A Southern Professional Hockey League game was suspended 39 minutes into the night after a player suffered a serious injury that resulted from an on-ice collision.
Huntsville Havoc center Justin Cseter, 26, fell onto opposing player Dennis Sicard from the Peoria Rivermen during a chase for the hockey puck during the second period. Sicard’s skate sliced Cseter’s thigh about 1.5 inches deep and six inches wide, leaving heavy amounts of blood spattered on the ice before Cseter collapsed. As players yelled for medical help, the ATs from both teams -- Huntsville's Jason Lopez and Peoria's Michelle Novak -- rushed to the ice. The Peoria Journal-Star reported that one of the nearly 4,600 attendees sitting in the front row fainted during the commotion, and potentially suffered a seizure. When he was assisted off the rink, Cseter gave a thumbs up to concerned spectators (among them were his parents and grandparents) as if to calm the fears of the fans who had fallen silent.
The athletic trainers used a wooden hockey stick as a tourniquet to stop the bleeding, then he was taken to the hospital. Cseter wound up getting eight staples and multiple stitches, and returned home around 1 a.m. to warm wishes, thoughts and prayers from the community, staff and teammates, and fans via social media. The Peoria Booster Club even organized a fundraiser to assist in covering Cseter’s hospital costs and fees.
Saturday’s SPHL game ticket holders may either receive a refund or tickets to any game of the upcoming season.
Posted by NATA News Managing Editor Jaimie Siegle (jaimies@nata.org)
Photo by Fred Zwicky / Peoria Journal Star
