Megan Keller 鈥�19 is living the dream
One week after scoring the biggest goal of her hockey career, an overtime thriller that secured the gold medal for Team USA, Megan Keller 鈥�19 was back on the ice, taking shots with her teammates on the md传媒国产剧 Fleet. She still hadn鈥檛 unpacked, gotten over her jetlag, or fully processed the enormity of her third Olympic experience. 鈥淚鈥檓 not sure it鈥檚 sunk in, or if it ever will,鈥� she mused. 鈥淵our entire life, you dream about scoring a goal like that.鈥� Keller, who left md传媒国产剧 College as its top-scoring defender of all time, is in her third year with the Fleet, part of the Professional Women's Hockey League.
Here, she shares more about competing on the world stage, eating risotto with Stanley Tucci, and inspiring future generations.聽
We all saw it on tv, but could you walk us through your game winning goal?
I'll try. I know the beginning part very well: I saw a change happening and then Taylor Heise made an incredible pass that stretched all three zones. After I got the puck, I kind of blacked out; I was just playing hockey at that point. As soon as I saw it cross the line, I couldn't chuck my gloves and stick in the air fast enough and hug my teammates. We wouldn鈥檛 have won this without every single person in the locker room, so it was pretty special to have that dogpile at the end.
What were the vibes in the locker room going into overtime?聽
It was pretty calm. It was the first time in the tournament that we were down, but the belief and the trust in our group never wavered. You just look around and see your teammates sitting next to you and you know they're going to do their job. Once [Hilary Knight] got the tying goal, I think we all just had the feeling that we're winning this game. Obviously Canada's an incredible team, and we knew that game was not going to be easy, but we had all the confidence in the world that we were going to bring it home.聽
Your first Olympics was eight years ago when you were still a BC student. How did this experience compare?
Every Olympic Games is different. 2018 was super special. I was a younger player, a little naive, but I had great veteran leadership to show me the ropes, and in the end, they're why we brought home gold. Then in 2022 it was COVID times, so there were no family, friends, or fans, which is difficult. To come back and have this one in 2026 and have all the people that helped get us to this position cheering in the stands鈥攖hat's the best part.聽
You were one of four BC alumnae on Team USA. What was it like competing with Cayla Barnes '23, Hannah Bilka '23, and Alex Carpenter '16?
It's incredible to look back on the journey we鈥檝e had, getting the chance to be college teammates and then competing on the world stage together. I've been fortunate to have done it for over 10 years now with some of them. I credit BC with a lot of my development. It's a special place and I wouldn't trade going there for the world. I miss it a ton and wish I had more time there. It's always special to not only represent Team USA, but md传媒国产剧 College as well.聽
What鈥檚 your fondest memory of being a player at BC?聽
Oh, man. I mean, hockey-wise, I'd have to say the Beanpot, that's just the coolest, but also seeing how close the alumni community is. With our hockey alumni, it spans generations, and I had so many college teammates that traveled to Italy to watch us play. It's a pretty special group to be a part of.聽
This year鈥檚 gold medal game was one of the most watched women's hockey games of all time. What kind of impact do you hope this team has on girls' hockey in the U.S.?
I think it's going to have a tremendous impact, honestly. We saw it in 1998 when [BC women鈥檚 hockey coach Katie Crowley] was a part of the team that brought home the first gold medal and that sparked a dream in a lot of us. That's why I wanted to go to the Olympics. I think now, with social media and all the eyes on the sport, all the viewership that we had, the sky's the limit. There's so much room for growth within our sport and I'm just excited to see where it goes.聽
You're a captain with the Fleet and were named an alternate captain at the Olympics. What do you try to bring to that role?聽
I was fortunate to have great leadership coming up when I was younger that I was able to learn from and still do to this day, so hopefully I set a great example for the team. The biggest part for me is I want to be a great teammate. I think that's the beauty of playing a team sport: it takes every single person in the locker room to do something special.
What were your favorite off-ice moments at the Olympics?
We got lunch with (actor) Stanley Tucci, who is like a movie character in real life. We got risotto and it was so good, it was hard not to just eat the whole thing while we were talking. Snoop Dogg surprised our team so that was pretty legendary, and I took a with Seth Meyers. But otherwise, just hanging out with your teammates after winning鈥攜ou can't beat that.聽
You鈥檝e been carrying around your Olympic medal in one of your Team USA socks. Where do you keep the other two?
Those are under the watch of mom and dad back in Michigan, probably hidden somewhere if I know my dad. They're probably a little nervous I've got this one but the best part is sharing it with everybody. Mine always gets a little dinged up and the ribbon starts to break because I want other people to see it and hold it, because you don't win this thing alone.聽
Do you see more Olympics in your future?
I haven't thought about it yet, but yeah, I've got a few more years in me, I think. As long as I continue to have the passion and the love for competing with my teammates and chasing medals and championships, I'll do it as long as I can.聽
More: BC women's hockey coach Katie King Crowley talks about Megan Keller in a Q&A.
