Hyland and Tshigerl injured: How did the Bears adjust?
"Different guys have stepped up. That's the key to our team," Captain Josh Prokop says.
Fair Frames Unfortunately for the Golden Bears hockey team, center and left-winger Sean Tschigerl and Brett Hyland ended the fall semester in the stands. Tschigerl was hit with a concussion while Hyland took a lower body injury against the Grant MacEwan Griffins on November 9.
Hyland and Tschigerl will be back next semester and ready to face the Griffins on January 3 and 4 in what will hopefully be in an injury-free game.
What’s happening on Hyland and Tschigerl’s line?
Prior to Hyland and Tschigerl’s injuries, they were on Captain Josh Prokop‘s line. Tschigerl and Hyland led the conference in goal-scoring under Prokop, who averaged more than twice as many assists to goals. Overall, it was a power line with a strong finish.
Since Hyland’s absence on November 15, Head Coach Ian Herbers has worked to fill his spot on Prokop’s line. Ty Nash and Connor McClennon have stepped in, and both are viable options. Nash scored three goals against the University of Regina on November 15 and 16. McClennon scored four goals against University of Saskatchewan on November 22 and 23.
With Hyland and Tschigerl both absent against the Mount Royal Cougars on November 29 and 30, Eric Florchuk stepped up to fill the center spot. To fill the left-winger position, McClennon and Tyson Laventure switched in between lines to find the right combo. Overall it’s been a bit of a mess, with all lines seeing changes, however each player has been able to adjust.
“Different guys have stepped up. That’s the key to our team. We’ve had injuries throughout the year, and [the] guys have been really good about sliding in and out of the lineup and into different spots. So I think adjustment wise, it’s been good,” Prokop said.
Why this was probably the best time for an injury
An injury sucks no matter which way you look at it, but there are opportune times if it were to happen. With Hyland out until January, he’s only missed six games, compared to Tschigerl, who missed two. As they head into the semester break, they’ll have time to recover without missing important and costly games.
As for the games they did miss, it created opportunities for other players to develop, who would have otherwise not seen as much ice time.
“It’s an opportunity for different guys to play with each other and see if there are some good connections,” Hyland said.
The drawback? They missed the games against the Cougars. Mount Royal is sitting pretty high in the standings and because Hyland missed pre-season, he hasn’t played them yet. Not a great start for two teams that will see each other in the Canada West playoffs. However, Hyland and Tschigerl were able to examine the Cougars’ style of play from the stands when they met at Clare Drake Arena on November 30 with a 5-2 win, after coming off a 4-1 loss.
“Both teams have the potential to win on any given night and the skill level on both sides is very similar. But our lineup is incredibly deep and we have a lot of guys that are able to step up and fill the void Tschigerl and I left. It was on display at Saturday’s game,” Hyland says.
What’s the team going to look like come January?
With all the line adjustments, Herbers has definitely found some solid combos, while other guys simply got more experience.
Noah Boyko and Bruce Macgregor will continue to be healthy scratches come the new year. Prokop and Florchuk might continue to play on the same line. The two played a strong couple games together and brought some chemistry back into the fold. Though it’s likely the Prokop, Tschigerl, and Hyland line will be maintained.
In terms of Tschigerl and Hyland, they should play together when they return. The pair worked most effectively together and they haven’t had the chance to build that connection with other players.
“I’m sure they will keep me and Tschigerl together,” Hyland said. However, for the rest of the lineup, it’s up in the air.
