Dec 13, 2017 | Peterborough Examiner | 317 views
Fisher Commits to Concordia
Meghan Fisher is looking forward to continuing her hockey development next year playing for two women's hockey stars. Fisher, 17, a Peterborough Girls Hockey Association graduate, has committed to play U Sports hockey for Concordia University next season.
She is currently the captain of the Kingston Ice Wolves in her second season in the Provincial Women's Hockey League which is the female equivalent to the Ontario Hockey League.The five-foot-eight, 140-pound defenceman is known for her strong defensive play and skating ability. She is in Grade 12 at Holy Cross Secondary School, where she is an A student, and commutes to Kingston for practices and games. She originally planned to attend a smaller university until Concordia expressed interest in her and she investigated the school's hockey program."They have Julie Chu coaching who was the captain of the USA team and Caroline Ouellette (assistant coach) who was captain of Canada's team," Fisher said. "They have a great coaching staff. We went down for a tour and an official visit and were on the ice with the team. It just felt right. Everything clicked. I loved the atmosphere. It was so positive and energetic. I loved everything about it. I weighed my decision and felt this was definitely the one."She also visited the University of P.E.I. and talked with the University of Ottawa and a couple of NCAA schools but meeting the Concordia staff and players sealed the deal for Fisher."They were so welcoming. I wasn't even part of the team when I went to the practice and they were happy to have me and the coaching staff was so positive and passionate about the game. They had so much to teach me. I just thought if I could get this coaching for the next five years I'll be set." She kept in touch with Concordia defensive coach Mike McGrath following the visit and says it was pretty emotional when he and Chu called to offer her a spot."I can't even describe how excited I am," she said.. "When I got the phone call from Mike and Julie they were both on speaker phone and when they told me I had the spot I just started crying. It was pretty cool to finally have that weight lifted off your chest knowing you are committed somewhere. I can relax now when I'm playing and not have so much pressure on me." Fisher said she owes the opportunity to a lot of people who have helped her along the way."If it weren't for my coach Troy Sweet and all the girls and support in Kingston, I wouldn't have been able to make this big step," she said. "A huge shout out to family and friends and coaches who have helped me along the way to helped me develop into the player I am today." Despite being only 17 in league that goes up to age 21, Fisher was asked to be Kingston's captain this season."It was pretty cool," Fisher said. "Halfway through last season I knew I was leaning towards having a big role this season so I had a bit of a hint but it was definitely surprising when it happened. It's more than an honour. It's great to be recognized for my leadership abilities and being hard working on the ice."