Late-running UBC hockey player sprints to the rink in full gear and goes viral
Not all athletes get an exemption from school to prioritize sports.
Figure skater Madeline Schizas had her homework assignment extended while representing Canada at the Olympics, but UBC Thunderbirds women’s hockey captain Annalise Wong didn’t get the same treatment.
The Richmond native went viral over the weekend during the U SPORTS Women’s Hockey Championship. With her team about to battle the Waterloo Warriors, Wong was delayed for academic reasons.
The fifth-year UBC student missed the 8 a.m. EDT puck drop because she had a medical school interview at 9 a.m. for the University of Toronto.
Then, like a true captain, she slapped on her gear, drove to the rink, and sprinted to the dressing room just in time for the third-period finale.
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“Excuse me,” she said while ducking one student in the hallway.
Then, as she entered the dressing room, her teammates erupted in celebration.
“It was pretty awesome,” she said while being interviewed on CBC’s The National.
“We have a really, really close team. They were really excited to have me there, and they were all cheering. So, it made it really fun, running in there.”
“It really kind of hit me, and I took it all in,” she said. “I was like, ‘I can’t believe we pulled that off.'”
Wong also talked about the surreal nature behind the last game of her five-year career at UBC.
“When I was a kid, I would have to get dressed in the car, and my parents would be rushing me to games. It was a pretty full-circle moment.”
UBC went on to win the game against Waterloo, clinching fifth place in the tournament.
Wong finishes her UBC career with 100 points in 167 career games. She was also named a first-ballot All-Star for the first time in her career.
And most importantly, she showed her dedication and hustle until the very end of her university hockey career.