Her freshman season with the Yale Bulldogs was in 2008-09 and she was recognized as a member of the ECAC All-Academic team. She skated on the same line with Mandi Schwartz to begin her freshman season. Her seven goals ranked third on the team, while her sixteen points ranked fourth. For the season, she only incurred four penalties. The following season, Hughes nine goals and seventeen points ranked second on the team, while she was named to the ECAC All-Academic team for the second consecutive season. In the 2010-11 season, Hughes led the Yale Bulldogs with 10 goals. On April 22, 2011, Hughes was elected captain of the Bulldogs team for the 2011-12 season. She became the 31st different person to captain the Yale women's ice hockey team during its 35-year varsity history. On November 5, 2011, she assisted on Stephanie Mock's first career NCAA goal in a 7-1 loss to Princeton. In her final season, she led the team in assists and points. In addition, Hughes was her team's representative for Yale Athletics' Thomas W. Ford '42 Community Outreach Program. Hughes did not miss a game in her career with Yale. Statistically, she finished with 30 goals and 31 assists in 116 games played. She was the Bulldogs leader in goals scored during the 2010-11 campaign. She is in Yale's career top 20 for goals, assists and points. She won Yale's Mandi Schwartz Award for courage, grit and determination on two separate occasions.
USA Hockey
Hughes attended USA Hockey's open tryouts for the 2010 Olympic team in the summer of 2009.
George Hughes, her father, played hockey for the Harvard Crimson and ranked seventh on the Harvard career scoring list with 161 points. Her uncle, Jack, played for Harvard and the Colorado Rockies of the National Hockey League. Her mother, Allison competed athletically for Boston University. In addition, Hughes has two brothers, George and Gunnar, who play hockey at St. Lawrence. Hughes was involved in charity work while at Yale. She organized a bone marrow donor drive and the Goals for Mandi fundraiser for teammate Mandi Schwartz. She also organized the Nov. 12, 2010 White Out for Mandi fundraiser at Ingalls Rink, which raised more than $15,500. In addition, she served as the Yale women's ice hockey team's representative for the Yale Athletic Department's Thomas W. Ford '42 Community Outreach Program. She is also a member of Athletes in Action, a group of Christian athletes that performs community service initiatives.
