Last Wednesday, U.S. College Hockey Online announced its 2007 Division I All-USCHO honors. Among the honorees was student-athlete Kirk MacDonald ’07 who was selected as the USCHO 2006–07 Unsung Hero, in recognition of his work on and off the ice.
MacDonald, a native of Victoria, B.C. and a forward this year on the men’s ice hockey team, was RPI’s leading scorer with 27 points, including a team record 12 goals, in 33 games. Eight of his goals came on power plays and one was a game-winning marker. In his career, MacDonald, the team’s Most Valuable Player in 2004–05 and a two-year captain, had 103 points (47 goals, 56 assists) in 137 games.
MacDonald, who is currently playing for the Albany River Rats of the American Hockey League, is a management major who has been on the Dean’s List on multiple occasions. He is also a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and will be inducted into Olympia, Rensselaer’s student-athlete honor society.
MacDonald is very active in the community, having served in numerous charitable and volunteer activities during his career at RPI, including helping organize a season-long campaign to raise funds for cancer research and awareness of the importance of being tested and educated about testicular cancer. MacDonald is himself a cancer survivor. At each home game during the 2005–06 season, two members of the team volunteered to have their heads shaved if a minimum of $100 was raised per player. As a result, over $11,000 was donated to the Lance Armstrong Foundation. The gift was one of the largest ever donated by a college of RPI’s size through a grass-roots campaign.
MacDonald has also helped in organizing and obtaining prizes for raffles to help raise funds for cancer research and to raise awareness; served as a spokesman at RPI and at other local colleges for cancer awareness; served as a member of the committee and Master of Ceremonies for the inaugural American Cancer Society Relay for Life at Rensselaer, which raised over $124,000; been named to the American Cancer Society Youth Council for New York and New Jersey; volunteered for the Troy Turkey Trot and as a youth hockey coach; and helped in organizing a food drive to benefit Unity House of Troy by replenishing the organization’s shelves after Thanksgiving. He is currently working on the second annual Relay for Life at RPI.
In addition to being named the USCHO’s Unsung Hero, MacDonald was also a finalist for the Hockey Humanitarian Award as well as the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award. The 2007 Rensselaer Alumni Association Community Service Award recipient, he is also a candidate for 2007 Coca-Cola Community Service All-America recognition.
