TC native Bryant heading to D1 St. Cloud State

May 18—TRAVERSE CITY — It's somewhat ironic that St. Cloud St. has two abbreviations in it that can be used for saint, state and street.

Sydney Bryant is headed down that road, taking a plunge that might scare some. After all, she's left home before, so this is nothing new.

Bryant, a Traverse City native who attended St. Francis through her freshman year, spent the last three years at Ann Arbor Skyline while playing travel hockey for Detroit-area teams with the goal of icing a college scholarship.

The Belle Tire defenseman committed to Division 1 Minnesota school St. Cloud State, a member of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association. Even though it's about an 11-hour drive from Traverse City, not being close to home is something she's used to.

"I'm not worried too much," Bryant said. "Just the distance is a little more."

Bryant played one season in Detroit as a freshman at St. Francis, commuting to compete on the Honeybaked squad, a team she stayed with as a sophomore before moving up to Taylor-based Belle Tire 19U as a junior. She also played for Little Caesars in Detroit in junior high.

Belle finished fifth in nationals this season, drawing more attention to Bryant, who played on the team's second defensive pairing, behind a top duo that committed to Yale and Maine.

"It's definitely super cool, especially coming from Traverse City," Bryant said. "Playing downstate, it's a whole new world down there."

Bryant's parents, Ian and Sheila, still live in Traverse City.

She moved to Ann Arbor in 2020 to play hockey, while the COVID-19 pandemic shuttered in-person learning at many schools.

"It was definitely a lot different," Bryant said. "I didn't get to meet anybody from my new school until my junior year."

Her junior year was in person, with masks required at all times. She said this year was finally "normal."

"It was way better being in school than online," Bryant said.

After playing under coach Mike Vigilante — who played at Lake Superior State and eight years professionally in the Atlanta Thrashers, Washington Capitals, and Vancouver Canucks organizations — at Belle Tire, Bryant was also recruited by several teams from out east, but the allure of Minnesota's location appealed to Bryant, who enjoys outdoor activities.

"I've always wanted to play in Minnesota," Bryant said. "I've always loved Minnesota. I just love the location."

Bryant, 18, said she intends to major in business.

Her Belle Tire teammates are scattered around the metro Detroit area, and she's the only one currently at Skyline.

The WCHA consists of Bemidji State, Minnesota, Minnesota Duluth, Minnesota State, Ohio State, St. Cloud State, St. Thomas and Wisconsin. The Huskies were 18-18-1 this season and 11-16-1 in the WCHA.

The Huskies carried eight defenders on their 24-player roster, half of which hails from Canada (seven) or Europe (five). Two of those blueliners were seniors or grad students.

Emma Gentry, a junior forward from Alpena, also came from the Honeybaked system in Detroit and was St. Cloud's leading scorer last season. Gentry was one of only two players from Michigan on last year's Huskies squad, joining South Lyon senior forward Courtney Hall.

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