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Brent Petersen honored to be inaugural winner of Ryan Fischer Legacy Scholarship

MiHockey Staff

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By @SKubus –

Brent Petersen didn’t know Ryan Fischer personally, but when he learned more about what he stood for, it inspired him to live his life more like Fischer did.

Fischer was the senior captain of the Grandville High School hockey team before he tragically passed away of an enlarged heart on March 7, 2014, just hours before he was to lead Grandville into the MHSAA state semifinals.

Petersen, a defenseman with Grand Haven, was named the inaugural winner of the $2,500 Ryan Fischer Legacy Scholarship, awarded to one OK Conference senior varsity hockey player who best exemplifies the “integrity, character and sportsmanship that Ryan displayed in all facets of his life.”

The nomination came as a surprise because it came from a coach Petersen played for in the past – Joel Breazeale, the current coach of Grandville. Breazeale personally called Petersen’s school counselor to nominate him.

“I felt encouraged that he thought of me as a good candidate enough to even call my school,” Petersen said.


Petersen was caught completely off guard with the news at school, called out of class to the principal’s office, something he admitted he was uneasy about, as many students would be.

“I was completely surprised at first, and it was surreal,”Petersen said. “It was such a cool moment when I realized what was going on, and I met the Fischer family in person for the first time, especially because it was the first one and because I knew how great Ryan really was and the impact he had.”

Petersen added that Fischer’s name was a distant one he heard around the locker room in his travel hockey years as someone “everyone seemed to look up to,”and found that to be true himself once he learned about how he lived his life.

“It wasn’t until he passed away that I really began to realize who he was and what he stood for. It was encouraging to see someone who could live their life exactly as I hoped to live mine.”

One of the other criterion for winning the scholarship was the candidate’s involvement in both community service and their faith. Fischer’s strong faith was the one thing Petersen said he admired most.

“He displayed his faith in God so prominently, and that is one thing over everything else that I admire about him, and I strive to do the same.”

Petersen is planning to apply the scholarship toward his education at Cedarville University, an Ohio-based Christian college which he plans to attend in the fall. And for him, despite moving on from the high school chapter of his life, he said the friends he made are what he’ll remember most from his experience.

“I won’t forget my friends who allowed me to be who I wanted to be and stood for much similar things. I think over all things, they will be what I miss most.

“They made it easy to live a life like Ryan and so did my parents who instilled these beliefs in me since birth.”