Sophomore Greg Lapointe's Comeback Season is Bigger Than Hockey

For the first time in 14 years, the St. Lawrence men’s hockey team swept Clarkson University in the storied Route 11 Rivalry over one weekend in late January. Greg Lapointe ’25 netted two of the four goals needed to overcome Clarkson’s early lead in game one of the two-game series.

“As a player, Greg has a rare ability to score goals,” says Brent Brekke, Charles W. Appleton II head men’s hockey coach. “Very few have a knack to score in many different ways, but he can and does.”

The double wins marked a high point in a comeback season for the Business in the Liberal Arts and Economics double major from Granby, Québec, who spent more than a year off the ice attending to his health. In May of 2021, not long after St. Lawrence claimed the ECAC men’s hockey championship title, he noticed a mass in his neck.

“I had a doctor's appointment and I remember saying something to my mom that I’ll never forget,” Greg says. “You have to pay to see a doctor in a private clinic in Québec and I was like, ‘We're not gonna pay 200 bucks for him to tell me that I have a lump in my neck.’”

In early June, he received the results—stage-three Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. He says he broke down once, privately, right after he learned of his diagnosis.

“Other than that, I didn't really cry. I just wanted to get it over with, just get through it and get back to hockey,” Greg says. “That was my biggest motivation.”

Skating Saints Stick Together

The Skating Saints are a close-knit group. They endure hours of rigorous training together, share meals together, and many of them live together. For Greg, telling his teammates about his diagnosis was one of the hardest things he had to do while fighting cancer.

“I told them over Zoom and I could barely get it out. It was tough, but they were really supportive,” says Greg. “One of my best friends on the team, Nick Trela, called me every week to see how I was doing.”

“Everyone was in shock,” adds Brekke. “He was in good shape. He looked like a typical, healthy athlete. When he took medical leave to be at home to fight his battle with cancer, his situation was a constant reminder of how fortunate each of us was. It reminded us to push through adversity when we were facing challenges.”

Greg started treatment in July and was on track to finish in November of 2021. He was hopeful he would be able to return to the team at that time, when he learned instead that his cancer had returned. He began chemotherapy again and underwent a bone marrow transplant, totaling a year and a half of treatment.

Though devastated, he kept in touch with his team and returned to Appleton for the raising of the ECAC Championship banner. He admits he struggled when he couldn’t be on the ice as the season went on.

“At some point, I wasn’t even watching the games anymore. It made me too angry, so I had to focus on something else. We still cared a lot about one another, but it was hard not being there to help them,” says Greg, who adds that despite his frustration, he never stopped checking scores and tracking the Saints’ performance.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Greg asked to receive care in a pediatric oncology ward.  Pediatric patients, unlike adults, could receive one visitor, which meant his mom could be there to support him in person, but Greg explains that there’s another reason for his decision.

“They were brave. I met a 13-year-old, they were in high school, trying to find who they are, and they couldn’t go to school because they were sick. That was a source of motivation for me. I was like, if they can do it, I can too.”

Even while confronting the grief of being unable to play after learning his cancer had returned and navigating the physical challenges of battling the disease, Greg looked for ways to give back to those who helped him.

“We created a GoFundMe for the foundation where I was being treated and everyone around me donated—people in my hometown, from Vancouver where I played junior hockey, and from St. Lawrence. We raised $40,000. It was amazing to see the outpouring of support,” he says.

Turning Vulnerability into Strength

Now back on campus, Greg lives in a suite with six of his teammates. In the common area, a felt St. Lawrence banner hangs on the wall. It’s surrounded by red, oversized stockings, each bearing a different player’s name in plain handwriting, evidence of holiday celebrations passed and the camaraderie among the group.

Throughout his journey back to St. Lawrence, Appleton, his friends, and the sport he loves, Greg acquired a new perspective—one that’s helped him get back into playing shape since being cleared to return to hockey for the current season.

“I learned to be vulnerable and to accept love and help from others,” Greg explains “As hockey players, we’re tough guys, but sometimes you have to accept that you’re tired and you need rest. The small problems of life don’t matter as much. Like stressing about a paper that's due on Friday. I would've wanted to do that a thousand times last year.”

Physically preparing to return to play presented its own set of challenges. He describes feeling so sore after lifting weights for the first time that all he wanted was a weekend at home to rest. But according to Brekke, his perseverance paid off.

“Greg was further ahead of where we thought he might be stepping back on campus,” he says. “He trained very hard after his stem cell transplant and established a good foundation. I believe the game of hockey played a big role in his ability to overcome his disease. I’m just happy to see him back playing the game that he loves.”

By the time of the Saints' first game in October, Greg was wearing a scarlet and brown number 12 jersey again and starting at forward. His shifts are a little shorter, but he makes the most of every minute on the ice.

“When I walked into the tunnel for the first home game, I was shaking. I had chills when I got onto the ice—hearing the people in the arena again. It’s just amazing. It’s something I’ll never take for granted.”