ST. JOSEPH, Minn. -- Chloe Lewis is a naturally competitive person – both on and off the ice.
 
"I love winning," the College of Saint Benedict senior forward said. "Who doesn't? It doesn't matter if we're playing spikeball, pickleball or anything else. I want to be the best. But especially when it comes to sports. I have a competitive edge that drives everything I do."

 

That's what made it so frustrating when she suffered a broken hand this past November, just two games into the start of her senior season – an injury that kept her out of action for six games.
 
"After it happened, I got up and tried to pass the puck," Lewis said. "But once I got off the ice, I knew it was broken. It was hard, obviously. No one wants to sit out, especially during their senior season. But if it was going to happen, it couldn't have happened at a better time. I was able to recover and still get back in time for the second-half stretch. That's when you really want to be playing at your best. So I was at least glad the timeline worked out that way."
 
St. Ben's head coach Lindsay Macy described Lewis – who saw action in all 25 of her team's games a year ago and in 24 as both a sophomore and a first-year – as the "emotional heartbeat" of the team.
 
It meant her leadership skills were sorely missed while she was injured.
 
"She brings so much energy and she holds people accountable," Macy said. "She's very gritty. She does all the little jobs on the ice and that's so important. You need someone who's going to grind like that. We've seen that since she's returned. She been going like crazy. Her intensity level is so high. She hated missing any time. She wanted to be out there with a club hand. It was hard to keep her off the ice for any time at all."
 
Lewis – a two-time all-conference pick in high school while playing for her father Jeremy, the head coach of the Osseo/Park Center program –was also a goalie on the CSB lacrosse team the past three seasons. But she made the decision not to play this coming spring, focusing all her energy on her final season of collegiate hockey.
 
"Lacrosse has been so much fun, but hockey has been my sport since I was little," she said. "I've been playing since I was 7. It's definitely my favorite."
 
That commitment to her sport and season adds another layer of intensity with only a limited number of games left.
 
"I don't know if that changes anything about the way I play," she said. "But it's definitely more apparent to me now how much hockey means to me and how little time I have remaining. It makes it even more important that I leave everything out there. I don't want to walk away with any regrets.
 
"We actually sat down and laid out the rest of the season recently. That's when it really hit me. It's crazy to think I'm almost done doing something I've done almost my whole life. I don't know what it will be like not having more hockey to look forward to. My body will probably thank me. But my brain and my heart will be sad."
 
That's still in the future, though. For now, Lewis is enjoying her final season. Her team – which outscored Dubuque (Iowa) 17-0 in a nonconference sweep this past weekend – is now 3-1-2 in MIAC play and 8-2-3 overall.
 
"The vibes are really good on this team," said Lewis, who has tallied 12 career goals, 12 assists and 24 total points in her career. "Every day, we're pushing one another to be the best. No one is taking anything personally. We're all working toward the same goal and you can see the results."
 
Given her high-energy approach on the ice, it's also been important for Lewis to find balance off it. The political science major has done that by working with ceramics.
 
"I have an art scholarship and I make pots and stuff," she said. "It's nice just to be able to turn my brain off for a bit and make something. It's a release for me when I'm stressed out. I can go there and be by myself. It's a nice reset."
 
Back on the ice, Lewis remains focused on helping CSB - which is currently tied with St. Olaf for third place in the MIAC standings - finish the regular season in the top five and earn a spot in the conference playoffs for the first time since her first season in 2022-23.
 
"That's the biggest goal – both for me and for the entire team," she said. "I do have individual goals and things I want to accomplish. But that's what really matters. If we can make it to the playoffs and do well, I will walk away from this season fulfilled."