Published: August 27, 2008 03:41 am      

Kentner’s dream is fulfilled

DANVILLE — Growing up, Zane Kentner couldn’t get enough of being around the ice.

If he wasn’t skating and learning how to play hockey, he blended into the crowd of young kids at the David S. Palmer Arena looking up to the players fortunate enough to wear the Danville Wings logo on their chest.

But when the Wings left town, he wasn’t sure there would ever again be hockey in Danville.

Four years later, he can once again call the Palmer Arena his home away from home. This time, however, Kentner will be in the spotlight with younger kids looking up to him as he was one of 11 players that secured a roster spot Tuesday by officially signing to play for the Danville Inferno.

“It’s crazy,” said Kentner. “I never thought that by the time I was this age that it would still be here. I thought it would be gone when (the Wings) left four or five years ago. Now that this team is here, I’m glad that I have the opportunity to play for a team like this.”

Kentner made his way to the Inferno by going through the Danville Youth Hockey program before playing for nearly five years in Champaign. Now a High School graduate, he is attending Danville Area Community College and said he couldn’t pass up the chance to play for his hometown team.

“The best part about Zane is that he is consistent in everything he does,” said Inferno General Manager Cameron Estes. “You never question if he is going to show up. You always know he is going to come out and give 100 percent.

“Unfortunately when a lot of kids graduate high school, they leave town and never come back. This gave him a reason to play and to really look forward to being here.”

Kentner was one of six Illinois natives to sign with the Inferno Tuesday with the list including Cory Welnicke (Glen Ellyn), Matt Benton (Addison), Danny Codd (Chicago), Scott Steimel (Chatham), and Bobby Bann of Gurnee.

During his stay in Danville, Bann might feel closer to home than the 200-plus miles that separate him from his hometown.

“My grandpa (Tom) grew up around here,” said Bann, who has played for a number of different teams including the Milwaukee Admirals of the American Hockey League. “He was raised in Danville and then moved up north and came back down.

“I’ve been around here pretty much for five or six years because I came here during the summers and stuff.”

Knowing his way around Danville might end up being beneficial to not only himself, but to his teammates. Of the five players rounding out Tuesday’s list, two hail from Cincinnati (Jesse DiLillo and Bryan Maclean), one from New Richmond, Wis. (Zach Olson), another (Tyrell Berriman) from Battle Creek, Mich., and one from Louisville (Brian Hennessey).

But regardless of their pasts and hometowns, head coach Chris Sislo is only worried about their future and maintained that one thing was consistent throughout the group when selecting his team from the tryout camp.

“As a group, they’re just high quality guys,” said Sislo. “That’s the biggest thing that me and Cameron noticed. We all noticed the same thing that these are all just good guys that want to come here and play hockey and have fun. A lot of these guys are fighting on whether or not to go to college or keep playing hockey. They’re just here because they love to play the game.”

The Inferno will continue signing players until all 25 roster spots are filled.