Assistant Captain out until December

During the first period of the first game on Nov. 17, assistant captain Derek Hay was carried off the ice with his head down.

According to captain Dave Fitzgerald, it looked like Hay got twisted up with forward Ryan Hastings when Hastings fell over. Hay was taken to Provena United Samaritans Hospital in Danville Friday night.

"Well, what happened was my skate got caught in the ice and as I fell back, I felt a big 'pop,'" Hay said.

Following the Danville visit, Hay was taken to Northwest Community Hospital in Arlington Heights where it was determined that his injury was probably an ankle sprain.

The ankle injury is new and was not aggravated from a prior injury. Hay has said that the X-rays did come back negative and that his ankle is not broken.

If diagnosed as a bad sprain, he will be checking with another doctor to make sure there isn't any ligament damage. If no further complications, Hay is hoping to return for the Panther's game against Kentucky Dec. 1. If Hay cannot return for that game, he is planning on returning to compete against Missouri the following weekend.

"He's hurt, he's hurt. He's a hockey player though," head coach Cameron Estes said after Friday night's game.

The loss of Hay is crucial, as he was one of the major scorers for Eastern going into the Marquette series with 12 goals in 10 games, 7 assists, and 19 points.

"Hopefully it's nothing serious and he'll be back soon. That would be a big blow losing Hay this early in the season," Fitzgerald said.