For forward Zac MacVoy, the life of a Michigan hockey player was great.
- Jessica Boullion
- Zac MacVoy will use his time off from the college ranks to play for the Omaha Lancers of the USHL. (MIKE HULSEBUS/Daily)
“I enjoyed every aspect,” MacVoy said. “I enjoyed going to class, going on road trips, playing the games (and) the students (at Michigan). I enjoyed everything.”
But not everything was perfect. As the long season wore on, MacVoy’s playing time declined, and it became clear that the Livonia native would not be a regular in the Wolverine lineup.
It was the prospect of not playing that was the ultimate driving force behind MacVoy’s decision not to return to Michigan and, opting instead, play in the United States Hockey League next fall.
“I knew it was the right decision for me and I wanted to stay here,” MacVoy said. “I love this place, I love the school (and) I love the guys. I loved playing for Michigan. It’s just that the aspect of not playing outweighs all that other stuff.”
MacVoy was part of a large incoming freshman class in the fall of 2005 and was one of six players to come to Michigan by way of the Ann Arbor-based U.S. National Team Development Program.
The start of his Wolverine career looked promising after he notched three points in the team’s first four games – culminating with a one-goal, one-assist performance against Merrimack on Oct. 16.
“Just to get that first college goal was a moment in (my) life that I was proud of,” MacVoy said. “I wish I could’ve notched more.”
Inconsistent play following the Oct. 28-29 series at Alaska-Fairbanks prevented MacVoy from garnering another point until Jan. 6, when he recorded an assist against the Nanooks at Yost. It would be his last point as a Wolverine.
To close out the season, MacVoy cracked the starting lineup just three times during the final 15 games, and just once in the last 11.
MacVoy will now take a year off from college hockey and play in the USHL for the Omaha Lancers, who picked him in the second round of the USHL 2006 Entry Draft on May 4. Following his time with the Lancers, he will look to join another college team in fall 2007. But a new college home is the last thing on MacVoy’s mind.
“All I’m concerned with is going to Omaha and playing hard and contributing,” MacVoy said. “I can’t think about college now, because if I don’t do anything in juniors, then a scholarship won’t be there. … I’m not really hoping for a college or have any colleges (picked) right now.”
MacVoy said that he hopes his time with the Lancers will make him a better player in the future, one who can contribute every day for another college.
But his time at Michigan will always stay with him wherever he goes.
“(I liked) hanging out with the guys and being with them day in and day out,” MacVoy said. “I developed life-long relationships with these guys.”