Rich Mies, CSN columnist

The Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) is widely respected as one of the premier conferences in nearly every sport competed in Division III. Year after year, the MIAC produces teams and individual student-athletes who excel in their given sport. At the same time, the MIAC schools maintain a reputation of commitment to academic excellence. This article is one in a series of spotlights on some of the young men and women who represent the league's commitment to excellence, both in the classroom and athletics during the 2006-07 academic year.

Many high school athletes who go to a Division III college continue playing their sport or sports but a sizeable number give up playing at the varsity level. It is a rare athlete who sits out a season or two after high school and then decides to resume playing, but that is part of the path Ryan Adams followed, a route that led him to being an integral part of the Bethel University hockey program for four seasons. What makes this even more unusual is that Ryan’s desire to play college hockey is a large part what led him to transfer to Bethel four years ago.

“I initially went to UW-Stout as a freshman and didn’t play hockey there,” recalled Ryan. “But I missed playing. I knew a guy at Stout who was playing Juniors “B” hockey in South St. Paul, and I ended up playing with them. After two seasons with them, I decided to transfer to Bethel and play here.”

Ryan was born in Alexandria, MN. When he was three, his father’s job changed and the family moved to Litchfield, MN, a community of 6500 located 65 miles west of the Twin Cities. He is the oldest of five boys. “Blaine didn’t play sports in high school. He works back home in Litchfield now,” said Ryan. “After him is Eric. He played hockey in high school and is now a teammate of mine at Bethel where he is a sophomore. After him is Matthew, who is a junior in high school. Nathan is the youngest. He’s a freshman in high school. He plays hockey, football and baseball and is tall for his age. Dad is 6’5”, and we think Nathan is going to be big like him.”

Ryan and his brothers attended Litchfield High. During his high school years, Ryan’s main sport was hockey, but he ran cross country and track in seventh through ninth grade. “Running was mostly for keeping in shape for hockey,” he admitted. “In track, I ran the mile and the two mile on the varsity, but I got burnt out from running and decided not to run after my freshman year.”

He also dabbled on the baseball diamond. After playing organized ball from “tee-ball” though age nine, Ryan stepped away from organized baseball until his sophomore year in high school. He played outfield for two seasons on the Dragons’ JV before deciding to focus exclusively on hockey.

Ryan got involved in youth hockey when he was four years old. The sport was just taking off in the Litchfield area; because of small numbers of interested players, the youth program is a cooperative between Litchfield and neighboring towns Dassel and Cokato. They field a co-op team at the high school level, too. Ryan played on the JV team his freshman year, and split time between the varsity and JV his sophomore year. That year, the L-D-C team lost in the quarterfinals of Section play.

Ryan spent his junior and senior seasons playing forward. “I skated at left wing and at center,” he said. “I played wherever the coaches thought I could best help the team.”

In his junior year, they reached the Section championship game, but lost to Hutchinson, 4-3, and Ryan was named All-Conference Honorable Mention. He was chosen team captain for his senior year and led L-D-C to the semifinals of the Section, where they lost to Mound, 3-0. Ryan was named Team Offensive Player of the Year and earned a spot on the All-Conference First Team.

Being part of a relatively new program was a challenge. The L-D-C program faced many of the problems that are common to a new program, including a low number of players and a lack of depth in talented players. The program had many players who were enthusiastic about playing, but whose skills and talents were not as finely honed as many of their competitors. Still, Ryan looks back fondly on the time spent on the team. “I skated with a great bunch of guys,” he said.

Off the ice, Ryan was active in the LHS band, playing percussion instruments from fifth grade through his senior year of high school.

Coming out of high school, Ryan was not recruited by colleges for hockey. He decided to enroll at UW-Stout and focus on being a student, with his hockey playing days behind him. One of the friends he made at Stout was an acquaintance from high school hockey. “He was playing for the South Suburban Steers,” Ryan said. “They were a Juniors “B” team based in South St. Paul, about an hour’s drive from campus. He asked me if I wanted to play with the Steers. I decided to join the team and played with them for the season while continuing as a student.”

After that’s season, the Steers relocated to Bloomington, MN, and were renamed the Twin Cities Northern Lights. Ryan had one final season of eligibility for Juniors hockey left and decided to follow the Northern Lights. He transferred to Normandale Community College, a few blocks from the Northern Lights’ home ice.

While playing with the Steers, Ryan became friends with Josh Storm, one of his line mates his first season of Juniors. “I heard about Bethel through Josh,” Ryan recalled. “He was recruited by Bethel and came here the same year I went to Normandale. I came to visit him and checked the school out. I met the coaches and liked them. They came and watched me play a few games. By midseason, I’d decided I would enroll at Bethel the following fall. I didn’t look at any other colleges. One of the things I liked about Bethel when I visited was the people; they were nice, open and friendly. I felt it was a good fit for me all around and that the guys on the team were a good group of guys.”

Ryan saw action at center in 19 games his freshman season at Bethel. In MIAC play, he notched four goals and six assists, ranking fifth among first year players. Bethel posted a 4-12-0 record in MIAC games, taking eighth place in the conference. Overall, Ryan netted eight goals and dished out eight assists as the Royals finished 6-17-1.

