When it comes to experience, ASU hockey senior forward Ryan Belonger may have his teammates beat.
The fifth-year senior has just four games left in his college career, none of which are against NCAA opponents. Having played his last NCAA game, he’s now able to look back on a long, winding path.
“As the season’s been winding down here, it’s been crazy to think about,” Belonger said. “Every year seems to go faster and faster.”
For Belonger, nearly every year of his career was filled with a new surrounding, roster or level of play. In the 2009-10 season, he played junior hockey with the St. Louis Bandits of the NAHL. The next two seasons, he was with the Youngstown Phantoms of the USHL, and in 2012, he began his college career with Northeastern University before finally transferring to ASU.
“It’s been quite the journey. I’ve been everywhere,” Belonger said. “I think the best part is each group of guys that I’ve met along the way. Obviously, every team is different from a roster standpoint, so every year you meet new guys, and guys go away every single year. But I think that’s the best part is being able to be a part of each different team and the dynamic of each team.”
Even at ASU, he’s seen a lot of change. When he first joined the Sun Devils, they were merely a club team in the American Collegiate Hockey Association. Since then, ASU has become an NCAA Division I program.
This year, the program’s first full season in the NCAA and Belonger’s final season, the Green Bay, Wisc. native played just three games before being sidelined for personal reasons. He missed 20 games, including the series against his former team, Northeastern.
“Since he’s been back in the lineup, after he went through some personal stuff there for a semester, he’s added a spark,” head coach Greg Powers said. “It’s not like he’s putting points on the board or anything, but just the confidence that he injects into our guys on the bench and in the room, he’s one of the most well-liked kids in that room.”
Belonger is roommates with sophomore defenseman Joey Raats and sophomore Louie Rowe. Rowe said Belonger handled his absence well.
“He responded to it perfectly,” Rowe said. “We had a rule on our team where he had to show up, and he did. That’s what we needed out of him as a leader, as a senior, a guy in his position being his last year. He left it all out there and we still got four more chances to see what he’s made of.”
When asked what Belonger is like off the ice, Rowe laughed.
“He’s a pretty funny guy,” he said. “He loves listening to his music, watching football. I can’t even tell you how many Packers games I’ve had to deal with. Overall, he’s just a great guy to live with, great teammate, and I’m honored to have met him and been with such a guy.”
go pack go
— Ryan Belonger (@ryanbelonger) September 29, 2015
“I’m going to miss everything,” Rowe said when asked what he’ll miss most about Belonger. “From the car rides to Packers Sundays, just mostly the crap-talking in the locker room. I’m not going to miss too much of him because he’s going to be a guy that’s going to be around our program. He’s a great friend, great teammate.
“He’ll be around with us.”
Belonger said he’ll miss the relationships with teammates and spending time in the locker room. And his favorite memory? Scoring the game-winning goal in ASU’s first NCAA win in program history.
RECAP: Ryan Belonger Lifts Sun Devil Hockey To First NCAA Win http://t.co/73qSBka7t5 pic.twitter.com/QXmHaqXefI
— Sun Devil Hockey (@SunDevilHockey) October 11, 2015
“It’s been really cool to be a part of,” Belonger said. “It’s bittersweet that it’s coming to an end, but it’s been a good ride. I’m really happy that I was able to come here.”
Reach the reporter at matthew.layman@asu.edu or follow @Mattjlayman on Twitter.
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