Bemidji State coaches provide updates on Adam Flammang, Paige Smith after fearful injuries

BEMIDJI — Luke Roelofs was on the ice when Adam Flammang went down after a head-first hit into the boards.

The Bemidji State men’s hockey sophomore defenseman wasn’t thinking about the game against St. Cloud State in that moment, and neither were his teammates.

“With that happening to Flammer, some guys were pretty stuck by that,” Roelofs said. “I’ve known Flammer a long time. A lot of these guys who have been here for four years have lived with him. You never want to see one of your close buddies go down like that, and it’s a very scary feeling to see that happen.”

Flammang was motionless on the ice for an extended period of time, about 10-20 minutes, before he was carted off on a stretcher. He was taken to a hospital in St. Cloud.

A few hours earlier, Bemidji State women’s hockey freshman forward Paige Smith suffered a similar fate. After colliding with an Ohio State player in the final minutes of the first period, the OSU broadcast said she collapsed after getting up to skate off the ice and was taken to a local emergency room in Columbus, Ohio.

“You think about those moments, and it’s scary as a coach and for the players,” head coach Amber Fryklund said. “It was a big time in the game — we were up 1-0. I didn’t see what happened, but she got pulled off the ice, and I didn’t know what was happening until after the period. She was being taken care of. She was OK, but she was being taken care of.”

Fryklund and men’s head coach Tom Serratore told the media on Tuesday that both players are back in Bemidji and in good spirits. Smith flew back with the Beavers on Saturday after the game. Flammang returned to Bemidji on Sunday, the day after the road loss against SCSU.

Both players are out week-to-week with upper-body injuries, with no discernible timetable for return. It comes with a sigh of relief for their teammates and coaches who feared they suffered far worse.

“We flew home, and she was able to do that,” Fryklund said. “We were able to get her back to Bemidji and get her home safely. It’s certainly our furthest road trip, and certainly not ideal for her, but we were able to get her back with the team.”

Serratore said: “Flammer is doing all right. When you take a look at what happened on Saturday night, we’re all thinking the worst. But he’s doing pretty good. CT scans were all negative — everything was negative. … He’s in good spirits, so that’s a huge positive.”

For both Bemidji State teams, play resumed with exterior questions looming about the health of their teammates.

“As a coach, there’s the humanistic side,” Fryklund said. “We’re in this game and we have to go and compete, but also, our teammate and player experienced an injury like that, too. Our players handled it really well. We all just know that she was being taken care of and was OK.

“I’m proud of them for how they responded. Paige sent a message to them that said ‘Go Beavs,’ which helped them. Their response in the second and third, it wasn’t easy to go play after that, but I’m certainly proud of them for how they responded in that emotional moment.”

Like Smith’s text to the women’s team, Flammang gave a thumbs-up as he was wheeled off the ice. It was a moment that sparked an ovation from those in attendance at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center in St. Cloud.

“Obviously, it was a sigh of relief when he gave the thumbs up,” Roelofs said. “I think the noise in the arena speaks for itself after he did that. I think we were all able to take a deep breath and try to refocus ourselves in the game. I don’t even know if he remembers doing that, but it was a good feeling to see it.”

Roelofs alluded to it being a moment that put sports in a different perspective.

“Obviously, you hate seeing things like that,” Roelofs said. “Being on the ice and personally seeing it, a lot of guys on the bench couldn’t see it happen, none of the coaches really saw it, but you never wish that upon anybody. Thank God he’s OK. He’s doing well. … You never know what’s going to happen in that situation when the stretcher comes on the ice. It’s a scary feeling when you can hear a pin drop in the rink. Very, very scary feeling for everyone.”

Serratore noted there’s still some uncertainty as both Flammang and Smith are on the mend.

“You’re worried about the kid, you’re worried about a lot of different things,” Serratore said of Flammang. “We’re still worried because none of us know anything. Yeah, he’s doing better, but there’s still progress that needs to be made. That’s probably the best way of putting it.”