Van Beusekom good as gold

PU graduate part of world champion U.S. national hockey team

By: Justin Feil
   A gold medal has made Megan Van Beusekom a little more popular, but little else has changed for the farm girl from Loretto, Minn.
   Van Beusekom, who returned to Loretto after graduating from Princeton University last year, returned to the small town of 500 as a world champion goaltender who continues to work for the family business while living on their farm.
   "It keeps you grounded," she said.
   Van Beusekom has every right to be sky-high after being goaltender for the United States women’s ice hockey team that defeated Canada in a shootout to win the 2005 International Ice Hockey Federation Women’s World Championship this month. She played in three games as the U.S. was perfect in pool play before former Northeastern goaltender Chanda Gunn played the semifinal and final games of the medal round. In three games, Van Beusekom surrendered just two goals and held a 1.33 goals-against average. But more than the personal success, being a part of the team success made every minute — on the ice or on the bench — well worth it.
   "It’s something I’ve been working on for my entire life," Van Beusekom said. "You dream of it. To see it come together is kind of amazing."
   Van Beusekom traces her first dreams of international success back to when she was still playing in boys’ leagues on the cusp of her teen years.
   "The only option for women was the Olympics or the national team," she said. "That was the top spot. It’s what I wanted to do."
   She saw her dream realized when she got a call asking her to clear her calendar for March and early April. Van Beusekom and her national teammates flew to Lake Placid for preparations before heading to Linkoping, Sweden, for the World Championships. They returned to the U.S. as the first American women’s team to top Canada for a world championship.
   "We came in with that kind of ideal that we’re going to do it this year," Van Beusekom said. "As a team, it was amazing how well we bonded with each other. Everyone got along. It was just magic. We had a team psychologist and we went to that all the time. It’s amazing to get to know others on the team like that. We served as one cohesive unit."
   Van Beusekom had plenty in common with half the team just by holding Ivy League roots. She was the lone Princeton alumna on the team.
   "She’s always worked hard," said Princeton University head women’s coach Jeff Kampersal. "The way she was brought up, as a farm kid, she’s tough. She got better every year.
   "I would go to bed thinking the sky is bluer, the world is a little better place with her back there. We had that much confidence in her. Her playing at that next level, it was just a matter of whether she continues to get coaching and still continues to work hard."
   Van Beusekom was a three-time first-team All-Ivy selection at Princeton. She took more than her books education with her upon graduation.
   "My coach at Princeton, Jeff Kampersal, was amazing," she said. "He taught me so much about the game, about being mentally prepared, and about being an all-around player. That helped. And the academic pressure helped keep you on edge."
   Even after winning a gold, Van Beusekom won’t rest. She’ll continue to train for the first Olympic tryouts at the end of this summer. A team will be selected to train in Lake Placid for the year and tour the country challenging college teams such as Princeton. After such an enjoyable taste of her first international playing experience ever, Van Beusekom would like the chance for another medal.
   "It was good introductory experience into that program," she said. "I didn’t know what to expect. I went in saying, if you let me play, I’ll play. If you don’t, I’ll support the team. I wanted to help the team. It was not so much about the playing time. My position is tough. You have to be ready."
   Van Beusekom performed well enough that Kampersal believes she’ll have a chance to make the Olympic squad. The World Championships gave a big taste of what that experience would be like.
   "With that honor comes lot of nerves," Kampersal said. "If you make a mistake, all eyes are on you. Just to get in that competition and play against top players in the world, it only builds confidence. She just has to keep working. She knows she needs to play more."
   More is exactly what Van Beusekom is thinking of as she contemplates her international future. It got off to such a good start with one gold medal that she’s interested in living her childhood dream out a little longer than expected.
   "When I graduated, I knew I’d at least be playing until the Olympics," she said. "Now, maybe I’ll play another four years. It was pretty cool."
   Van Beusekom had quite a career for Princeton. She was thrilled to be able to extend it beyond Old Nassau, and those that saw her best at Princeton were happy to see her bring honor to the Tigers and the U.S. at the international level.
   "In the collegiate league, in terms of American goalies, Megan was one of the best," Kampersal said. "Against Harvard (a 40-save game), she was amazing. She single-handedly won games.
   "Megan was just good all-around. When she played for us, there was a presence about her. The kids had confidence in her."
   The United States has confidence in Megan Van Beusekom as well. The Princeton University graduate has a gold medal to prove it.