Coach Benson is in his 17th season as Head Hockey Coach and Senior High Physical Education teacher at Spring Lake Park. His coaching record at SLP is 181-164-6.

     After graduating from Dunsmuir high school in his hometown of Victoria, British Columbia, Benson played three years of Junior Hockey in Kelowna & Summerland of the British Columbia Junior Hockey League before accepting a hockey scholarship to attend the University of North Dakota.

     At North Dakota, Benson played four years as a defenseman, helping the Fighting Sioux win the WCHA & NCAA Division I Championship in 1987. He also served as the captain at UND his senior year in 1987-88. He graduated from UND with a Degree in Physical Education/Health and was a member of the All-American Academic team for three years at UND.

    Benson was inducted in the UND Athletic Hall of fame in 2006 as a member of the ‘87 team. After a short stint playing pro hockeyin the IHL and ECHL, Benson began his  teaching and coaching career in Grafton, North Dakota in 1989.

    From 1990 to 1993, he was an Assistant Coach at Mankato State University where he helped the Mavericks to two NCAA Tournaments and a second place finish in the NCAA National Tournament in 1991.

    Coach Benson's wife's name is Stacey and they have 4 sons, Christopher (19), who played for the Panthers, 13 year old, Zachary a Coon Rapids Pee Wee, 9 year old Nicholas, a Coon Rapids player and 1 year old Sam.