Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Troup High senior Landen Gogel is wrapping up his youth hockey career in style. Hogle was recently named the Outstanding Goaltender of the Year in Division A of the GSHL for his play with the Columbus Cottonmouths during his senior season.

“I was at the luncheon where they gave out the awards and the guy said, ‘I want to give out awards for outstanding players of the year.’ And I looked at mom, I was like, ‘I don’t think I’m getting one of those,’” Gogel said. “So when they called my name it was a real shocker, I couldn’t believe it.

“I finished the season, I think, with like, an 89.3 % which is really good, but there were guys at like 91.7% and just a little bit higher than me, but they didn’t play as many games and face as many shots, and so, like, in the back of my mind, I thought they were just going off save percentage” he added. 

Gogel is honored by his individual achievements, but with the playoffs in full swing, he has his eyes on an even bigger prize.

“I talked to the coach from our team, and he said, this has been the farthest we went in a couple of years and we never won state before,” Gogel said. “We don’t want to finish runner-up or in third, we want to win it all. How cool would it be to win state in my final year?”

After missing the opening game of the playoffs due to obligations to his travel hockey team, Gogel returned in style for the second game. Facing elimination, Gogel made 33 saves and earned his second shutout of the season.

“It was an exciting game to be a part of,” Gogel said. “I faced 33 shots, so I stayed pretty busy that game. But we got the win, we stayed alive and that’s what matters at this point in the season.”

The Columbus Cottonmouths will be back in action on March 29 with a game against Harrison. The Cottonmouths will have to go 4-0 that weekend to claim the state championship.

“It will be very hard to do, but this is what it’s all about,” Gogel said. “Hockey isn’t supposed to be easy.”

Gogel joined the Cottonmouths as a junior and became the team’s no.2 goaltender, splitting time starting in goal with a senior. This season, Gogel took on a bigger role as the team’s no.1 goaltender. He was expecting to have a timeshare at the position so that he could occasionally get a game off, but unfortunately, that is just not what was meant to be.

“Our other goalkeeper hurt his hand playing football and was out for the season, so we recruited another guy and he ended up getting injured too, so I have had to start most games this season,” Gogel said, chuckling. 

With graduation on the horizon, Gogel is in his final few weeks of youth hockey. The senior wrapped his travel ball career earlier this month and will play his final high school games on the last weekend of March. 

“It’s really a bittersweet feeling,” Gogel said. “I’m ready to graduate and move on to the next chapter, but at the same time it’s tough to let go.”

What exactly his future holds is unclear at the moment as he is unsure if he will attend college and play club hockey or try out for the USA Junior Hockey program for teens aged 16-20. Gogel is playing it by ear as he approaches his graduation date, but one thing is for certain, he’s not done with hockey yet and hockey isn’t done with him.