The lure of attending Penn State on a hockey scholarship was too much for Liam Beamish to pass up.
The 17-year-old centre for the Fort Erie Meteors recently committed to the Division 1 school after a visit to the campus where he was blown away with the facilities.
“We continued our talking until eventually they asked me to come down for a visit. I basically fell in love with it. I couldn’t resist. I couldn’t stop thinking about it when I came home. Thought about it for a day and then ended up committing,” Beamish said.
Meteors general manager/coach Nik Passero is thrilled for his Beamish and his family.
“It’s a huge accomplishment. To me, it’s the biggest thing to happen to Fort Erie in 20 years,” Passero said. “Penn State is a Power Five, top 10 school in the country. The Big Ten is arguably the best conference in the country.
“It’s just a great accomplishment for Liam and he worked so hard to get to where he is and just so proud of him.”
Beamish, a Grade 11 student at West Niagara Secondary School, said seeing the campus and hockey facilities in person sealed the deal.
“It honestly helped a lot. You know about schools like that being in the Big 10 but going and actually seeing a university like that, it kind of takes your breath away,” he said. “Just touring the campus and going through the facilities at the rink and the atmosphere of the rink in games and even the whole atmosphere of the campus and how it runs. Meeting all the coaches in person was a big thing as well. Obviously, you can call but meeting them in person and getting a feeling for the environment the players are in, it’s really important as well.”
Beamish said the facilities did not disappoint.
“They were unbelievable. It was so amazing seeing everything. Everything is top end. Whatever you need, they have it. I was just blown away,” he said.
Beamish captained and led the Niagara North Stars in scoring last season with 27 goals and 58 points. He was selected by the Sarnia Sting in the eighth round (151st overall) of the Ontario Hockey League draft and joined the Meteors this season where he is leading the team in scoring with 20 goals and 41 points in 31 games.
The decision to attend Penn State put an end to his OHL aspirations.
“It being a big decision in my life for me and my family, choosing whether to go the CHL or NCAA route, was definitely stressful. We didn’t rush into our decision but definitely happy with the decision,” Beamish said. “It was such a tough decision. Sarnia was amazing to me and it was tough to go the other way. I appreciate everything they did for me but for me and my family, we felt the best move was going to Penn State.”
Passero feels Beamish’s skill level and work ethic will translate well to the NCAA.
“The projection is there,” Passero said. “I think he’s going to be a two-way centre, hard to play against and I also think he’s going to be a leader wherever he goes, and if he wears a C in college, I wouldn’t be surprised.
“This is ahead of schedule. He has blown away our expectations in every aspect of his game and off the ice as well. Just a great teammate, a great kid. Someone everyone wants to cheer for and see succeed.”
Beamish appreciates Passero’s faith in him.
“He’s given me every opportunity to showcase what I can do and I’m just so grateful for that,” Beamish said. “I’m happy I’ve take that opportunity and not taken it for granted and given back what he’s given to me in being out there for PP, PK, big faceoffs, scoring goals and helping the team win. He put a lot of trust in me and I can’t thank him enough.”
Beamish plans to finish out the year with the Mets, then explore options for where to play next season before likely beginning his college career the following year.
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