Ice Hockey: Belger Hits the Ice for Wolfpack

Last year the Lakeland/Panas ice hockey team made it to the Section 1 finals and a big reason for that was the play of forward Nick Belger, who finished eighth in the section in goals scored with 30, ninth in points with 53 and 14th in assists with 23.

Belger, now a junior, won't be playing for the Rebels this season because he is currently playing for the Hartford Junior Wolfpack, a Junior A team.

As of Nov. 28, the Wolfpack team was 12-9-0-2 and in fourth place in the northern division of the Atlantic Junior Hockey League. Joining the Wolfpack in that division are the Northern Cyclones, Walpole Express, Boston Bulldogs, Laconia Leafs and Portland Junior Pirates.

Making up the southern division are the New York Bobcats, Philadelphia Little Flyers, Philadelphia Junior Flyers, New Jersey Rockets, WB/Scranton Junior Knights and Washington Junior Nationals.

Belger got a call last April and was asked to come to a tryout for the Wolfpack, not knowing if he was going to make it.

"The first day of tryouts they offered me a contract for the team," Belger said. "I didn't take it until May because I wanted to go to a tournament and play with the team to see if I would like playing with them."

The tournament was in Toronto. Belger said he enjoyed his experience with the team and signed the contract in mid-May. Playing for the Wolfpack, he added, gives him the opportunity to play better competition and have the chance for more colleges to look at him.

The Yorktown resident, like everyone else who hits the ice, dreams of one day playing in the National Hockey League. However, he said his thoughts right now are just on putting himself in the best position to get into a good college program.

"Right now I am just looking at colleges," Belger said. "After that, I would look at pro teams and pro leagues."

Belger, who has registered six goals and six assists for the Wolfpack, explained the difference between playing in junior and high-school hockey.

"There are a lot more practices," Belger said. "You are more likely to get better. We usually practice five days a week. We play games on weekends. It's more intense."

The Wolfpack play a 44-game regular-season schedule that started Sept. 24 and goes through February 27. By comparison, Lakeland/Panas played 24 games while going 17-5-2 last season, a mark which included both the regular season and playoffs.

One of the things Belger enjoys about playing for the Wolfpack is playing for his coach Chris Cerrella, who has placed over 50 players into college at the Division I and II levels.

"I really like the coaching you get at this level," Belger said. "It's going to help me a lot in preparing for college."

The camaraderie involved with his teammates is another aspect of why the young athletes enjoys playing ice hockey. 

"Everybody stands up for one another, doesn't matter how big or small you are," Belger said. "We are all here to win it and go to the next level."

The level of play in the Atlantic Junior Hockey League hasn't come as a surprise to Belger.

"I knew what type of competition it was going to be before I joined the Wolfpack," Belger said. "The kids are bigger and faster. That's really it."

Belger travels to Cromwell, Conn. at the Champions Skating Center, where the Wolfpack team plays home games and holds practices. For Belger, who's driven to the center by his father Robert, it's an one hour and 15-minute commute each way.

"I appreciate it a lot because if it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be able to do this at all," Belger said. "The only way I could do it otherwise if I had moved there."

As far as schoolwork, Belger said he has been able to balance both homework and hockey.

"Some days, I go to my dad's house first and do my homework there," Belger said. "If I don't finish it, I finish it in on the car ride up."

While Belger enjoys playing for the Wolfpack, his Rebel teammates are not forgotten.

"I am going to miss playing games with them and hopefully going back to the sectional finals," Belger said.

Belger also added that playing for coach Bart Mucci and his Rebel teammates was a big help to his game.

"Playing for the Rebels taught me what teamwork and hard work was about," Belger said. "We had to work hard every game in order to win. I learned you have to get along with everybody, whether you are friends with them at school or not. You still have to be friends on the ice to protect them."