Ice ice baby: USU Hockey player Tomas Maciunas’ life on and off the rink
We all know the greats, the Utah State University legends: Justin Bean, Logan Bonner, Sammie Murdock, Tatum Stall, etc. One thing they all have in common is being a student–athlete for USU Athletics.
But what about the players who don’t play under the athletics department — the athletes playing club sports through Campus Recreation who have to be great, be students and find their own funding with less recognition?
This is where Tomas Maciunas comes into the picture. The 5’6” senior from Bountiful studying art and pre–dental is one of the forwards on USU’s hockey team — or the proper term, “club.”
Much like other athletes, Maciunas spends the majority of his time thinking about what he loves most. He said he’s either on the ice, lifting weights, hanging out with teammates, sleeping or eating.
More specifically, if you aren’t watching a game, you could probably find him at a Cafe Rio ordering a sweet pork salad, or playing tennis, what Maciunas calls his “second sport.”
Though hockey is inevitably time consuming, Maciunas said he wouldn’t have it any other way.
“Hockey is a really physical sport, and I just personally really like that,” he said. “It’s not really just an individual effort, it’s really a team–based sport. Hockey is what stuck with me — it’s the love of my life.”
But he did admit there are things he has to do to keep his mental health in check as a student–athlete. Maciunas said when life gets overwhelming, he takes time to himself to celebrate small victories.
“I took a microbiology test a little bit ago, and it was really hard,” he said. “So, after the test, I went out and got some food and ate out, which I typically try not to do.”
Maciunas has been on the rink since he was four years old, taking after his dad.
“My dad picked up hockey when he was in like his 30’s, and to be honest, he’s not that good,” he said, laughing. “But he got me into it at a young age, and I just really loved it.”
Maciunas said regardless of how hard it was to learn at first, he’s always loved the aggressive nature of the sport.
And although he wasn’t sure about where hockey would take him next, he eventually learned he wasn’t ready to give it up. After graduating high school from Woods Cross, he found himself at the walk–on tryouts for USU’s club team.
After making the team, his passion for the ice only grew. However, after coronavirus hit the world, he had some time off.
Maciunas said after his break from the skates, he came back better than ever. Now in his final year repping No. 19 on the Aggie jersey, he’s had the chance to experience being an officer on the team.
“It’s really fun. It’s almost like running a business,” Maciunas said. “I like being a part of it. I like being able to make decisions for the team.”
USU hockey coach Olli Jansson said Maciunas was nominated for the position by his teammates.
“Tommy is a team player who is liked among his teammates. He is always willing to help out younger guys if they have any questions or problems,” Jansson said.
But being a team officer doesn’t come without its struggles. Because the team is under USU Campus Recreation rather than USU Athletics, Maciunas has to help manage the budget and make graphics for the team.
“A lot of the money that we get comes from admission fees,” he said. “It’s really important that we are marketing and trying to reach out to students on campus and get them to come to our games. The more people we get, the more money we can have to pay for the stuff we need to.”
Even with the extra responsibility, Maciunas knows it’s always worth it and will even miss it once he graduates.
Not only will he have to say goodbye to some of his teammates and Aggie fans, he’ll have to end some of the things he’s made a routine of.
“I feel like this is oddly common on the team, but everyone puts the left side of their gear on first,” Maciunas said. “I also always get Jimmy John’s before our games, and I always have to have a lot of liquids.”
But Maciunas doesn’t plan on saying goodbye to what he’s known his whole life just yet. He said he plans on continuing to play for fun and in any other leagues he can find. After graduation, he hopes to move and attend dental school.
Jansson said the team will definitely miss him once he’s gone.
“Tommy always brings his best to each game and practice,” Jansson said. “He’s one of the guys who always wants to get better and is ready to put in the work for it.”
Last year, Maciunas had nine goals and eleven assists across 36 games. He hopes to beat those stats this season.
And though the team’s season doesn’t end until March, Maciunas wanted the team next year to know to never take advantage of the time they have in the rink.
“Savor these moments,” he said. “Enjoy what we have here at USU because it’s honestly pretty special — there’s nothing really like it.”
Featured image by Bailey Rigby.