According to his website, Dominic Hennig has been the broadcast, communications and multimedia assistant director as well as the radio & television broadcaster for the Ferris State University NCAA Division I Hockey program.
The 23-year-old Macomb, Mich. native graduated from Ferris State in 2013 with a bachelors in public relations and a minor in sports communication. His graduation though is just one accomplishment on a list of many for Hennig.
Hennig began playing hockey when he was just three-years-old and has had a passion for the game ever since. He noticed through his times as a player that he wanted to make a career out of hockey, but wasn’t sure if playing was his best bet.
“I realized that I had a better chance to make it to the National Hockey League in a different path then playing the game, so I chose broadcasting and I still wanted to stay around the game of hockey, so now here I am nine years after I finished playing hockey, I’m still in the business,” said Hennig.
In 2004, when Hennig was just 14 years old he started broadcasting with the Santa Fe Roadrunners of the North American Hockey League (NAHL). Hennig then called a year for the Detroit Dragons of the All American Hockey League (AAHL) before beginning his job as a broadcaster for the Ferris State hockey team.
In 2009, at just 17 years of age, Hennig became the youngest Division I hockey broadcaster in the nation while attending his freshman year as a Bulldog. Hennig continued his time doing play by play broadcasting for the Bulldogs until his final season in the 2014-2015 season.
His favorite memory as a broadcaster for the Bulldogs was covering the 2012 Division I National Championship game in Tampa, Fla. This is not the only time Hennig made the national stage.
Last season, in the first round of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) the Bulldogs were in quite the battle with conference foe Bemidji State in the second game of a best of three series. The Bulldogs had won game one 4-1 but were entrenched in a triple overtime game on Bemidji’s home ice.
With the score deadlocked at 2, Ferris defensemen Ryan Lowney took a shot from the blue line that was deflected in by forward Kyle Schempp six minutes and 40 seconds into the third overtime to end Ferris’ longest game in school history. With the win, the Bulldogs moved onto the WCHA Final Five at the Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, the home of the NHL’s Minnesota Wild. Yet the deflection was not initially seen by most in the arena.
After seeing the puck squeak past Bemidji goaltender Michael Blitzer, Hennig followed with one of the more memorable calls in Ferris history. After over 106 minutes of play, the Ferris broadcaster shouted, “He scores! Lowney! Lowney! Lowney! Xcel Center we’ve never been!”
The play completed the 13th longest NCAA hockey game ever and was featured on the ESPN SportsCenter Top 10 the next morning. Hennig’s call was heard by millions of viewers worldwide as the Bulldogs made the number nine spot on the top 10.
Hennig, who looks up to NBC broadcaster Mike “Doc” Emrick wants to one day be a radio or television broadcaster in the NHL. He is taking his next step towards that goal having landed a job as the director of broadcasting and communication, as well as the radio play by play announcer for the Ontario Hockey League’s (OHL) Flint Firebirds.
After completing his time at Ferris, Hennig had only thanks to offer.
“I just want to thank Ferris State University, including the athletic department and the Big Rapids community for giving me the opportunity and supporting me from day one. I will always be a Bulldog.”