One of the seniors on the team that year was Chris Carroll. He took Ryan under his wing that season. “He was a big influence on me,” stated Ryan. “We worked out lifting weights together and started going to church together. I wouldn't be where I am today without him as a player or a man. He was a great role model for me. We are still good friends.”

Carroll, who is now an assistant coach at Bethel, feels that “Ryan is as good as they come. When we were teammates, I was impressed with his work ethic. He is very, very hard working and is very disciplined. He is very easy to get along with, and players respect that about him. Ryan relates to everyone. He has a great shot. He’d be the first to admit that he is not the greatest skater, but he can shoot… hard and quick. Now that I’m helping coach the team, I appreciate his play even more He has integrity. You never have to worry about him. He is very mature, and works so hard every day. He never complains, he just does what he needs to do. Ryan is in the best shape of any player on our team. He is the leader of this year’s team.”

During the Christmas break of Ryan’s sophomore year, the Royals traveled to Russia and played four games as well as doing sightseeing and bonding as a team. “We had some great experiences over there, and it helped the team chemistry a lot,” said Ryan.

Bethel had a breakout season in that year, and Ryan was a big part of that. He scored 12 goals with five assists in conference play, finishing fifth in the MIAC in goals scored. He was named to the All-MIAC First Team by the conference coaches. Bethel posted a 10-6-0 record in conference play, tying St. Olaf for third place. During the regular season, Ryan scored one of the biggest goals of his career, finding the net in BU’s 5-3 win over Saint John’s on February 4, 2005. SJU was ranked #1 in the nation at the time. The Royals were the third seed in the MIAC Playoffs. In the semifinals, they lost 4-3 in overtime to St. Thomas, the Tommies’ closest game in the postseason, as they reached the national title game. Overall, Bethel finished 17-8-0, and Ryan scored 20 goals, with five assists. BU’s record that season was the best-ever in school history, as was the 17 wins.

Last fall, Ryan’s scoring production slipped slightly, as he netted seven goals and four assists in MIAC play, but his contributions to the team went beyond scoring. He helped guide the Royals to an 8-6-2 MIAC record and a fourth place finish. In the play-in game of the MIAC Playoffs, they eliminated Gustavus 7-5 before falling 5-4 in overtime to St. Thomas to close the year 10-14-2.

This year, the coaches asked Ryan to move to wing from his usual center position. He readily accepted the change, as he knew it was for the good of the team. Bethel is off to a 3-2-1 start in MIAC play and is currently tied for fourth place. Overall, BU is 6-8-1. Ryan has found the net twice and has dished out three assists.

Head Coach Pete Aus is grateful to have Ryan wearing blue and gold. “Ryan is a gem!” stated Aus. “He has been faithful to us through four great years. He is a coach’s player, accepting his role no matter where that has placed him. He cares about the team and his teammates and is always ready to serve and help in any way he can. On the ice he is relentless. He has always given his best in practices and games. He definitely is one of the hardest workers I have coached and shows up to play everyday.”

For Ryan, playing for the Royals has been a wonderful experience, one that has been made even better with his brother Eric on the team the last two seasons. “We played together in a handful of games in high school,” Ryan recalled. “He followed my path to the Northern Lights and to Bethel. Having him on the team is one of my favorite things about being here. When I first game to Bethel, playing hockey was a big deal to me. Having Eric on the team adds a special dimension to being part of the team.”

Ryan’s outgoing personality has won him many friends, including Carroll. “He will do anything for you,” he said. “If you need a hand, he is always there to help. For example, Ryan has helped me with fixing my car many times as well as helping me with projects around my townhouse. I appreciate him as a friend so much I asked him to be in my wedding. I highly value his opinion, and he is a great reference for sound advice and guidance. He is also just a great guy to hang out with. He comes from a small town and has good morals and values, ones that I strive to attain as well.”

Off the ice, Ryan is a Physical Education and Health double major. He sports a 3.20 GPA and will graduate in May. This semester, he is student teaching in the Centennial school district. “I will spend half the semester at Golden Lakes Elementary and the other half at Fridley High,” he said.

Ryan plans to go into teaching Physical Education and Health after graduation, and hopes to get into coaching hockey as well. “The perfect situation for me would be to teach middle school and coach at any level,” he said.

Looking back, Ryan is proud of his accomplishments on the ice. “I’ve worked hard to become the player I am,” he stated. “I never was a ‘star’ in high school or in Juniors. I was just someone who worked hard to get better. I’m happy with the success I’ve had personally and, more importantly, with the success we’ve had as a team.”

Being at Bethel these four years has had a big impact on Ryan. “When I came here, hockey was a big deal to me,” he noted. “Being here has helped me get a better focus on life. Family, God and my relationships with others are important to me, and being here has strengthened that. I’ve formed some great relationships with friends and teammates here as well as getting a good education and having great experiences with hockey. Bethel has helped make me the person I am today and has helped me on the path to the person I want to become.”

The person Ryan is has impressed Coach Aus greatly. “For me, the most rewarding thing is to have watched Ryan’s growth as a man of integrity and a man of faith,” said the coach. “He has been a man of character and discipline on and off the ice. He is a guy who leads through example and toughness in all he does.”

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