Though they live in the heart of Bruins Nation, Mac Bennett says that he and his family have often rooted for the Montreal Canadiens because of their friendship with Mathieu Schneider, the ex-Mount St. Charles star.

Now the Bennetts have an even better reason to cheer for the bleu, blanc et rouge.

The Canadiens selected Mac Bennett, the son of Jim Bennett, with the 79th pick in the third round of the NHL Draft Saturday morning at the Bell Centre in Montreal.

Needless to say, Bennett was thrilled.

"To have them pick me, with the draft in Montreal, it's just shocking, exciting and a billion other things I can't even describe right now,'' he said Saturday afternoon.

"(The Bennetts) are Montreal fans right now, I'll tell you that,'' he said.

Bennett, 18, a 5-foot-11, 170-pound defenseman who lives in Warwick but played for the Hotchkiss School in Connecticut this season, said he was surprised to be chosen by the Canadiens, though they were one of 18 teams that interviewed him at the NHL Central Scouting Combine in Toronto last month

"I had no idea,'' said Bennett, who some scouts said might be picked as early as the second round. "I interviewed with them at the combine and it went OK.''

In hockey-mad Montreal, Bennett said he "was mobbed by media guys.'' He and his parents and two sisters ate lunch in the Canadiens' suite and were scheduled to attend a dinner hosted by the team Saturday night.

Once Bennett was selected, his family's amazing hockey heritage received a lot of attention on The NHL Network's draft show. Accompanied by vintage footage of Mac's uncles Curt and Bill, the hosts recounted how Harvey Bennett Sr. was the first family member to play in the NHL, followed by Curt, Harvey Jr. and Bill. Mac's father Jim played pro in the International Hockey League, while brother John played in the World Hockey Association.

Also discussed was Harvey Sr.'s small role in Canadiens' history. He was in goal for the Bruins at the Boston Garden on the night in 1945 when Montreal legend Maurice "Rocket'' Richard scored his 50th goal in his 50th game.

Mac Bennett said that decades later his grandfather still grumbled about the goal.

 "He wasn't too happy. He said Rocket kicked it in.''

After returning to Rhode Island for a few days, Bennett will head back to Montreal next week for a rookie development camp. Later this summer he will head to Iowa to play for the Cedar Rapids Rough Riders of the U.S. Hockey League before playing at the University of Michigan in 2010-11.

Bennett is still a few years away from competing for a spot with the Canadiens, which gives him time to work on his French.

"After bonjour and merci, I don't know much,'' he said. "If I could do it all over again, I'd take French in school,'' he said.

NOTES: Bennett's Hotchkiss teammate Derek Deblois of Narragansett, who was ranked 77th among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting, was not drafted. He also is headed to Cedar Rapids and Michigan. … Two incoming freshman at Providence College were drafted in the fifth round. Alex Velischek of New Jersey's Delbarton Prep was taken by Pittsburgh. Alex is the son of former Friar Randy Velischek, who is an ex-New Jerseys defenseman and current radio color commentator for the Devils. Mark Adams of Malden (Mass.) Catholic was picked by Buffalo.

mdivver@projo.com