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Ringwald said. But I knew I could be there, too. Thats probably what drove me. Even when I was 18 or 19, I felt I had to get bet- ter, get quicker. Ringwald would eventually rejoin some of his former AAA teammates with the Provincial Junior A Hockey Leagues Oakville Blades, leading Oakville blueliners in scoring in his first full season with the team. Two years later, Ringwald arrived at the Rochester Institute of Technology. He had four goals and 16 assists in 30 games as a freshman, then put up 33 points in 37 games as a sophomore. He began to believe he had the potential to play in the NHL. Ringwalds junior season in 2008-09 was- nt what he hoped it would be. He still notched 33 points in 38 games, but was hampered by a nagging groin injury. The following year, as a senior, Ringwald was named captain of the Tigers. He scored 11 goals and added 26 assists as R.I.T. went 28-12-1 and became the first-ever team from the Atlantic Hockey Association to advance to the prestigious Frozen Four. Now, once again, hes being told that hes not good enough. Theres two ways you can look at it. You can feel sorry for yourself and give up, or say okay, that sucks, but Im going to battle through it, said Ringwald. If Id packed it in at 16, I would have missed out on a lot of opportunities. Setbacks like this have also taught Ringwald a thing or two about perseverance. If you truly want to get better, it doesnt matter what other people are saying. If you believe inside you can do it, youre going to make it happen, he said. Dont let other people talk you down. Theres millions of naysayers out there, in sports or business or any field you go in. If you have a dream, you have to stick to it, work hard and put the time in. If you get there, awesome. If you dont, youll know you tried hard and youll have no regrets. By Jon Kuiperij BEAVER SPORTS EDITOR Dan Ringwald has proven people wrong before, and hes determined to do it again. Its been a bitter start to professional hockey for the 24- year-old defenceman. One season after lead- ing the Rochester Institute of Technology Tigers to the NCAAs Frozen Four and being named a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award, Ringwald was recently cut by the American Hockey Leagues Hartford Wolfpack and assigned to the ECHLs Stockton Thunder. Its definitely not what I envi- sioned. Ive had an early taste of pro hockey and all the workings of it, Ringwald said last week. I thought I had a real- ly good summer and that I could crack the line- up in Hartford. My goal was to stay up there, but its the same goal for a ton of other guys and just didnt work out that way. I had some success at the college level, but that just earns you the right to try out and get your name out there at the pro level, Ringwald added. It doesnt have a lot of value. It gets you that chance, but you have to prove yourself over again. Proving himself to naysayers is something Ringwald is all too accustomed to. In fact, shortly after helping the Oakville minor bantam AAA Rangers win the OMHA championship in 2001, Ringwald was cut from the team. He considered playing AAA hockey with neighbouring communities like Mississauga or Burlington, but chose to remain in Oakville and play AA. Meanwhile, former teammates Tyler Donati and Justin Donati blossomed into Ontario Hockey League stars, Victor Oreskovich continued his path towards the National Hockey League and Nick Dodge developed into an eventual sixth- round pick by the Carolina Hurricanes. Seeing my friends go on, they were devel- oping a bit faster at the AAA level, and I was obviously proud and happy for them, SportsOakville Beaver SPORTS EDITOR: JON KUIPERIJ Phone 905-845-3824 (ext. 432) Fax 905-337-5571 email sports@oakvillebeaver.com FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2010 31 Demotion hasnt set Ringwald back If Id packed it in at 16, I would have missed out on a lot of opportunities. NHL hopeful Dan Ringwald After earning Hobey Baker Award consideration while playing for the Rochester Institute of Technology Tigers, Dan Ringwald is having a tough time impressing the pros.