When it comes to snow and ice, New Hampshire is one of the best places to go, but Ian Orton was mostly interested in the ice.

Orton, a graduating senior from Bow High School, left his friends and family in North Carolina and loaded his hockey equipment into the car after being recruited to play for the Manchester Junior Monarchs.

Orton moved in with a host family in Bow last August, and changing from the city life of Raleigh to a small town was an eye-opening experience for him. “It has been good. Everyone has been really nice and they know you since it is such a small town,” he said. “Everyone I have met has been very open and receiving to me and listened to what I have to say.”

Since Orton has no family in the area, his host family did their best to make him feel at home. “Basically, we try to become his surrogate family,” said Meredith Moore, who Orton stayed with while going to school in Bow. “We make him feel like the house is his house and make him fit in like he’s part of the family.”

The transition to a new life was a difficult one for Orton.

“It was definitely a new experience. I have never done anything like this before,” he said. “I gave up all of my friends and family. There was a lot that needed to be done to get used to things up here, and making new friends.”

Despite the difficulties that came with the drastic change, Orton said it was a beneficial experience.

“I learned a lot of people skills and about meeting new people when I came here,” he said. “You learn how to interact with different people, and about not judging a book by its cover.” Moore said she has noticed a change in Orton since he arrived less than a year ago.

“He’s definitely matured. He’s worked very hard and grown up a lot. I think a lot of that has to do with the whole process, moving away from home,” Moore said. “He was 17 and having to make all new friends. Being away from his family was hard, but I think that experience helped him a lot.”

In addition to finishing his high school education, Orton spent most of his time either at the hockey rink or spending time with his teammates taking in some of the ski slopes of New Hampshire.

Orton will take at least one year off playing with the Junior Monarchs before pursuing an education and scholarship at a Division I school, potentially staying in the New England area.

He wants to find a school with a good business program, and said he sees similarities between the classroom and hockey arena.

“I just have to keep practicing hard, working out and pushing myself. I like to strive to be the best at whatever I do,” he said. “I do it to the best of my ability whether it be school, a job or sports. You have to just want to improve yourself as a person.”