UConn Huskies women's hockey goaltender Megan Warrener went from volunteering to be a goalie, to a volunteer coach for goalies, and her own game has continued to grow in the process.
UConn Huskies women's hockey goaltender Megan Warrener went from volunteering to be a goalie, to a volunteer coach for goalies, and her own game has continued to grow in the process.
For University of Connecticut Huskies goaltender Megan Warrener, greatness extends beyond just the wins and losses on the scoresheet, or the awards, or the accolades, but about how you give back to the community who helped you to grow and succeed at every level.
Warrener, who hails from Stoney Creek, Ontario, has been playing hockey since she was very young, where her competitive nature developed early on as she was driven to be better than her hockey playing older brother.
“I think it started as most younger sisters. I have an older brother who was into hockey, and I just wanted to be better than him,” Warrener laughed. “So we had great competitions in the driveway non-stop, and then in my first year of hockey, I actually was able to be on his team with my dad coaching.”
Her journey into hockey may have started in the driveway as a goalie, but when she laced up the skates for the first time and hit the ice, it was on the blueline as a defender. Despite this, she never forgot where it all started.
“Anytime we didn't have a goalie, I would volunteer,” she said. “And then I started getting invited back out to more skates and the higher level skates, but as a goaltender. So I just kind of filled in there and never looked back.”
Warrener, who has embarked on her fourth season with the University of Connecticut, has never forgotten her roots and the importance of sharing her experiences with the next generation of women’s hockey players. She continues to give back to the Stoney Creek community she grew up in by hosting goalie camps for young girls.
“I actually started coaching when I was the U-18 level, so the midget AA level in Stoney Creek,” said Warrener. “It gives me that perspective of, okay, I know how to do this…It honestly makes me better.”
Warrener continues to enjoy an impressive collegiate career. After a total of 47 games, as of the writing of this article, Warrener has a career 1.59 GAA to go along with a .938 save percentage. Even with Connecticut, Warrener still has a focus on giving back to the community as a goalie coach for the Jr Huskies.
“When I got here, I was actually able to start helping goalie coach with the junior Huskies that play out of our rink as well,” she said. “I still get text messages from my first year of coaching goaltenders. They're looking for that little bit of extra confidence boost or just some comments and feedback. So it's really interesting to watch them grow up.”
Megan Warrener knows how important support is, both from your family and from the community around you, to become the athlete and person you desire to become. That’s why at every step of her young hockey career, she’s maintained deep connections within the community and pays it forward to help the game she loves so much grow to its fullest potential.