Dr. Austin Scott Erney graduated medical school May 18 from Nova Southeastern University, Davie, Fla.

At an early age, Erney had the goal of becoming a doctor.

His interest in ice hockey as a goalie led him to join a team that traveled and played Northeast Prep schools and in Canada hoping to enroll in a New England prep school to play at a high level and focus on his academics.

Over that year, as a sophomore in Northwestern Lehigh High School, he applied and was accepted to Vermont Academy in Vermont.

There, he started and played ice hockey for his three years.

He focused on his academics which gave him numerous options for his undergraduate school selection, ultimately choosing Lake Forest College in Illinois for his undergraduate school.

He played ice hockey for his four years in the ACHA league as he pursued his medical school path.

He graduated magna cum laude from Lake Forest College, Fort Lauderdale, Fla., then went to Loyola University, Chicago, for his Master of medical science degree.

During that year, he applied for medical school and chose Nova Southeastern University, Fort Lauderdale.

Erney did two years at Nova and two years of rotations in the Tampa/Clearwater area of Florida, Miami, several hospitals in Pennsylvania and St. Jude.

His residency match is in anesthesiology and he will be in the Tampa/St. Petersburg area for four years of residency.

He is the son of Cindy and Scott Erney.