By Suzie Cool / Rochester Americans
Step one: An immediate or on-ice assessment needs to be made that consists of checking for any red flags, looking for obvious observable signs, going through the memory assessment Maddocks questions, an examination of the Glasgow Coma Scale, a cervical spine assessment and doing an off-ice assessment on the athlete’s concussion background.
Step two: It’s time for a symptom evaluation where the athlete rates their symptoms based on how they feel post-injury. On a scale that ranges from none to severe, the athlete will give a rating on neck pain, dizziness, confusion and more in order for the doctor to correctly diagnose the situation at hand.
Step three: A cognitive screening evaluates the brain’s processing and thinking function after a head injury. This screening ranges from figuring out if the athlete knows exactly where they are at, immediate memory capability and concentration when trying to repeat phrases and digits given to them to remember at that point in time.
Step four: Neurological screenings test the patient’s ability to read aloud and follow instructions without difficulty, being able to look side-to-side or up-and-down with double-vision or moving their head and neck or having the patient perform the finger nose coordination test normally along with a balance examination.
Step five: The doctor will have the patient go back to step three and ask some of the same questions that were asked during the cognitive screening. This delayed recall should be performed five minutes after the initial immediate recall section.
Step six: It’s time for the doctor to evaluate each section of the test and decide on the athlete’s symptoms that have been presented to them.
So, let’s take some time and imagine each step of this process after taking a big hit during a hockey game. You’re led off the ice, taken to a small examination room in the back hallway and thrown into a series of tests that are going to dictate whether or not you’ll be back out on the ice playing the game that you love any time soon. A process you had to endure not once, not twice, but three times while embarking on your first season in the pros.
The best way to describe Andrew Oglevie’s rookie campaign last year? Exhausting.
Just nine days after making his professional debut with the Rochester Americans on Oct. 5, the rookie forward was sidelined for the next six games with his first concussion of the 2018-19 season. Upon his return to the lineup on Nov. 2, Oglevie would then see time in the next 10 tilts before suffering his second concussion of the year.
“This was the first time I had ever been out for an extended period of time, especially with a concussion. I’ve had previous concussions, but I haven’t had them consecutively like that in such a short period of time,” said Ogelvie.
After his second concussion of last year’s campaign, Oglevie was out for an even more extended period of time, missing 29 games from Dec. 1 to Feb. 12. Following his second recovery, Oglevie got back into the Rochester lineup with a purpose, notching nine points (4+5) in his last 14 outings of the year with three multi-point efforts over that time.
Having only appeared in 28 games last year, Oglevie found himself missing the last 11 games of the 2018-19 regular season as well as the Calder Cup Playoffs due to suffering yet another concussion. Although an unfortunate way to end his first year in the pros, the Amerks forward finally had the summer to recover and find out how to prevent this ongoing issue by meeting with a concussion specialist in order to figure out the exact problem.
It was exactly what he needed for Oglevie to figure out how to prevent a rerun of his rookie year when preparing for his second season in the Flower City over the last summer.
“I was feeling good probably two weeks after the season ended. I was able to start skating right away and I didn’t really take any time off. I did a lot of skating, lifting, lots of neck strengthening, lots of upper back and shoulder work just to make sure my neck and everything was stable so that I could take these hits and not be able to feel the symptoms.”
Fast forward nearly eight months later and two months down in the Amerks current campaign and this second-year forward is putting in work and making himself known here in Rochester, easily becoming a fan favorite. Currently, Oglevie is one of just three skaters on the Amerks roster that has appeared in all 21 games so far this season. In those 21 games, Oglevie has made up for lost time, surpassing his goal (5), assist (5) and point (10) total from last season while leading the team with nine goals and 16 points.
Entering this week, Oglevie was riding a career-long seven-game point streak, which included goals in five of six games over that span. But on top of his previous point streak, skating in every game and surpassing his statistics from last year, the Amerks forward notched his first professional hat trick, lifting the team to a 3-2 victory over the Cleveland Monsters on Nov. 30 and being the first to achieve this feat for the club this year.
One thing Oglevie can admit to is that he came into this year with a chip on his shoulder, wanting to prove to people what exactly he could do when coming into a season healthy and feeling better than before.
“I think I said it once earlier this season, but I do want to prove that I’m still here just because people might have forgotten, or people might not have seen me play a whole lot last year. The ‘still here’ campaign is going on for me right now and I’m just happy to be contributing to the team.”
Well Andrew Oglevie, you most certainly have our attention.