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Engelstad Arena and spending his Friday
nights alongside his father wearing green.
"UND blood runs very deep in our family," said
Ben's mother, Michelle, who spent 29 years
married to Tom and is currently the state of
North Dakota's Lieutenant Governor. "It's
been incredibly bittersweet with Tom passing
last summer, so for him not to see Ben's
success this year, it's tough. Because this
was all of our dream for Ben.
"For me as a mom, it's been so fun seeing Ben
have a good time and enjoy this season, and I
know Tom's passing put a lot on his shoulders
and took a lot out of him. But he handled it all
so well and leaned on the people around him,
and I'm just so proud of him. We know Tom's
watching, but we wish he could've been here
first-hand."
