Destiny Calls Hanowski For Flyers Hall Of Fame

LITTLE FALLS (WJON News) -- A former St. Cloud State Men's Hockey great has received the nod for the Hall of Fame. Ben Hanowski is one of 11 athletes being inducted into the Little Falls High School Hall of Fame on Friday.

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Hanowski still holds the state record for career points with 405, and he is the Flyers' career hits leader in baseball as well. Hanowski says he is honored to have been selected:

"Just super honored and grateful for everyone that helped me along the way coming from a small town and you don't always have the resources that everyone else does maybe in the bigger towns and so and was just very fortunate to make it as far as I did and have the people supporting me that I did."

Hanowski is the first hockey player to go into the Little Falls Hall of Fame and joins his father, John Hanowski, who was inducted in 2008. Activities Director Kevin Jordan says the Hanowski's still have a strong connection to Little Falls:

"They're still around our community too, you know the youngest brother of Ben is Joey Hanowski, and he's our head hockey coach and the family's around all the time supporting him and it's just a great feeling to have them around our school and our activities."

Jordan says Hanowski excelled in two sports:

"He was an excellent twp sport athlete. One of our leaders and captains in hockey and baseball, in those two sports he had eight varsity letters, was all-state in hockey, selected the AP and Pioneer Press player of the year."

The induction ceremony will take place before the Friday night hockey game. Hanowski says it will be a special night for his family:

"To get inducted during one of my brother's games that he's coaching and having my parents there, and some of my buddies are coming back, so it'll be a special evening and kind of a cool time to reminisce and talk about those, those great days playing for the Flyers."

Little Falls selects athletes for its Hall of Fame every two years and players have to have been out of school for at least 10 years to be considered. Hanowski graduated from Little Falls in 2009, played four years at St. Cloud State, and seven years professionally.

He currently resides in Sartell with his wife and two children and works in commercial lending for Deerwood Bank. You can see a full list of the 11 athletes going into the Little Falls High School Hall of Fame below:

Tom Bauman (1982)
Grant Bell (2012)
LaRae (Pelzer) Bjorge (1985)
Ben Hanowski (2009)
Mike Hendrickson (Coach 1987-2021)
Joel Kuebelbeck (1982)
Lori Kasella (Contributor 1997-2020)
Melissa (Kempenich) Mangan (2008)
Terry McGrath (1972)
Mike Olson (Contributor 1989-2020)
Brian Silbernick (1977)
Terry Wasland (Coach 1995-2020)
Whitney (Weisz) Jendro (2012)