Senior Kalvin Kerwin has spent the last three years with the Saint Joe hockey team absorbing the culture of leadership that is the lifeblood of this program. Now, the eyes have turned to him.

“You need to use every single player in order to win,” he says. As an underclassman, Kalvin was always one of those role players. He provided depth to some extremely talented teams that were chock full of key players, stars, and legends of Saint Joe lore. Now, he’s looking to become one of those key players himself.

“Having only 3 seniors puts a big responsibility on the leaders of the team. The leaders need to bring the team closer, to really get to know each other.” Kerwin, one of those 3 seniors and a likely captain this year, has always been a leader throughout his four years. He has always been one of the most outspoken guys in the locker room and he cares deeply about his teammates. “If one teammate is down you bring them up, because even if one small gear is broken the machine can’t function.”

It’s part of the hockey culture; everybody knows everybody, whether it is within your team or within the league. There is only one youth league in Northern Indiana, the IYHL, and most of the players play together before splitting off into their respective high school teams.

Kerwin is a high-octane scorer with a fantastic shot and an unteachable ability to create space for himself. His scoring abilities will be crucial in a junior-loaded team that wants to get back to state this year. Kerwin thinks it will take long hours in practice to get back to the state championship again, and he believes that it is a matter of sticking together. The team is off to a strong start so far with a 2-0-1 record, and they hope to keep up the positive momentum all the way through the season and into the tournament.