Minnesota Whitecaps

Megan has been a goalie for the Minnesota Whitecaps since the inception of the team back in 2004.  She is a graduate of Benilde-St. Margaret's High School playing hockey for the Thoroughbreds then moving on to a stellar carrier while attending Princeton.

Growing up in Loretto with 7 siblings, all but one played some level of hockey it is no wonder Megan has a competitive spirit. She started playing at the age of 3 years old and has now been playing for 28 years.  As her family grows and her boys start playing more hockey Megan plans to be coaching them someday.

Q: How or who introduced you to the game of hockey?
MS: My older brother started playing and I wanted to do everything he did so my mom signed me up soon after him.

Q: How would you describe your experience at Worlds 2009?
MS: Amazing, unbelievable, one of a kind. We were not a team of individuals; we were all on the same page and striving for the same goals in perfect harmony. I have never experienced anything like it before.

Q: When you are not playing hockey what do you enjoying doing in your free time?
MS: Right now my two boys take most of my time and energy. Vaughn is 2 and Chace is 7 Months.  I also enjoy working out to stay in shape lifting weights, deer hunting in November, and farming

Q: When did you become involved with the Minnesota Whitecaps?
MS: The first year the whitecaps started I had just graduated college and was looking for a place to continue my Olympic dreams. And the Whitecaps gave me the opportunity to keep playing.

Q: What is your current career?
MS: Stay at home mom, and I manage an 80 acre farm in Cokato.  My husband Eric and I have 8 cows 4 bulls and 4 replacement heifer calves of Simmental Beef cows, with about 60 acres of alfalfa Hay/ Pasture land. Right now we are selling the bulls for breeding stock and slowly building a herd.

Q: How do you manage with your career and training schedule?
MS: I get lots of help from my husband and family with watching the kids. Keeping good records and planning ahead of time when farm things need to be accomplished.

Q: What is your most memorable moment with the Whitecaps?
MS: When I was five and a half months pregnant with my first son Vaughn, we won the Clarkson Cup in Canada. I was goalie of the tournament and not too many people knew I was pregnant. It is always meaningful when you beat Canada and steal their trophy.

Q: After college did you want to continue playing hockey?
MS: What else would I do? I absolutely love playing hockey and I wanted to chase my Olympic dreams. Hockey is a part of me.

Q: What are some pre game routines you have?
MS: I was superstitious when I was younger and I hated being ruled by them. So as I got older I changed my attitude towards them and tried to not be superstitious.  I keep my pregame rituals very low key and simple and don’t worry if things don’t go exactly as planned.  Generally I like to have a cup of coffee before a game, and just relax and connect with teammates while we are getting dressed.

Q: Did you play any other sports during your life?
MS: Several. Any sport that I could try I would. I love being competitive and playing. Let’s see I played Soccer, Softball, Swimming, Track, Mountain Biking, Road biking, hunting, Scuba diving. Even tried golf and football with friends but not really played.

Q: What is a unique trait you have that most people would not know about you?
MS: I am a very calm, quiet, down to earth person that has a strong competitive fire that hates to lose at anything.

Q: Who is your role model?
MS: Martin Brodeur – to be playing as well as he has and for as long while being able to adapt to different goaltending styles is remarkable.

Q: What would you tell younger athletes when things might not be going as well in their sporting career?
MS: “This too shall pass. “

The Minnesota Whitecaps will be hanging around their booth at the Let's Play Hockey expo ready to sign autographs and take pictures with their fans.  Hope to see you there.

Go Whitecaps!

Meaghan Pezon is one of the forwards for the Minnesota Whitecaps. She is a 2010 graduate of St. Cloud State University, St Cloud MN where she majored in Marketing. Meaghan says her first memorable moment was in her senior year of high school where when she played for the Eden Prairie Eagles and the Eagles won the Minnesota Girls State Championship. Not only did they win the state championship the team was undefeated with a 31-0 record. Meaghan enjoys conducting the youth hockey clinics put on by the Whitecaps prior to some of the Whitecap’s games. It is fun for her to see the growth in skills of the clinic participants and Meaghan especially enjoys when they stay and watch the Whitecaps play. Meaghan is currently coaching girls’ hockey at Breck High School in Minneapolis, MN along side a coach who coached her in high school.

Q&A with Meaghan Pezon…

Q: How did you become interested in playing for the Whitecaps?

MP: I started watching the Whitecaps when I was a sophomore in high school. I was working out with Brooke White and she would tell me about their games.  My high school team also played against the Whitecaps my senior year (I think we lost by quite a bit hah!) After going to college I got to know more players on the team, and I knew that once I was done with college I wasn’t going to be ready to be done playing!

Q: How did it feel to win a National Championship playing at St. Cloud State?

MP: I actually didn’t win a national championship at St. Cloud! We had some really good teams, and my sophomore year we went to the WCHA Final Face Off. My senior year we also finished third in the WCHA which is the first time a team other than the big three (Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Duluth) finished that high in the standings. I have a lot of good memories from St. Cloud and we were able to win some big games. It was fun to be a part of a developing program!

Q: What is your greatest memory playing for the Whitecaps?

MP: I have a couple! Playing in the Clarkson Cup was a great experience. Even though we didn’t have much success out there it was a fun trip! We drove there in a snowstorm that took 19 hours! The overall experience of the trip was something I will never forget! The trips are always a blast! I have traveled some places I probably otherwise would not have seen because of the Whitecaps. We got to go to Banff my first year playing, and it was probably one of my favorite places I have even been!

Q: Who inspired you to play hockey?

MP: I always had older cousins that played hockey. We used to go to Red Wing and watch them play all the time.

Q: What is your dream job?

MP: My dream job would be to play in the NHL or hopefully WNHL (someday!). Since that is not an option, yet, someday I would like to get into an advertising or promotional role at some point in my career!

Q: If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?

MP: Anywhere warm, with a lot of beaches! I love the sun, and water!

Q: What to you enjoy doing in your free time?

MP: In the summer I love being on the lake! Lake Minnetonka is one of my favorite places! In the winter I absolutely love playing pond hockey! My dad has been building a rink in the back yard for as long as I can remember. The nights when friends come over and skate, and we would have a campfire going are some of my favorites!

Q: Where have you traveled for hockey?

MP: Hockey has taken me a lot of places! As a U12 I got to play in a tournament in Vancouver, BC, on the way there my family stopped in Seattle! I love the West coast! In high school I got to take a couple trips to Rochester and Lake Placid NY. At St. Cloud we got to see a lot of fun places. We went to Boston and got a tour of Fenway Park, we also got to go to New York City and see the Statue of Liberty, World Trade Center, Wall Street, and Rockefeller Plaza. I am very grateful for all the opportunities I have been given because of hockey.

Q: What is one thing most people would not know about you?

MP: I was a pretty good lacrosse player in high school. My senior year I was an All-American and Player of the Year. I played on the high school team for three years, we won three state championships and we never lost a game in the three years that I played!

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