File photo by Steve Muscatello New Ulm’s Ali Beltz leads the state in goals (40) and points (65).

NEW ULM — When Ali Beltz was in the lower grades at Sleepy Eye St. Mary’s, she had a decision to make as to which winter sport she was going to play.

She had been playing hockey since she was four years old, but she went to a basketball camp just to try it.

“I didn’t like it, so I stayed with hockey,” Beltz said.

Now a senior at St. Mary’s and a member of the New Ulm High School girl’s hockey team, Beltz has made that decision to play hockey instead of basketball. That has led to her progress from a mite player to one of the top girls’ hockey players to ever come out of New Ulm High School and one of the top players in Minnesota.

She leads the state in scoring with 40 goals and 65 points and her 25 assists ranks second in the state.

“Hockey has always been my love,” said Beltz, who recorded her 100th career goal Dec. 29, 2017 in a 4-3 loss to Fargo North/South in the Sartell Holiday Tournament.

“I love the game,” Beltz said. “It is fast-paced and it is different.”

And even when Beltz was beginning in the Mite program (ages eight and under) people around hockey knew that Beltz was going to be a special player.

“She was good,” said Bill Ries of Sleepy Eye, who coached Beltz from mites through PeeWee A’s and through U12. “I had girls from Sleepy Eye in Lauren (Klein), Dani (Weiss) and Ali and they were all good skaters. But Ali had better balance which shows today and had better puck control even at a very young age.”

And Ries said that that one word — balance — was one of the things that has made her the kind of player that she has become.

“She is just another step ahead of others,” he said. “Her stick handling, skating is good and she saw the ice well.”

Beltz learned one key thing that she carries every day into practice and games.

“The harder you work, the better you are going to do,” she said. “You have to keep working and keep up your pace and always get better.”

And she has been influenced by a member of her family.

“My dad (Jody) has basically taught me everything I know and I always look up to him,” she said.

Beltz also knew that in order to get better, she had to make some sacrifices and work extra.

“You have to go up to the Twin Cities and that means traveling — it is a big time committent,” she said. “But if you love, it you have to make it work. I did High Performance for three years where all of the top players in Minnesota are put into teams. There are progressions. I got exposed to better players, which helped me get better.”

Kristin Faber, her high school coach who has coached since eighth grade, said that Beltz is huge for the team and program.

“She comes with the right mindset every day to work hard and try to improve not only herself but also her teammates,” Faber said. “She is a leader on and off the ice — she leads by example and has a passion for the game. And when she is on the ice she is always smiling. She loves the game.”

And that leadership that Beltz displays for her younger teammates maybe is mirrored by a player that Beltz looked up to when she was a young player on the Eagles.

“I was really influenced by Brook Schugel,” Beltz said. “She went D-I (to UMD) and I have always looked up to her. She was my biggest role model throughout my career and I just want to follow in her footsteps.

“I just love playing hockey,” said Beltz, who will continue her hockey career next year at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls. “It is never a dull moment. I love playing hockey. I feel like I am in a different place and world and everything is okay when I play hockey.”