Male Athlete of the Week

Forward Payton Liske scored two goals in under three minutes during a hat trick performance on Saturday night in the men’s hockey team’s 6-3 victory over the Nipissing Lakers in North Bay. The first-year commerce student has 14 goals this season, putting him three points behind linemate Jordan Mirwaldt for top-scoring rookie in the OUA.

The Welland, Ont. native came to the men’s hockey program from the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League’s St. John Sea Dogs after spending two years at the University of New Brunswick. Liske has also played for the Ontario Hockey League’s Owen Sound Attack and Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds.

Liske said adapting to a full courseload after only taking two-and-a-half courses at UNB took some time.

“It took about a couple weeks to a month to get back into the routine of school and playing hockey,” he said. “When I was playing out east it was a different balance. I had a 70-game schedule [with the Sea Dogs]. In the CIS there’s only 28 games so the focus can be on school.”

Liske said interuniversity hockey is a little dirtier than he’s used to because there’s no danger of an enforcer.

“It can be a little bit chippier,” he said. “We don’t have a lot of fighting in the CIS so there’s nothing to keep people in check.”

At 21, Liske isn’t the typical age of a first-year Queen’s student, or even a first-year athlete. But he said he didn’t receive the stereotypical rookie treatment.

“Here everyone’s much more mature. It’s been pretty easy for me that way,” he said. “It’s definitely much different from junior. You’re 15 or 16 and you’re playing with 20-year-olds. When you’re four years younger and going into a locker room with 20 year olds it can be a difficult environment.”

Liske said fan support is the biggest difference between junior hockey and Queen’s hockey.

“In Saint John we’d be playing in front of 5,000 fans,” he said. “The first couple of games I was kind of shocked. Playing in front of 5,000 fans is different than playing in front of 100. It does have an impact on the team ... I don’t think many people here really follow the hockey.”

What superhero would you be?

Oh geez. Something that can fly, I don’t know.

Ballet or breakdancing?

Breakdancing.

Favourite team in any sport?

New York Yankees.

What’s on your iPod right now?

A mix of everything.

Hots dogs or hamburgers?

Hamburgers.

If you had a free plane ticket, where would you go?

Somewhere hot.

If you were an ice cream flavour, which one would you be?

Chocolate-chip cookie dough.