BIG RAPIDS, Mich. — Hockey is a game of sounds.
There's the tapping of the sticks, the skates on the ice and the loud goal horn that blasts when the puck finds the back of the net.
However, up in Big Rapids, Ferris State senior forward Austin McCarthy hardly ever makes a peep.
"I'm kind of a little more introverted than extroverted," McCarthy said.
He likes to be conscientious on the ice.
"He's a very serious person," Ferris State head coach Bob Daniels said. "Very serious about his game."
The Ludington native lets his play do the talking.
"I take a lot of pride and draws and playing good in the defensive zone," McCarthy said. "Kind of grinding out there."
That grind is seen quite easily by the Bulldogs coaching staff.
"He's not one to draw attention to himself," Daniels said. "He's an awesome kid. If we were looking for a poster boy, for our team, he would be it."
However, exactly 15 years ago, McCarthy was not exactly a poster boy. He was really a magazine marvel as he was on the cover of Sports Illustrated for Kids as the "Sports Kid of the Year."
"It gave me a lot of confidence as a young athlete," McCarthy said.
But now, it seems like a blur.
"I remember like bits and pieces because I was so young," McCarthy said. "I mean, that was 15 years ago. It was kind of crazy. It was cool. "
"Cool" does not even begin to describe it. After scoring 173 goals in one year, McCarthy received the prestigious honor on national television and even got to meet Kalamazoo native and Yankees legend Derek Jeter in New York City back as a 10-year-old.
"It's a really big achievement and something I'll always be proud of and happy about," McCarthy said.
It's something that still gets brought up on a regular basis.
"I actually had just had like a guy the other day, DM me on Instagram and he's sending me magazines that he wants signed now," McCarthy said. "So it's cool when people reach out like that and they're like, 'Oh my God, you were on the cover of Sports Illustrated.' That that makes me feel good."
Sometimes he even gets chirped on the ice from opposing players. He remembers a specific moment in junior hockey as a 20-year-old in the North American League.
"I was lining up against guys and they would be like, 'Hey, Sports Kid,'" McCarthy said. "They knew."
His teammates know about it too, They get in some good jabs every now and then.
"I feel like it comes up once a year, honestly," McCarthy said. "I'm just like, 'Oh, here we go again.'"
His cover shows up constantly in the team's group messages on their phones.
"We are just like, 'Oh the kid athlete of the year is here again,'" Ferris State senior forward Jacob Dirks said.
The playful ribbing is all in good fun. His Bulldogs teammates would have loved to be on the cover as an aspiring hockey player.
"He handles it pretty well," Dirks said. "He knows that everyone's just kind of giving him a hard time. It's kind of a cool monument for him. I remember reading that third grade actually in my classroom. It's kind of funny that now I'm roommates with him after all these years."
All these years later the 25-year-old is not scoring over 100 goals a season at Ferris State to put his face on another magazine cover, but McCarthy is proud of the path he took to play Division 1 hockey.
"I wouldn't change anything," McCarthy said. "I think everyone's road is different. Everyone develops a little bit quicker and a little bit slower. I think if you put in the work, they'll get to where you want to be."
McCarthy is meant to be in Big Rapids living his dream on the ice.
"I feel like I can pat myself on the back," McCarthy said. "I am pretty proud of myself for putting in the work to get to this level."
His goal is to play another season of college hockey and get his master's in business at Ferris State. After his master's, McCarthy would love the opportunity to play the game he loves professionally.
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