What an injury and a recent roster shakeup mean for the Peoria Rivermen championship push

PEORIA — Turns out, Zach Wilkie is not done yet, but his team will need to win some games without him in the playoffs before he returns.

The defending President's Cup champion Peoria Rivermen's path to a repeat title became much more difficult Saturday when their star defenseman suffered a knee injury on a hit in a game at Roanoke.

Video of the play, in which Roanoke's Jason Lavallee drove his knee into Wilkie's left knee and buckled it, is hard to watch.

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The league on Tuesday suspended Lavallee four games. The Rivermen said it was initially believed Wilkie — the likely SPHL Defenseman of the Year — suffered ligament damage to his knee, a potential career-ending storm. He has been placed on 21-day IR.

But Thursday afternoon, Wilkie got what he prayed for.

"Nothing torn," Wilkie said. "It turned out to be meniscus damage. I was angry and upset about the play, but now this news is a lift for me. I was in shock when I saw it on video. I was prepared for the worst.

"God's light shined down. A lot of prayers were sent my way."

Wilkie was next to his own net, getting ready to leave the zone and behind play when Lavallee came barreling into him.

"I thought I had more time than I guess I did," Wilkie said. "I looked up, and he got me as I tried to take a step up the ice. I couldn't stand on it after that, knew I was hurt. I was angry."

With no surgery needed, Wilkie will head into physical therapy and says he'll be out for at least three weeks.

What it means in the playoffs

No team wants to lose its best defender on the threshold of the playoffs — let alone perhaps the best in the league. But the Rivermen face the reality of heading into the playoffs without Wilkie, who leads all SPHL blueliners in scoring and all SPHL players with a plus-42 rating.

Yes, the Rivermen lineup will be diminished in the postseason, where defense is at a premium. They'll have to find a way to get through the first two rounds before Wilkie gets a chance to return.

Wilkie's absence will impact special teams, too.

It will be essential for the team to get one of its veteran goaltenders hot — either Eric Levine, who is ranked No. 2 in the SPHL, or reigning SPHL Playoff MVP Jack Berry.

And Peoria's top six forwards will have to raise their game and score more. They'll face either Fayetteville or Pensacola in the first round.

"Getting back on the ice with the boys is all I'm thinking about," Wilkie said. "I'm going to be with the boys throughout the playoffs wherever we go. Keep the energy high.

"It's our time to shine again. Time to prove to the league we are the best."

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They will never settle

Rivermen coach Jean-Guy Trudel takes his team into the final two games of the season Friday and Saturday at Carver Arena with a chance to clinch the league's regular-season championship for the sixth time in 10 years.

Part of the process is an honest evaluation of his roster, a process ongoing from the first puck dropped of the season to the last.

To that end, Trudel made a flurry of moves this week as he tries to get his team improved and focused for the postseason. With a best-of-3 series format, there is no margin for error.

So yes, Trudel cut center Ben Assad on Wednesday. Assad was a key penalty-killer and played 44 games, with nine goals, seven assists and a plus-13 rating. He was named to the Bruce Saurs Memorial Award on March 28 — an honor personally chosen by Trudel that goes to the team's Unsung Hero. Eight days later, Assad is gone because his play was trending downward.

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Welcome aboard, welcome back and farewell

OK, keep up now because the roster pace is a blur this week. The Rivermen have:

• granted center Joe Drapluk family leave as he attends to some things in Florida.

• saw right wing Cayden Cahill return from a 25-day call-up at ECHL Toledo, where he appeared in one game and was injured.

• signed former Vermilion County and ECHL Reading defenseman Adam Eby on Monday, played him in Tuesday's win at Quad City, and waived him on Wednesday.

• released right wing Jack Jaunich from his tryout contract on Sunday, then re-signed him to a full SPHL contract on Wednesday.

• signed four-year Norwich University right wing Phil Elgstam on Sunday and he notched an assist in his pro debut Tuesday at Quad City.

• released right wing Mike Gelatt.

Playoff schedule and tickets

The Rivermen will face either Fayetteville or Pensacola in the first round of the SPHL playoffs.

Game 1 of that best-of-3 series will be on the road at a date as yet not determined. Game 2 will be in Peoria at Carver Arena, a 7:15 p.m. start on Saturday, April 15. Game 3, if needed, will be in Peoria at Carver Arena, a 4:15 p.m. start on Sunday, April 16.

First-round tickets are $24 glass seating; $20 lower bowl premium; $14 Pilot House, and $13 upper bowl.Those prices will increase $1 with each round of the playoffs. Single-game seats and playoff packages are available now via the team at 309 676-1040 or online at Ticketmaster.com.

Game 3 tickets will not go on sale until it's certain it will be needed.

Dave Eminian is the Journal Star sports columnist, and covers Bradley men's basketball, the Rivermen and Chiefs. He writes the Cleve In The Eve sports column for pjstar.com. He can be reached at 686-3206 or deminian@pjstar.com. Follow him on Twitter @icetimecleve.

This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Peoria Rivermen hockey analysis: Injury, roster shakeup before playoffs