At various times, Ryan Hartzell admittedly can have two sides to his personality.

When he is a senior student at Northampton High School, Hartzell describes himself as a mild-manned person who is concerned with his studies and also is developing some plans for his immediate future.

Consequently, Hartzell is more aggressive when he is one the ice as a member of the Northampton hockey entry in the Lehigh Valley Scholastic Hockey League (LVSHL). Through studies and sports, though, Hartzell is a high school Renaissance student as he has literally worked the arts outside and inside of the rink.

"I am definitely not my usual self when I get on the ice," said Hartzell, who has been playing the sport on an organized level for the past nine years. "When I'm playing hockey, I am pretty competitive and aggressive.

"There is just a different side of me that comes out. I am able to work with both sides and it has worked out well for me."

When he is away from the game, Hartzell diligently has worked to gain entrance into the school's National Honor Society chapter, and he has also enjoyed a long and productive association creating sketches and considers art to be a regular hobby. He credits his mother, Wendy , and grandfather, Bill Wisor, for peaking his interest. He hasn't always sketched in the traditional manner either.

"They helped get me interested in it, but I always enjoyed drawing things since I was little," said Hartzell. "When I draw things, I don't just like to sketch standard ones. I like to be able to stretch reality in mostly everything that I draw.

"It helps provide a different perspective on things."

On the ice, Hartzell has been a regular in the Kids' lineup the past two seasons.

He took consistent shifts during their run to the LVSHL Non-Pure division title last season, and he has been one of the team's elder statesmen during this season that has seen the Kids get off to a slow start remaining winless through their first five games (0-4-1).

Hartzell believes his team needs to strive to play from whistle to whistle.

"This season, we could easily have a few wins, but we haven't been able to finish strong," he said. "We've had leads in games, but we haven't been able to hold on to them. We lost a number of guys from last year's team and we have some new players working themselves into the lineup.

"We have the talent to do well here, though."

Hartzell tried the traditional sports such as baseball and basketball growing up, but he decided hockey was the right fit for him.

"I liked hockey because it was different and it involved different strategies," said Hartzell. "(Hockey) involves some head games and you have to work different angles when you're out there. I had an interest and then went to a camp run by coach (Brian) Ruff. After that, I joined the Northampton program and have been here since."

His coach has appreciated his efforts over the years.

"Ryan (Hartzell) has worked hard and really improved his game," said Ruff. "He's not the person who is always scoring, but he is out there doing the other things to help make us successful. We're looking for him to have a nice year for us."

Looking ahead to next fall, Hartzell is still debating the options to choose either beginning a career in engineering or physics. If he selects engineering, he would like to attend Penn State. Should he travel the other route, Hartzell would like to attend Rochester Institute of Technology.

At either institution, Hartzell has contemplated continuing his hockey career on the club level. He has been inspired by his father, Jason, who recently began competing in a men's hockey league.

Whatever the case, Hartzell plans to do what he can for his current team.

"We can turn this around," he stated. "It is still early, and we have the talent. We just have to keep working together. This is not a reflection on who we are, and we have to change ourselves and move forward."

For Hartzell, however, changing for the better won't be anything new.