From Meniscus Tear to Team USA - Hockey Standout’s Journey Back to the Ice

For Amy Palaian, hockey wasn’t just a sport—it was a family tradition. With a father and older brother who played, Amy laced up her first pair of skates in preschool. Though her parents initially encouraged figure skating, she had her sights set on hockey, determined to follow in her family’s footsteps.

Her passion and talent carried her through travel hockey leagues and onto her high school team, where she was the only female player due to the lack of women’s ice hockey teams. That drive led her to the University of Michigan-Dearborn, where she joined the women’s hockey team as a starting defenseman. As a freshman, Amy played a pivotal role in a history-making season, helping her team qualify for the Central Collegiate Women’s Hockey Association playoffs and the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) Nationals for the first time ever.

A season-changing injury

“I was having a really great first year,” Amy recalls. But just weeks before the regular season ended, an injury threatened to put her promising college hockey experience on hold.

During practice, Amy took a hit to her left knee. Though swollen and painful, she pushed through and kept playing. But during the school’s senior night game, a second, more forceful hit changed everything.

“I remember hearing a pop—or maybe two,” she says. “This time, I knew it was serious.”

Sidelined and in pain, Amy was evaluated by UM-Dearborn Athletic Trainer Jeff Bord, who is also part of the Henry Ford Center for Athletic Medicine-Detroit. Recognizing the severity of her injury, Bord referred her for further evaluation.

The road to recovery

Robert Albers, D.O., a Henry Ford sports medicine physician, delivered the tough news. Amy had suffered a complete medial collateral ligament (MCL) tear along with a bucket-handle meniscus tear, a serious knee injury common in hockey players due to the twisting motion of the sport. She was referred to T. Sean Lynch, M.D., a sports medicine and orthopedic surgeon at Henry Ford Health, who recommended surgery to repair the damage.

Understandably, Amy feared the injury might end her ability to play hockey. But Dr. Lynch reassured her.

“Dr. Lynch was great,” Amy says. “He did not sugarcoat what surgery and rehab would involve, but he also gave me hope. He told me if I worked hard, I could be back on the ice next season—and he was right.”

Dr. Lynch explains it is not uncommon to see these injuries in isolation in hockey players; however, in Amy's case, she unfortunately had the most severe form of both of these injuries that necessitated surgical intervention.
“Her injury required us to reattach her MCL back onto the bone as well as fix her meniscus,” Dr. Lynch says. “She was lucky that she did not have significant cartilage damage which could have longer-term issues. Fortunately, she had youth and health on her side, and we felt confident that she would do fantastic.”

Bord adds that Amy was one of the hardest workers when it came to rehabilitation process. Her recovery from start to finish was about 6 months, and she was in the training room daily doing everything in her power to be ready for the next season.

“I'm very proud of her for the resilience she exhibited, and the accomplishments she has achieved since returning back to the ice this fall,” Bord notes.

Back in action—and on the world stage

After a successful surgery and a rigorous summer of physical therapy, Amy was cleared to return to practice in August and was back on the ice for UM-Dearborn’s season opener in September of her sophomore year. But her comeback didn’t stop there.

Amy’s dedication and talent led to a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity: representing Team USA at the 2025 Winter World University Games in Torino, Italy. She became the first UM-Dearborn Women’s Ice Hockey player to wear the red, white, and blue on the world stage.

“It was an amazing experience to be back on the ice, representing my country, and sharing it with my family,” says Amy, who scored a goal against Great Britain during the tournament.

Looking ahead, Amy plans to continue playing for UM-Dearborn while pursuing a degree in biological sciences, with hopes of becoming a large-animal veterinarian.

“Hockey has been my passion, but I also love horses. My dream is to care for them as a veterinarian,” she shares.

As she reflects on her journey, Amy is grateful for the medical team that helped her return to the sport she loves.

“I’m really fortunate to have had such incredible support during my treatment and recovery,” she says. “There were tough days, but staying positive and working hard in rehab made all the difference. The care I received at Henry Ford was fantastic and I couldn’t have asked for anything better.”