In sports, team chemistry is often vital to success.聽
The UML hockey team just so happens to have a chemistry major to help in that department.
, a rising junior forward for the River Hawks, is pursuing a bachelor of science in chemistry from the Kennedy College of Sciences. While he hopes to play professional hockey after college, his ultimate goal is to become a chiropractor.
鈥淚鈥檝e always been a science-oriented person. I like seeing how the world works,鈥� says Levesque, who was raised in a very science-oriented home in Russell, Ontario, Canada 鈥� his parents, Lyne and Marc, were both biochemistry majors and are now veterinarians.
Given the physical demands of hockey, Levesque often visits a chiropractor to 鈥渕ake sure I鈥檓 all tuned up and in optimal shape.鈥� But it wasn鈥檛 until he visited a chiropractor鈥檚 office for career day in high school that it became a professional aspiration.
鈥淚t鈥檚 really interesting to me how sudden movements, especially with the spine, can help relieve pain,鈥� says Levesque, who was able to job-shadow a chiropractor in Nashua, N.H., following his sophomore year at UML 鈥渢o see what their day-to-day life is like.鈥�
Levesque played two seasons of junior hockey in the Central Canada Hockey League (CCHL) after high school to prepare both physically and mentally for the college game.
鈥淚 was a bit of a late bloomer,鈥� says the 5-foot-10, 175-pound Levesque, who 鈥渉ad his eye on UMass Lowell鈥� while playing in the CCHL. He knew the hockey program was a consistent national contender; when he learned the university鈥檚 science department was also strong, 鈥淚 knew it was exactly the fit I was looking for,鈥� he says.
Balancing the demands of Division I college hockey and chemistry studies can be a challenge, but Levesque says it鈥檚 all part of the team culture.聽
鈥淚t鈥檚 something that our coaching staff makes sure we understand: If we want to play, we have to work hard in the classroom as well,鈥� Levesque says. 鈥淏eing a student-athlete is exactly that 鈥� 鈥榮tudent鈥� comes first. You鈥檝e got to take care of your schoolwork and be accountable to each other.鈥�
Now that he鈥檚 an upperclassman on the hockey team, Levesque is taking on a bigger leadership role. When the players returned to campus in early July to begin preparing for the 2019-20 season, Levesque reported a few days early to help the incoming freshmen.
Just like former River Hawk Chris Forney once did for Levesque when he was a freshman.
鈥淚鈥檒l never forget what he did for me in terms of coming in and making me feel part of the team right away,鈥� Levesque says. 鈥淚 really appreciated that.鈥�
Levesque, who was seventh on the team with 17 points (4 goals, 13 assists) as a sophomore, is excited to see how far the River Hawks can go over his final two seasons. He also can鈥檛 wait to get back out on the ice at a packed Tsongas Center.
鈥淭he first couple of games as a freshman, and it still happens to me now, I鈥檒l step out on the ice and I鈥檒l be in awe of how many people show up to support us,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 love that extra motivation that the crowd gives. Sometimes, when you鈥檙e a little tired, that atmosphere they create just makes you want to push even harder.鈥