Ben Birnell
Observer-Dispatch
Utica, NY, United States
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Past articles by Ben:
Boilermaker winner Hermin Garic of Utica invited to Boston Marathon as an elite athlete
Utica's Hermin Garic is set to be part of an exclusive group in April after earning a elite athlete invitation to the Boston Marathon. → Read More
Utica Comets 'build some character' and are ready for tests with busy schedule
The Utica Comets are 2-2-1-0 in the last five games, but the team's 20-4-4-0 overall record remains among the best in the American Hockey League. → Read More
Football: Utica's Daniel Santiago commits to Holy Cross
Utica's Daniel Santiago announced his commitment to a Football Championship Subdivision school in the Northeast after playing → Read More
Utica's Alex Dawes about to add Olympic experience on his hockey résumé
Proctor and Utica College grad Alex Dawes set to serve as U.S. men's hockey teams' video coach in February during Olympics in Beijing. → Read More
Former Clinton Comets forward Archie Burton remembered for 'down-to-earth' personality
Archie S. Burton played three seasons for the Clinton Comets and remained in the area. He died on Jan. 2, 2022 at 89. → Read More
Opportunity knocks for players as Utica Comets experience roster change
With roster changes for various reasons, comes opportunity for players to contribute to the Utica Comets → Read More
Defending champion Clinton girls hockey seeing progress with mix of young, older players
The Clinton girls hockey team, which is the defending state champions, has many young players but the Warriors are gaining confidence with key efforts. → Read More
Utica Comets have makeup dates set for games postponed because of COVID issues
The Utica Comets have three new dates for games that were postponed because of COVID-19 issues last month. → Read More
Utica Comets' Kevin Dineen 'cautiously optimistic' about team's return after COVID-related postponements
The Utica Comets have had numerous schedule changes during December because of COVID-19-related issues. → Read More
New York Mills' pitcher Zach Vennaro works through some growing pains in first full pro season
New York Mills standout Zach Vennaro pitched 37 games in first full pro season with double-A Biloxi in Milwaukee Brewers organization. → Read More
Utica City FC has game postponed due to COVID-19 issues
Utica City FC has postponed its Major Arena Soccer League game against the Baltimore Blast because of COVID-19 issues affecting both teams. → Read More
Section III navigates through guidelines, changes for winter sports season
COVID-19 guidelines have played a role during the winter sports season for high school teams and athletes in the Utica and Mohawk Valley areas. → Read More
COVID issues with Belleville postpone Utica Comets game
The Utica Comets' game Tuesday was postponed because the Belleville Senators' are involved in COVID-19 protocols. → Read More
Syracuse men's basketball has Cornell, Lehigh games postponed due to COVID
Syracuse (5-5 overall) has postponed games home games against Lehigh on Saturday and Cornell on Tuesday. Syracuse is affected by COVID-19 protocols. → Read More
Utica Comets impacted by AHL's Covid-19 protocols, game postponed at Cleveland
The Utica Comets had a game postponed Thursday because of COVID-19 protocols affecting the team. → Read More
Depth continues to be important for Utica Comets ahead of road stretch
Utica Comets will need depth with team missing a few players for various reasons. Utica is 17-1-2-0 overall through 20 games. → Read More
Utica gets Atlantic Hockey Association's championship tournament in March 2022. Here's what to know.
The Atlantic Hockey Conference is set to play its conference championships at the Adirondack Bank Center in Utica over two days in March. → Read More
17 Mohawk Valley athletes area earn all-state or Section III field hockey honors
Nine players from Section 3 schools in the Mohawk Valley earn all-state and section honors. Eight others from the area are Section III all-stars. → Read More
Fabian Zetterlund relishes NHL debut, helping Utica Comets have success
Fabian Zetterlund, who earned his first NHL call-up with the New Jersey Devils in November, is a standout player for the successful Utica Comets. → Read More
Comet the Labrador puppy learns to be guide dog thanks to Utica Comets
The Utica Comets have partnered with Freedom Guide Dogs to help raise and train Comet for his eventual role as a guide dog. → Read More