Remembering Benjamin Moch Remembering a young NAHL prospect whose life ended far too soon

There are some stories that are difficult to write because there really isn't anything that can make sense of the loss.

Benjamin Moch was 17 years old. He was a junior at Mandan High School, a hockey player, a teammate, a son and a friend. He was also a young player whose hockey career was beginning to attract attention beyond his hometown. On Monday, Moch died from injuries suffered in a Friday night crash in Bismarck.

For those who follow hockey in North Dakota and the junior hockey world, Benjamin's story was one of a young player continuing to work toward the next level. He had already spent time in North American Hockey League camps during the offseason, gaining an opportunity to experience junior hockey and see what it would take to continue pursuing the game beyond high school.

That opportunity was significant for a 17-year-old hockey player. Junior hockey is where many young players begin to find out whether the work they have put in through their youth and high school careers can translate to the next level. Benjamin was getting that opportunity while still developing as a player and figuring out where hockey might take him.

At Mandan, he had already shown plenty of promise. As a sophomore, Moch scored eight goals and added 11 assists in 24 games for the Braves. He also played for North Dakota's Under-16 AA team, where he recorded three goals and four assists in eight games. Heading into the 2025-26 season, the Western Dakota Athletic Association named him one of its Players to Watch.

Those numbers only tell part of the story. For Benjamin, hockey was still a work in progress. There were more games to play, more practices to attend and more opportunities to see how much he could improve. Like so many young players, he was still trying to find out just how far his ability and his work ethic could take him.

He should have had plenty of time to find out.

The Friday night crash also claimed the life of Taylor Fisher, a 16-year-old Mandan High School student and member of the school's tennis team. The two teenagers were passengers in an SUV involved in the collision. Police have said another vehicle was traveling at a high rate of speed while allegedly racing a third vehicle. The investigation remains ongoing, and authorities have said a complete reconstruction of the crash is still to come.

Those circumstances will be dealt with through the investigation. For the people who knew Benjamin and Taylor, however, the immediate reality is much simpler and much harder. Two young people who should have had most of their lives ahead of them are gone.

There are teammates who will notice Benjamin's absence every time they walk into the rink. There are coaches who will remember working with a young player who was still developing. There are classmates who will return to school without one of their friends. And there is a family that has been forced to deal with a loss that no parent ever expects to experience.

It is easy in hockey to concentrate on the next game, the next season and the next level. We talk about goals, assists, commitments, rankings and development because those things are part of the game. But behind every player is a person, and behind every young player is a family watching and hoping to see where that young person's life will eventually lead.

Benjamin's life was just beginning.

That is what makes a loss like this so difficult to comprehend. At 17, there should have been years of hockey ahead of him. There should have been more games at Mandan, more time with teammates, more opportunities in junior hockey and more chances to discover what kind of player he could become.

There should have been plenty of time for everything else, too.

That is perhaps the part of tragedies like this that stays with us long after the initial shock has passed. We go through our lives assuming there will be another opportunity to see the people we love. Another conversation. Another dinner. Another phone call. Another game. Another ride home.

Most of the time, there is.

But none of us actually knows when that next opportunity will disappear.

We don't know when we say goodbye to someone whether it is simply goodbye for the evening or the last goodbye we will ever have. We don't know when someone leaves for school, work, practice or a night with friends whether they will come home the same way they left. We simply assume tomorrow will arrive and the people we care about will still be there.

Benjamin's passing is a painful reminder that life doesn't always work that way.

So maybe the best thing we can take from a tragedy like this is not fear, but appreciation. Tell the people around you that you love them. Spend the extra few minutes talking to your kids. Check on a friend. Call someone you've been meaning to call. Don't assume that there will always be another chance to say what matters.

For Benjamin's hockey family, there will be memories of a young player who loved the game and was working toward something. There will be memories of practices, games, teammates, coaches and the excitement that comes with wondering what might be next.

His hockey career was still being written when it ended.

But Benjamin was much more than a hockey player, and his life was much more than the statistics he left behind. He was a 17-year-old who had people who loved him, friends who cared about him and teammates who will remember him long after the final score of his last game has been forgotten.

We never really know the time or place when our lives can change forever.

That is why the people we love shouldn't have to wonder how we feel about them. Tell them. Show them. Be there when you can.

Tomorrow is never promised.

Today is what we have.