By Matthew Demirs
Heading into the 2016-17 season, senior captain Jack Lewis was not concerned with racking up the most points this season; instead he had other priorities—serving as a leader his teammates could look up to.
On Sunday, February 4, Lewis was awarded the 2017 Peter Taylor Award for his outstanding talent, leadership, and love for hockey. The award is presented each year to one athlete, selected by his teammates, who best exemplifies the qualities of the player for whom the award is named – Peter Taylor ’73. This season the team gave the honor to Lewis.
“It’s a huge honor. Having been voted by my teammates means a lot to me. It shows me that there’s really that kind of respect and comradery throughout the team and that they believe in you as a person, as a player, and as a leader. It’s pretty special. I am deeply honored” commented Lewis.
Sophomore forward Bron Loisselle is one of many athletes on the team who look up to Lewis. Loisselle noted “He leads by example—Lewis is someone who is ready to bring it every time we are on the ice. Whether he’s there making a big hit or scoring a goal, he can do it. He is an all-around player and definitely the kind of guy you want to emulate.”
Lewis who hails from Ontario, Canada, leads the team with 29 points, 15 goals and 14 assists. One mantra Lewis believes firmly in is “earning it.” After being recruited from a junior hockey league, he joined the team and put everything he had into doing just that. Lewis chose to attend Lake Forest because of the successful hockey program, the beautiful campus, the opportunities to achieve academically, and the tight-knit community. Lewis, a Chemistry major, spent last summer interning as a research assistant under Professor Cody studying solid state chemistry. He is also a member of the Tri Beta Biological Honor Society.
Despite the lengthy time commitment that is required for one to be a student-athlete, especially when studying Chemistry, head men’s hockey coach Patrick Kelliher admires how Lewis always gets his work done and arrives prepared to get on the ice daily. “He’s a smart guy and he never complains about having to handle school work and hockey.”
Kelliher goes on to say that Lewis embodies everything the Peter Taylor award stands for in terms of leadership and ability. “It’s nice when one of your best players is also your leader and captain—that’s not always the case. He holds the respect from all his teammates so I would have been surprised if he didn’t win the award” said Kelliher.
Lewis gives a lot of credit to his Dad who has been his role model throughout his entire life. “It is kind of quite the road to take as a junior hockey and collegiate athlete because of all the traveling and time spent away from home but he’s been patient and supportive of me all the way,” commented Lewis, who believes his father has instilled some of that patience in him.
As Lewis approaches graduation, he hopes current athletes are aware of the work ethic it takes to be successful in this league because it’s obviously a difficult a conference. He is confident that his actions will carry over to the rest of the team and that the winning culture instilled will continue after he moves on from Lake Forest.
Junior forward Shawn Nelson, who has played with Lewis for three years, will remember the type of captain he was while on the team. “He’s never been someone to accept mediocre efforts. Jack is the type of guy who loves being at the rink and would choose being on this team with our guys over anything else.”