Benn scores first NHL goal before friends and family

Jamie Benn picked a good time to score his first NHL goal.
Benn, a Victoria native playing an NHL game in his home province, scored before a lot of family and friends as his Dallas Stars fell 4-3 to the Vancouver Canucks in a shootout at General Motors Place.
“It means a lot,” said Benn of his first NHL tally. “I had a lot of friends and family here so it was a good time to get the goal, too . . . It took me four games to get it but hopefully I’ll start rolling from here.”
Benn tied the game 3-3 with only 1:33 left in regulation time as he converted a goal-mouth pass from Stephane Robidas. The rookie picked up where he left off in Vancouver last season, when he helped his Kelowna Rocket oust the junior Giants en route to a WHL title and berth in the Memorial Cup final.
The goal helped the Stars roll back from a late 3-2 deficitadline to force overtime and a shootout before Ryan Kesler netted the shootout winner for the Canucks.
“(It was) a big goal for sure," said Dallas coach Marc Crawford. "He’s got so much poise and presence and patience with the puck and he’s a big strong kid that hangs on to it and does good things with it."
Benn extended his points streak to three games. He recorded an assist in each of the two previous games at Calgary and Edmonton.
“People are going to quickly realize how good he is," said Crawford. “He’s playing on a good line with (Mike) Ribiero and (Brendan) Morrow . . . They’re talented players and I think they’re probably easy for him to play with.”
Benn, 20, managed to crack a fairly deep Dallas roster on his first attempt even though he was only a fifth-round draft choice in 2007. The six-foot-two, 203-pound winger expected to go the U.S. college while beginning his junior tenure with his hometown Victoria Grizzlies of the B.C. Hockey League, but he jumped to the WHL and excelled offensively there with 147 points over two seasons.
What's the biggest difference between junior and the NHL?
“Just that the guys are bigger, stronger, faster," he said. “You’ve got to get used to it, but I’m getting more used to it every day.”