In the spring of 2010, O'Gara decided his best bet was to come from Long Island to play for Milton Academy. It turns out this was a pretty wise decision. After helping lead Milton Academy to a New England Prep Championship, easily the most prestigious of any high school tournament, he was rewarded with a fifth round (151st overall) selection by the Bruins in the 2011 NHL Draft.
Following his draft summer, O'Gara went back to Milton Academy in hopes of reaching the pinnacle of high school hockey once again in the 2011-12 campaign. Although Milton had a fairly dismal season at only 9-15-3, O'Gara was as impressive as ever, scoring 25 points (5g, 25a) over those 24 games. A defenseman scoring at a point per game clip is impressive in itself, but to do so on a weaker team earns O'Gara all the more respect in my opinion.
Upon concluding a fabulous high school career O'Gara enrolled at Yale University this fall, lacing up the skates for the Bulldogs in his freshman season. A consistent presence in the top six of the deep Yale D-corps, O'Gara has done a good job proving that he will be a solid NHL defenseman one day. Though he needs to fill out a bit before becoming a pro, his smooth skating, soft hands, and excellent presence in his own end all point toward a successful NHL career in the future.
The reason I choose now to review O'Gara is the work he and his teammates have done in the post season. After being selected the 15 overall seed (number four in their "region") after going 20-12-3 in the regular season, the Bulldogs have shocked everyone. After a hard fought 3-2 OT victory over number two overall seed Minnesota, Yale used their momentum to trounce North Dakota 4-1 to earn a birth in the Frozen Four for the first time since 1952. Tune in to watch O'Gara and the Dogs battle UMass Lowell in the National Semifinals at 4:30 this afternoon!
References:
hockeydb.com
bruins.nhl.com
ushr.com
http://triblive.com/sports/-topstories/3802662-74/lowell-frozen-yale#axzz2QBZiIffn
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