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Otters star doubles as Gannon student
By: Alex Sibley, assistant sports editor Even though the Erie Otters finished with 18 wins and were in last place of the Ontario Hockey League’s Midwest Division last season, it was a year Justin Hodgman will never forget. The 20-year-old Brampton, Ontario, native, recorded a career-high 37 goals and 43 assists to lead the Otters, was selected to his first All-Star game and was also signed by the International Hockey League’s Fort Wayne Komets in Indiana last year.  Hodgman (pictured left -- contributed photo) is also a part-time student at Gannon University, currently taking a leadership course.While in Fort Wayne, Hodgman was named playoff MVP for the Komets, who won the IHL championship, as he collected 14 points in 13 playoff games – not bad for his first stint at the professional level. “(Fort Wayne) gave me a shot and I ran with it,” said Hodgman, who earned a tryout with the National Hockey League’s Minnesota Wild thanks to his stellar play during 2007-08. “My playoff run was my first in years, and it was an honor to be named playoff MVP on such a great team.” In game seven of the IHL finals, Hodgman scored the winning goal in triple overtime to clinch the championship and he received the best news of his life a couple months later. The Hockey Hall of Fame contacted Hodgman, asking for his jersey and the puck to put on display in Toronto, a call Hodgie – as his teammates call him – will never forget. “I couldn’t believe my ears when I got the call,” he said. “Not everybody can say they are in the Hockey Hall of Fame, but I can, and that’s an unbelievable feeling.” Hodgman is currently in his fourth year with the Otters, where he has started the 2008 campaign right where he left off, tallying four goals and two assists in the team’s first four games. After returning to Erie from his time in Minnesota, Hodgman learned first hand what it takes to make it to the show. “I got an idea of how hard you have to work to make it,” he said. “Also, the speed of the game is a big increase and you need to adjust fast.” But his first NHL camp is something Hodgman hopes he can share with his teammates to turn things around to get the Otters back to winning games. Second-year forward Shawn Sydlowski has already seen the effects. “After being at camp and seeing what it takes to make it to the next level, he helps guide our younger guys,” said Sydlowski, also a part-time student at Gannon. “He gives them insight on what needs to be done in order to win and better yourself along with the team.” As any other OHL player, Hodgman is constantly away from his family, and calls Erie his home for about six months of the year. But he said the transition has been easy, thanks to hockey and his teammates. “The support system here is great,” he said. “Having the billets (host family) and roommates I do, along with the coaching staff and teammates, it makes the adjustment much easier.” With his tremendous year behind him, Hodgman has now turned his focus on this year’s Otters team, which has struggled the last two seasons, with the goals of “making the playoffs and going from there.” In his down time, Hodgman enjoys playing pingpong and watching movies with his teammates, but is also a pretty good baseball player as well. “When I made my decision to play in the OHL, I also had a chance to play at the equivalent level in baseball for the Canadian Thunderbirds, which is an elite team that travels the states playing schools for exposure to help get American scholarships,” he said. Regardless of how Erie finishes this season, expect Hodgman to put up numbers to hopefully one day call the NHL his job. ALEX SIBLEY
sibley003@gannon.edu
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