SANBORN, N.Y. (WKBW) — Inside Niagara Wheatfield Senior High School you'll find the Athletics Hall of Fame, featuring decades of excellence proudly displayed. The most recent class includes Zack Belter, a star hockey and lacrosse player at NW.
“Some of the best memories are playing hockey in the road or lacrosse in the front yard, and being able to bring that up through high school was pretty special.”
Belter helped take the hockey team to a state finals appearance in 2018 and was one of the best lacrosse players in school history. After graduating, he was part of the first-ever Division l lacrosse team at St. Bonaventure University. With the Bonnies, Belter's game continued to improve, earning him all-conference honors in 2021 and 2022.
"One of the recruiting questions that I asked way back in the infancy of just starting St. Bonaventure, he was one of the first recruits, I asked 'What's the dream, what are you trying to do?'" Bonnies lacrosse coach Randy Mearns said. "And he said point blank, I want to play in the NLL, and preferably I want to play for Buffalo."
And that's what Belter did. In 2022, he was a first-round pick of the Bandits and this season he made his NLL debut. He's earned more responsibility and play time as the season has moved along and now he's helping the team in the playoffs as they look to defend their title.
“I grew up going to the games,” Belter said. “I’ve been in the seats in the 300s for a while, so it’s pretty cool to be on the floor now.”
"He's worked so hard and now he's at that level," Mearns added. "Now, I feel this, as he continues to go through his rookie season, and hopefully the Bandits can win another championship back-to-back. He can do this for another 15 years of his life, and that's what he was dreaming about."
Belter is the only Western New York native on the active roster, so that first game in front of Banditland was something he'll never forget.
“The first time I came out of the tunnel I really realized how crazy it was. They’ve been our backbone all year. They’re so passionate and it’s really cool to have them.”
Growing up 30 minutes from KeyBank Center has its perks and Belter is grateful. He has family and friends at every game, making his rookie season that much more memorable.
“They mean the world to me," Belter said. "Their support throughout my whole life is everything to me, so, it’s special having them there.”
Belter and the Bandits begin a best-of-three-game series against the Toronto Rock on Friday. If the Bandits win, they'll head to the NLL Finals for the fourth straight season.
"It's definitely a dream [come true]," Belter said. "We're focused on Toronto right now and it's a big test, but we feel good going forward."
