The 2009 American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) Men's Division 1 Rookie-of-the-Year Award goes to forward #12 Michael Macari of the University of Michigan-Dearborn, as selected by the Head Coaches of ACHA Men's Division 1.
The other finalists for the Men's Division 1 Rookie-of-the-Year Award were:
- #23 James Telfer, Forward, University of Michigan-Dearborn
- #10 Brody Toigo, Defense, Iowa State University
- #1 Colin Way, Goalie, Liberty University
Michael, a freshman from Dearborn Heights, MI, is the first player from the University of Michigan-Dearborn to win the Men's Division 1 Rookie-of-the-Year Award, and is also a finalist for the Men's Division 1 Player-of-the-Year Award. Michael is the 6th forward to win the Rookie-of-the-Year Award and, along with his teammate James Telfer, were the first two finalists from the University of Michigan-Dearborn in the awards 7-year history. This is the 2nd year in a row that a player from the Central States Collegiate Hockey League [CSCHL] has won the award.
Macari's accomplishments this season were plentiful: 1st Team ACHA Men's Division 1 All-American; ACHA Men's Division 1 All-Rookie Team; ACHA Men's Division 1 All-Star Game participant; CSCHL Most Valuable Player; CSCHL Rookie-of-the-Year; CSCHL 1st Team All-League; CSCHL All-Rookie Team; and CSCHL All-Star Game participant; Michigan-Dearborn Most Valuable Player; Michigan-Dearborn Rookie-of-the-Year; Michigan-Dearborn Best Offensive Player; and Michigan-Dearborn Leading Scorer.
Macari led all ACHA scorers this season with 109 points. He tallied 54 goals (2nd in the nation) and led the country with 21 power-play goals, and still dished out another 55 assists. He shattered the rookie scoring record at Michigan-Dearborn, held previously by ACHA Hall-of-Famer Jesse Hubenschmidt in 1992-1993 (48G-42A=90Pts). Michael had 8 hat tricks on the season, including a 4 goal and 3 assist performance against Penn State University at the ACHA Men's Division 1 Showcase in October. For the season, Macari averaged 2.66 points per game.
After playing in the North American Hockey League [NAHL] for the Marquette Rangers, Macari came to Michigan-Dearborn and led the Wolves to an 18-game turnaround from the previous year. Macari, paired up with fellow freshman Telfer and junior Anthony Rini, helped the Wolves finish 17th in the rankings only a year after the team won just 5 games. He and his linemates combined for 119 goals, 162 assists, and 281 total points on the season.
Congratulations to Michael and the other three finalists on a great season!
ACHA Men’s Division 1 Rookie-of-the-Year Winners
| 2008-2009 | Forward | #12 | Michael Macari | University of Michigan-Dearborn |
| 2007-2008 | Forward | #19 | Jake Ebner | Lindenwood University |
| 2006-2007 | Forward | #23 | Mike Poljak | Youngstown State University |
| 2005-2006 | Forward | #9 | Lukas Delorenzo | Penn State University |
| 2004-2005 | Forward | #12 | Mike Heath | Duquesne University |
| 2003-2004 | Goalie | #29 | Anthony Feyock | University of Rhode Island |
| 2002-2003 | Forward | #17 | Anthony Nordo | Drexel University |
