“I asked him about it one time and he said, ‘If there are no officials then there is no youth hockey. If there’s no youth hockey, then there’s no high school hockey,’” Wilken recalled from a conversation with Accola. “That right there tells you about who Ben is as a person. The world would be a much better place if we had more people like him.””

Head Coach Cam Wilken

After the 2022-23 season ended, two River Falls High School senior hockey players received statewide recognition for two vastly different reasons.

Multi-year Wildcat goaltender Jayden Serene was named to the Wisconsin Hockey Coaches Association (WHCA) All-State Honorable Mention list while teammate Ben Accola was a finalist for the Jeff Sauer Humanitarian Award, which aims to honor outstanding acts of community service by high school hockey players throughout the state.

The humanitarian award is named after longtime Wisconsin Badgers men’s hockey head coach Jeff Sauer, who won two national championships in Madison between 1982 and 2002. Sauer died in 2017 after a battle with pancreatic cancer and the award was created in his honor.

Since the award’s inception in 2018, each year the Jeff Sauer Foundation selects four high school players from around the state as finalists for the now-annual honor. Accola was one of this year’s finalists and was honored at the annual Wisconsin High School Hockey Coaches banquet before the state tournament in Middleton on March 2.

Although the award ultimately went to Jack Redman, a junior from La Crosse Logan, Accola still received statewide recognition as a finalist for one of the most beloved awards in Wisconsin high school hockey.

River Falls hockey head coach Cam Wilken detailed Accola’s dedication to the hockey community through his extensive volunteer efforts officiating youth hockey and making sure that future generations of players have a chance to experience the same love for the game that he has.

“We nominated Ben for helping build our program since he was a little kid,” Wilken said. “He’s an official for youth hockey and officiates so many games. It’s hard to find youth hockey officials in western Wisconsin right now. When he’s not practicing or playing, he’s got a whistle and is working peewee hockey games in Baldwin, Hudson or here.”

While most high school athletes spend their limited free time away from school and sports with friends, Accola remains in hockey rinks throughout western Wisconsin on nights and weekends working youth hockey games in an attempt to give back to the sport and communities he loves.

“I asked him about it one time and he said, ‘If there are no officials then there is no youth hockey. If there’s no youth hockey, then there’s no high school hockey,’” Wilken recalled from a conversation with Accola. “That right there tells you about who Ben is as a person. The world would be a much better place if we had more people like him.”

Despite seeing limited varsity time throughout his tenure with the River Falls boys’ hockey program, Accola never once complained about his amount of shifts. Instead, he worked harder, kept grinding and found ways to help the team succeed without filling up the stat sheet.

Accola found his niche by mentoring young players rising through the ranks of the program and making sure that they were positioned to succeed as often as possible. Wilken detailed how Accola impacted the program through leadership and off-ice interactions.

“Ben did a really good job of working with freshmen and sophomores,” Wilken said. “The captains we had were great, but Ben was really good at working with younger players who were struggling. He would talk to them and help them get better and move on through the challenges.”

Although Accola never filled up the stat sheet with goals and assists, he leaves an indelible legacy with the River Falls Wildcats program through his leadership, kindness and dedication to the future of hockey in western Wisconsin.

Jayden Serene All-State Honorable Mention

While Accola primarily left his mark off of the ice, Serene was a dominant force on the ice for the Wildcats this season.

Throughout the year, Coach Wilken regularly praised Serene for his elite performances. Whether it was his goaltending keeping the Wildcats in games against elite Division 1 programs or making a highlight reel save – Serene always found a way to impact the game.

He finished the year with a .923 save percentage, tied for the highest in the Big Rivers Conference along with New Richmond senior Blake Milton, who was selected as the BRC Player of the Year and was a First-Team All-State selection in goal.

“I’m really happy for Jayden,” Wilken said. “The fact that he got honored in our conference with Blake Milton there is a testament to what people think of him. Then to be honored on the state level, that means you’re legit and can play hockey.”

After a strong junior campaign that included several peaks and valleys, Serene returned for his senior year with River Falls after an offseason of development and proved that the highs of his junior year weren’t a fluke.

Serene not only maintained the peaks from his penultimate season but also eliminated nearly all of the valleys and made himself one of the most productive goaltenders in Wisconsin this year. Coach Wilken spoke about what Serene’s senior year proved.

“The biggest thing that Jayden did this year was prove that he could get rid of the ups and downs in his game and play at a high level every time he was out there,” Wilken said. “It proved that last year wasn’t a fluke. Everyone can get hot for a couple of games, but he brought that for a full season. Those are the guys who get state recognition and play after high school.”

While Serene’s play certainly spoke for itself on the ice, he also never complained and always found time to mentor young goaltenders on the roster. Coach Wilken spoke about Serene’s selfless behavior and his impact on the program.

“Like Ben, Jayden never makes it about himself,” Wilken said. “Out of everyone on the team, he’s the only one that had a right to a negative comment and I never heard it. He was really great with our young goalies and showed them how to excel for the Wildcats. He’s always cared more about the program than himself. It’s going to be tough to see him go.”

Accola and Serene depart River Falls as two seniors who leave strong legacies of what it means to be a Wildcat – both on and off of the ice.