Hodgson strikes Yukon gold
BRAMPTON, Ont. – Canada Winter Games success behind him, Cody Hodgson was raring to resume duty with the Ontario Hockey League’s Brampton Battalion on Sunday.
Hodgson won a gold medal with the Ontario under-17 team in a 6-4 victory Friday night over Manitoba at Whitehorse, Yukon. Ontario players were scheduled to leave right after the game, but delays and a missed connection caused Hodgson, who eventually landed in Toronto late Sunday afternoon, to miss the Battalion’s 2-1 overtime win over the visiting Sudbury Wolves.
“We had some trouble getting home,” centre Hodgson said Monday by telephone from his Markham, Ont., residence. “I really wanted to get back for the Sudbury game. But there were no flights back and a lot of complications with the airlines, so we had to stay in Calgary on Saturday night.
“I was definitely ready to play against the Wolves. We were missing some guys, and it’s great to pull out a win like that. It shows the character of this team.”
Hodgson, an alternate captain for Ontario, had four goals and four assists for eight points in five games.
“I was just trying to have as much fun as possible. I thought I played pretty well. It was a great experience. I loved it in Whitehorse. I never even worried about the cold that much.”
Hodgson, who turned 17 on Feb. 18, was a key player in Ontario’s closest game, a 4-3 overtime win over British Columbia in a semifinal. He scored to tie it at 9:24 of the third period and set up the winning goal by Anthony Nigro of the Guelph Storm after 13 seconds of overtime.
“Some of the guys were getting nervous when we were down in the third,” noted Hodgson.
“We were fortunate to tie it. I scored from the blue line and I got lucky. I was just trying to get it on net. The goalie was screened. In overtime I tried to get the puck on the net. It was deflected into the corner. I went after it and shot the puck behind the net, and Nigro scored on a wraparound.”
Hodgson said there were numerous solid performers at the Games.
“It was fun to play on that team with guys like Steven Stamkos and Michael Del Zotto. They made the game so much easier. There were some great players on the other teams, and it made for some terrific competition. Maybe a few years down the road we’ll all be on the same team for Canada.”
Hodgson, a first-round pick in the OHL Priority Selection last May, has 21 goals and 21 assists for 42 points in 58 games this season. He said he’s eager to return to the Battalion’s battle for a playoff spot, which resumes Thursday night with a visit by the Kingston Frontenacs.
“I’m really looking forward to getting back with the Battalion. I had a great two weeks away, but it’s back to playoff mode and I’m ready to go.”
