09/03/2025
From the moment Amy Palaian laced up her skates as a preschooler, hockey felt like home. That drive carried her through travel leagues, onto her high school team as the only girl, and eventually to the University of Michigan-Dearborn women’s hockey team – where she would experience incredible national victories followed by the challenge of recovering from a full medial collateral ligament (MCL) tear in her knee.
“I was having a really great first year,” Amy recalls, who helped lead the women’s hockey team to its first-ever playoff and national tournament appearances. But just weeks before the regular season ended, she took a hit during practice to her left knee. Though swollen, she kept playing—until a second, harder hit left her crumpled on the ice. “I remember hearing a pop—or maybe 2,” she says. “This time, I knew it was serious.”
Amy was first evaluated by U-M-Dearborn athletic trainer Jeff Bord and referred to specialists at Henry Ford Health. She was had a full MCL tear and a bucket-handle meniscus tear—severe injuries that required surgery. Under the care of our sports medicine physician Dr. Robert Albers and our orthopedic surgeon Dr. T. Sean Lynch, her MCL was reattached and her meniscus repaired.
Amy returned for the season opener just a month later. Her comeback peaked when she became the first U-M-Dearborn women’s hockey player selected to represent Team USA at the 2025 Winter World University Games in Torino, Italy, where she scored against Great Britain.
Now a sophomore, Amy continues to play while pursuing a degree in biological sciences, with plans to become a large-animal veterinarian.
Grateful for the care and support she received throughout her recovery, she credits her successful return to hard work, resilience and a dedicated medical team. “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.”
Read Amy’s story: https://bit.ly/41vIglH