January 27, 2009

By Dave McMahon
Special to USAHockey.com

The family van made an ideal dressing room for Mercyhurst College junior forward Meghan Agosta.

As a youngster, she began her figure skating career just across the U.S.-Canadian border in Ontario. In fact, her hometown of Ruthven, Ont., holds the unique distinction of being located southeast of Detroit.

She didn’t take long to get hooked on hockey, too, and for a while she decided to put both sports on the family’s daily planner.

“My mom [Char] would come pick me up from figure skating after about 45 minutes of lessons, and I would change in the van on the way to another rink for hockey practice,” said Agosta, a top three finalist for the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award for the each of the past two seasons. “I’d have to leave figure skating early so I could get to hockey.”

Suffice to say, she made the correct choice. A member of the Canadian team that won gold at the 2006 Olympics in Torino, Agosta is once again a possible candidate for the Patty Kazmaier Award, given to the most outstanding player in women’s college hockey.

There was a time, though, when the white skates with toe picks were in her future.

“My mom put me in figure skating when I was four, and I did that for a couple of years,” she said. “But my older brother, Jeric, plays hockey [now at Nebraska-Omaha], and I looked up to him. I wanted to do everything he did. I’d always go out and play road hockey with him. One time I asked my dad if I could play hockey, and he really didn’t give me an answer. The next year, I asked again and my mom kind of looked him, like ‘Let’s sign her up if she wants to play.’ He allowed me to play and I got signed up when I was 6. I’ve loved it ever since. It’s gotten me to where I am today.”

Those skating lessons in the early days of her career gave her a springboard into playing alongside the boys.

“When I first started, I had to play a level up because of my experience in figure skating,” she said. “My older sister, Cara, was a real good competitive figure skater, but I kind of fell in love with hockey. I’m really glad that I was in figure skating, because that’s how I learned to skate. I learned about inside and outside edges. I just loved hockey more, you know?”

After her Peewee Minor AAA season, Agosta began playing on girls’ teams.

“A lot of the boys I played with got drafted to the OHL [Ontario Hockey League], some guys went to school,” said Agosta, whose younger sister, Jade, also played sports growing up. “I still talk to some of them and it’s interesting to see where hockey has taken us.”

So far, it’s taken her to Team Canada and Mercyhurst, where through her first two seasons she virtually rewrote the scoring record books.

“Overall, from my freshman year until now, I’ve improved so much in every aspect of my game—off the ice, too,” she said. “The coaches have taught me a lot and made me into a better hockey player overall. I’ve improved a lot in my defensive play. Every opportunity I get to go on the ice, every shift, I give 100 percent.”

Named as one of top three players in the college game the past two years, Agosta has not let off the gas pedal as a junior. She leads the nation in points per game with well over two. In 17 games, Agosta has 37 points (16 goals, 21 assists).

“If it wasn’t for my teammates, I wouldn’t even be considered for any awards,” she said. “If it comes up again, I’d be happy, but I don’t go out there thinking about awards every day. I am thinking about what our team needs to do to meet our team goals.”

Agosta loves the sport so much that she took it upon herself to sponsor a player in the Kingsville (Ont.) Minor Hockey Association in her hometown.

“One day I want to have my own foundation to support kids who don’t have the financial means to do what they want to do,” Agosta said. “My family had four kids in sports. It can be hard if only one parent is working. Hockey is expensive, and you don’t want kids to not play because they can’t afford it. It’s a way to give back to the community where I grew up. My association did so much for me. If I couldn’t afford to play and someone had done something like this for me, to see the smile on the kid’s face would be fantastic. I’ve been fortunate to play sports, and I’d like to see other kids the same opportunity.”

Agosta figures to always hold her local community in high regard. As a criminal justice major with a law enforcement concentration, Agosta hopes to eventually work in a K-9 unit.

In the meantime, a date in the NCAA Frozen Four and a spot on Team Canada for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver are more immediate concerns.

“Set goals and believe in yourself and follow your dreams,” Agosta said. “Don’t let anybody tell you can’t do something, whether it’s a sport you want to play or what you want to become when you’re older.

“People told me that I wouldn’t be able to play for Team Canada, and that gave me the fire to fulfill my dream. I play because I love the game, and I’ve loved it ever since I got the opportunity to play when I was 6. That’s when I decided I wanted to play for the country. The honor of playing in the Olympics and playing for my country is better than getting paid millions to play the game. The friendships you make go a long way compared to other things.”

Story courtesy ofRed Line Editorial, Inc.