A Forester men's hockey tradition continued on Saturday with the presentation of the 2023 Peter Taylor Award to senior defenseman Scotty Nicholson.
The presentation was made between the first and second periods of Lake Forest's Alumni Day game against Lawrence University. The Foresters prevailed 4-3 in overtime.
Nicholson is the team's active leader with 28 assists and has been one of the team's top defensemen over the last four seasons. He was named to the USCHO All-Rookie team as a freshman and earned Northern Collegiate Hockey Association All-Academic Team honors each of the last two seasons. After serving as one of the team's assistant captains last year, he wears the 'C' on his jersey this winter. Off the ice, the economics major has been a teacher's assistant, as well as a tutor in the College's quantitative resource center. In August he will begin his career as a financial analyst at Goldman Sachs.
Saturday's presentation was made by Lake Forest College Head Coach Sean O'Malley and Director of Athletics Nicki Pieart. They were joined on the ice by previous Peter Taylor Award winners Josh Giacomin, Aaron O'Neil Aaron Vickar, Devin DeStefano, and Joe Donlan. Scotty's parents, Keith and Laura Nicholson, also came down onto the ice for photos.
"Scotty is the type of person that we look for in our program: energetic, hard-working, smart, and dependable," began O'Malley. "Over the last four years he has proven to be a strong communicator, a confident leader, a fierce competitor, and mature young man. He is highly self-motivated and someone who always does extra, whether on the ice, volunteering, or in the classroom."
The Peter Taylor Memorial Hockey Award was established by Peter's family, friends, and teammates to celebrate his life and continue his memory. The Taylor Award is presented annually to the Forester, selected by his teammates, whose outstanding talent, leadership, and love for the game best exemplify the qualities that Peter possessed. In three years at Lake Forest, Taylor recorded 136 points and earned All-American honors. He graduated in 1973 with a degree in politics.
