DULUTH — Coming down the final fairway at the Section 7A golf meet at Minnesota National Golf Course in McGregor, Duluth Marshall senior Bennett Scissons knew he needed a par for the Hilltoppers to advance to the state tournament.
Scissons’ teammate Davey Schachte had already birdied his final hole, and Scissons got the par he needed and lifted Marshall to a one-stroke win. The win was doubly satisfying, Bennett said, following the end of the hockey season.
The boys were both on the Hilltopper hockey team, but Bennett was limited late in the season by an injury and the team fell short of its state tournament goal.
“It was definitely a disappointing end of the year,” Bennett said. “What’s fun about this is most of our golf team are guys that play hockey. It’s really fun to be able to experience state with those guys. I went to state as an individual last year, but this year being able to go as a team feels like a little bit of redemption.”
Three Hilltoppers — Bennett, Schachte, Will Olek and Kade Norman — played hockey last season at Marshall and a fourth — Liam Scissons — was playing at the Bantam level.
Bennett finished the Class AA individual tournament last season tied for 16th, seven strokes back of champion Ryder Rose from Southwest Christian. This season, at Class A level, the Hilltoppers are still looking to bring a state championship home.
Duluth Marshall’s Bennett Scissons watches his approach shot roll onto the green during the Class AA state golf tournament on Tuesday, June 10, 2025, at the Ridges at Sand Creek Golf Course in Jordan.
Jake Przytarski / Duluth Media Group file photo
The team even bleached their hair, like many of the teams at the state hockey tournament, for the golf meet, which starts Tuesday at Pebble Creek Golf Club in Becker.
It’s not surprising to have a lot of overlap with the hockey and golf teams, especially at a small school like Marshall. The stick-handling in hockey creates “natural club face control,” Hilltoppers coach Royce Pichetti said.
“Golfers tend to have the same power,” he said. “It’s the same weight transfer; they just figured out it’s the same skill set. They just didn’t realize that it was connected that way.”
Pichetti is a 2018 Marshall graduate and also played hockey and golf for the Hilltoppers.
Bennett said it’s the “mental game” that he feels translates to golf. Not only do you have to be focused for every shot and shift, but there’s a need to roll with the punches in both sports.
“Every shift, you are so dialed in, and I think that translates well to golf,” he said. “You need to focus on every single shot, but there’s going to be mistakes. There’s going to be a bad shift, and in golf you’re going to hit a bad shot. It’s all about resetting.”
One of Bennett’s strengths as a golfer is his demeanor on the course, according to his dad, Jeff Scissons.
Duluth Marshall forward Bennett Scissons (23) shoots the puck against Gentry Academy on Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025, at Mars Lakeview Arena in Duluth.
Clint Austin / Duluth Media Group file photo
“He’s pretty steady, and he’s always been that way since he was a kid,” Jeff said. “He’s never too far up and never too far down — which works out well. You’re going to hit bad shots, you’re going to have bad holes, you’ve got to regroup. He seems to do that pretty well.”
Jeff and his wife, Kellie Scissons, both played hockey at Minnesota Duluth, but it was Jeff who was responsible for “corrupting” their boys with the game of golf.
For the Scissons family, golf is a part of their family’s identity and it starts with their roots in Saskatchewan, Canada.
“Like Duluth, Saskatchewan doesn’t have the longest golf season,” Jeff said. “There were two main seasons for us. Hockey was a passion, and then when summer rolled around, we ended up on the golf course.”
From left, Bennett Scissons, Jeff Scissons, Liam Scissons and Jim Scissons take a moment for a photo during a round at Kiawah Island, South Carolina.
Contributed / Kellie Scissons
Jim Scissons, Jeff’s father, is one of the most decorated amateur golfers in Saskatchewan. He was inducted into the Golf Saskatchewan Hall of Fame in 2010, as well as the Saskatoon Sports Hall of Fame and Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame.
“Golf is something my grandpa did, something my dad did, and it keeps getting passed down,” Bennett said. I had a pretty good teacher in my grandpa and he taught me the basics. It’s kind of the same thing as hockey — it just keeps getting passed down.”
It’s also a unique opportunity for brothers who have never been able to play on a team together and learn from each other.
“It’s been really cool to play with Bennett,” Liam said. “He’s obviously a great player; he’s someone to look up to and watch how he handles himself in different situations.”
The boys never got to play hockey together, but the hope is they might make some history playing a game they can share for decades.
“It’s a fun way to spend time with each other and my dad, who’s now 85 years old,” Jeff said. We’re going to head back up (this summer), and we’re excited (that) we still get to play golf. It’s one of those things you can do for a lifetime.”
Duluth Marshall senior Bennett Scissons lines up his putt as brother Liam Scissons taps in during a round in Kiawah Island, South Carolina.
Contributed / Kellie Scissons
Jamey Malcomb has a been high school sports reporter for the Duluth News Tribune since October 2021. He spent the previous six years covering news and sports for the Lake County News-Chronicle in Two Harbors and the Cloquet Pine Journal. He graduated from the George Washington University in 1999 with a bachelor’s degree in history and literature and also holds a master’s degree in secondary English education from George Mason University.