by Nick Bowman
staff associate

The Gilbertson File

GP Goals Assists Tot. Points 26 30 30 60

Gilbertson is the first Rivermen hockey player to be nominated for All-American honors.

From the first time he split a defense to light up the scorebox, to his St. Peters select squad, to his high school days at Francis Howell, to his current campaign with the Rivermen, sophomore Ben Gilbertson has been to hockey what Alexander the Great was to the ancient world: unstoppable.

Since the sixth grade, Gilbertson has felt right at home on the frozen pond, despite the worries of his family.

"My dad was really against me playing hockey, " Gilbertson said. "But when he saw me on the ice, he changed his mind."

Gilbertson makes playing hockey look as natural to him as breathing. This was apparent when, after taking a two-year hiatus from the sport, he tried out for a St. Peters select team made up of players older than he was.

"When I made that team, I really felt that I could play at the high levels," Gilbertson said. "Especially when I missed two full years and jumped right into the game, I knew I had something special."

In high school, Gilbertson played on a cinderella Francis Howell team which in his senior year finished a surprising fifth overall in the state ratings.

"My high school years were great," Gilbertson said. "Howell was overlooked as a hockey school, mainly because we were in a league with bigger-name schools. That senior year was very vindicating."

Even more importantly, he met current teammate Ryan Craig, whose name is almost synonymous with Gilbertson's whenever hockey is mentioned.

"I play really well with Craig on the ice," Gilbertson said. "We have had the fortune to see a lot of ice time together, and it shows in our games. We even looked at college programs together."

UM-St. Louis gladly accepted both to the hockey squad, and the benefits have been many. The past two years the Rivermen have missed the National Tournament by micrometers, and currently stand at second in the Mid-American Collegiate Hockey Association. If not for the team's most recent loss to Palmer, it would be a shoo-in for the MACHA conference tournament, although the team hasn't been eliminated just yet.

Most notably, however, is the possibility of Gilbertson earning a spot on the ACHA inaugural All-American Team, an honor given to only the top players in the league. With 30 goals and 30 assists in 26 games, he is a strong candidate. To most players, that makes for a great season, but not to Gilbertson.

"The possibility of being on the All-American squad is awesome, but it's something that I expect of myself every time that I take to the rink," Gilbertson said. "Really, I would rather have had our team in the national tourney."

An example of his work ethic was evident during the last contest when the Rivermen were down 11-3 with under a minute to go. Head coach Derek Schaub had pulled Gilbertson, who had yet to produce any points. Gilbertson wanted to salvage something from the dismal battle. When Gilbertson mentioned this, Schaub sent him back on the ice, where he recorded two assists in a 20-second time span.

GLVC B-Ball STANDINGS
Men
Team		GLVC Record
1) Kentucky Weslyan		11-1
2) Northern Kentucky		10-2
3) Southern Indiana		10-2
4) Lewis		8-4
5) Indianapolis		8-4
6) UM-St. Louis		6-6
7) IUPU-Ft. Wayne		6-6
8) SIU-Edwardsville		4-8
9) Quincy		3-9
10) Bellarmine		3-9
11) St. Joseph's		2-10
12) Wisconsin-Parkside		1-11
Women
Team		GLVC Record
1) Northern Kentucky		11-1
2) UM-St. Louis		8-4
3) SIU-Edwardsville		8-4
4) Kentucky Weslyan		8-4
5) Lewis		8-4
6) Southern Indiana		7-5
7) Bellarmine		7-5
8) Indianapolis		5-7
9) IUPU-Ft. Wayne		4-8
10) St. Joseph's		3-9
11) Wisconsin-Parkside		2-10
12) Quincy		1-11