Evolving on the Ice with Michael Lamison

Chatham senior & men’s ice hockey captain, Michael Lamison

Senior exercise science major and incoming Doctor of Physical Therapy student, Michael Lamison found his way to Chatham thanks to a rather painful twist of fate. Originally from Johnstown, Pennsylvania, Michael opted to take a gap year between high school and college to play hockey in a Juniors league—an intermediate level between youth and college hockey. During his time in Juniors, Michael broke his hand and had an interesting epiphany while healing:

“I was originally planning to go to college for engineering. When I broke my hand, I went to physical therapy and really enjoyed it. I ended up shadowing a physical therapist that winter and at the end of the season, Chatham reached out to me for hockey. I saw that they offered both exercise science and physical therapy, and it worked out perfectly.”

In 2018, Michael, who has been playing hockey since he was three years old, joined Chatham’s relatively fledgling five-year-old men’s hockey team. Though the team struggled significantly during his first season, they managed to win the first quarter-final game in program history during his senior season. Part of the team’s rapid improvement can be attributed to Michael’s work as team captain. Serving as team leader has helped not only the team but his own evolution, “I really enjoyed it. The guys made it very easy and communicating with Coach [Michael Gershon] was very easy. It was a lot of fun trying to mediate different things, for instance, talking to Coach and then talking to the team and relaying that information. It definitely [helped me] develop me as a person. It made me realize some of my strengths and weaknesses and how I could try to develop the weaknesses and continue to build on my strengths,” says Michael.

Michael in action on the ice

Michael and some of his hockey teammates

In this past season, which ended on February 26, the men’s ice hockey team landed as a top four team in the conference and competed in their first ever United Collegiate Hockey Conference (UCHC) semi-final. Michael says he finds the impact of the experience difficult to put into words: “It was awesome to see how far we've come both as individuals and as a [team]. Our class and the junior class both saw a change from the old culture into the new culture. It was amazing to pull out a win, and we were extremely excited on the ice.”

And though his college hockey career may be over, Michael is hopeful that he can continue to make the sport a prominent part of his life, as he says: “I don’t want to put it away [just yet].” He’ll start Chatham’s Doctor of Physical Therapy program this fall, an accomplishment that has been powerful in and of itself: “[A highlight for me school-wise] has been seeing myself grow as a student and getting into physical therapy school here at Chatham.”

His advice for the next era of Chatham student athletes is straight-forward—soak it all in:

“It goes so much faster than you think. I remember my freshman year after the season ended, I wanted that semester to be over so I could go home for the summer. Here I am, three years later as a senior, wishing I could go back to freshman year. It was awesome to be part of a Chatham team and to have that camaraderie with each and every one of the guys throughout my entire four years. The relationships I built my freshman year continue today and I can see them continuing for a very, very long time.”

Special thanks to Michael for sharing his Chatham ice hockey story with us. You can learn more about Chatham’s DPT program via our website. Explore our athletic offerings at gochathamcougars.com.