats people with respect and in
return receives it. Benning is a “tough-skinned, hardworking
kid,” says Davies. “He represents the team well.”
Benning arrived at Curry after three seasons playing
Canadian junior hockey for the Estevan Bruins. There,
he was discovered by former Curry hockey coach Bob
Roche. Benning says he liked Curry’s “nice neat campus”
and close proximity to Boston, having grown up in a small
Canadian town. After a weekend visit, he committed to
Curry and Coach Davies in the ride back to Logan airport.
For now, Benning and Co. are focused on the present.
Davies says this year’s squad will be leaning on its
strong junior class, depth at the forward position, and
highlighting its “speed on the blue line and up front.”
“In college, speed can be an intimidating factor,”
says Davies.
Just ask Curry’s truck driving hockey captain.
Men’s Basketball Team Picked as TCCC Preseason No. 1
By Nick Ironside
After all the votes were in and counted, the Curry
men’s basketball team received 14 first-place votes
in The Commonwealth Coast Conference coaches’
preseason poll. The Colonels enter the year the No. 1
team in the conference.
Curry made a strong run through last season’s playoffs,
losing to Gordon College 56-54 in the TCCC championship
game. The team finished last year with a mediocre record of
15-14, but dominated conference play to the tune of a 10-3
record (7-0 at home). The Colonels will open their 2010-11
season at home Tuesday, Nov. 16, at 7 p.m. against Babson
College. They then travel to Brandeis University for a fourteam
tourney, Nov. 19 and 20.
Junior guard Jarrell Jackson of Brockton paves the
way for Curry this season. Jackson averaged 17.6 points
per game last season, second best on the team. Christian
Bonadies, one of three seniors on this Colonels squad,
is a big presence inside at 6-foot-7. He had 30 blocks
last season. Bonadies, along with senior guard Michael
Worrick, played in all 29 games last year.
The Colonels open conference play Jan. 8 at 3 p.m.
against Western New England College, here in the Curry
gymnasium.