By: Jason Mastrodonato, News Staff
At just 5 feet, 1 inch, Annie Hogan arrived at Northeastern in the fall of 2006 looking like anything but a hockey player.
The forward had left a stellar career behind her at Lawrence Academy in Groton, Mass., earning All-League selection in 2005-06 and team MVP in 2005. But making the transition to a Division 1 hockey program left Hogan with some bumps and bruises along the way.
“I was just so small,” she recalled. “I didn’t have any muscle. I just got out of high school and was doing the same toe-drags and fancy moves you can get away with. But [in college] you get knocked around a couple times, get your helmet knocked off get, a couple of sticks broken. You learn pretty fast what’s going to work and what isn’t at this level.”
In Hogan’s freshman year, the Huskies finished 5-26-2. The following season wasn’t much better, with a final mark of 7-24-3. By her third year, the Huskies won 12 games, and this past season Northeastern finished 17-9-7, climbing as high as No. 7 in the national polls. It was the program’s first 17-win season since 2001-2002, and the most memorable season to Hogan.
“That was one of the most exciting things to be a part of,” she said. “I like to say I’m lucky because I had a really good ride.”
Hogan completed her senior season in February with a loss to the University of Connecticut in Hockey Easy quarterfinals. A team captain, she collected 19 goals and 30 assists throughout her four-year career, including 20 points in her final campaign.
Growing up in Medford, she always had her mind set on playing in the Beanpot Tournament. To Hogan, it was simply a decision of which Boston school to play for. Looking back, she said she made the right choice.
“When you I got here [at Northeastern] for the first time, I knew this was the school for me,” she said. “If you’re going to be at the rink every day for four hours, it might as well be at the best rink in the country.”
Matthews Arena underwent extensive renovations over the summer of 2009, which offered the athletes a new weight room and expanded locker rooms. The estimated $12 million dollar project was a popular addition among the women’s hockey players.
Hogan was part of history at Fenway Park in January, notching the first ever assist in an outdoor women’s college hockey game. It was her favorite moment in a Husky uniform.
She started skating when she was just three years old, and after giving everything she had to the sport for nearly 20 years, she’s finally content with calling it quits.
“I’m done,” Hogan said. “It was the best part of my life, but you have to move on.”
While her eligibility on the hockey team is complete, she still has another year left at NU. Hogan will graduate next May with a degree in communication studies, still unsure of what she wants to do with her career. But right now, she’s transferred her energy and focus toward training to run the San Francisco Marathon in July.
“The marathon has been a huge commitment, so I’ve kept my mind busy with that,” she said. “Hockey players have bad hips and it’s pretty hilly, so I might be in trouble, but we’ll see.”
Hogan leaves behind a strong squad centered by a young offense and two of the league’s premier goaltenders, sophomore Florence Schelling and junior Leah Sulyma. Hogan will no longer be on the ice, but she’ll find herself a new home in the stands.
“They’re going to be awesome,” she said. “I think they’re going to do really good things. It’s going to be exciting to watch.”
