IHL

Posted in: IHL
A trying year for Mike Liambas
By Justin M. Boyd
Feb 22, 2010 - 8:19:01 AM

BLOOMINGTON, Ill- By now anyone who has been following Junior or Minor Pro hockey in the last year has heard of Mike Liambas.  Mike Liambas is currently playing forward for the Bloomington Prairie Thunder of the International Hockey League, although his journey over the last year or so has been anything but ordinary.

Liambas thought he was going to return to play for Erie Otters of the OHL after he ended last season playing for the Bloomington Prairie Thunder of the IHL.  Mike received great news when he was invited to participate in the Atlanta Thrashers prospect camp. The good news soon faded however when Mike tore something in his thumb helping some rookies out after practice for Erie.  Right before the first game in the prospects camp against the New York Rangers the team doctor examined Mike’s thumb and told him he would not be able to participate. 

“It was the greatest opportunity of my life and was gone so fast, the next day I was on a plane back home.”

Liambas came back to the Erie Otters of the Ontario Hockey League and played only three games before more bad news. Unfortunately on October 30th, Ben Fanelli, a Kitchener Rangers defenseman was hit hard into the boards by Liambas. The hit was so hard; Fanelli had to be airlifted to a hospital and was treated for skull and facial fractures.

Ever since that day hockey columnists, reporters, and fans on internet message boards have debated the hit.  Was it charging? Was it boarding? As mentioned that is debatable.  Ben Fanelli did turn his back to the play at the last second, giving Liambas no chance to slow up on his hit. 

“Anything that could have gone wrong on that play went wrong.” Liambas said. 

It appears that it was a “freak” thing.  However “freakish” it may have been OHL Commissioner David Branch handed Liambas a suspension for the remainder of the 2009-10 season which as an effect ended his career in the OHL.

After Liambas was suspended from the OHL he took a couple of months to weigh his options, when Bloomington Prairie Thunder Coach Jarrod Skalde called and invited Mike back. 

“I brought Mike in the end of last year and he competed right away” Coach Skalde said.  “After the OHL suspension was handed down I gave Mike a few months to think about what he wanted, but ultimately I wanted him here.”

Skalde spoke very highly of Liambas, “You can’t help but be impressed with the kid, He brings energy, he brings life, youthfulness, he can change a game by himself”.

It may have appeared after an unfortunate event in the OHL Liambas caught a break by coming back to Bloomington to play professionally, however he only got to play three games before he was diagnosed with the H1N1 flu that sidelined him yet again.  Liambas was placed on the 14-day injured reserve while he got healthy.

Liambas recovered from the H1N1 flu long enough to play two games before a now famous hit on Muskegon Lumberjack veteran Jason Lawmaster. 

On Dec. 29, Lawmaster suffered a ruptured spleen and spent four days in the hospital because of a check from Liambas. 

“He was on his way down a little bit as I finished the check” Liambas said. 

Jason Lawmaster related what he remembered from the play; “I went to pick up the puck, I was waiting for my teammates to get open, they weren’t so I went to dump the puck and slipped, Mike came and hit me.  At first I thought I just got the wind knocked out of me.” 

Lawmaster was asked if he thought the hit was vicious in intent.

“No way, him and I play very similar, he is out there to finish his checks and make the other team know he is there, it was just bad luck.”   

Jason said that Liambas called him a few days after the incident.

“He called to see how I was doing which I really appreciated, he was real classy.”

When asked if players like he and Liambas get a bad reputation he replied “Sometimes, opposing fans always hate us, that’s life.” 

Jason Lawmaster is recovering and has been skating for a few weeks now and hopes to return by mid March.

Whether it was warranted or not the International Hockey League took action against Liambas and suspended him for five games because of the hit on Lawmaster. 

Skalde said, “I thought (the suspension) was harsh, what happened to Jason Lawmaster was unfortunate but I felt five games was harsh”

“The suspension in the IHL I almost had to laugh at,” Liambas said.  “I don’t know if the league just wanted the media attention or what.”

When asked if he felt the reason he got suspended in the IHL was because he had already been suspended in the OHL, “Yeah, 100%, there was no hit from behind.”

Liambas served his five game suspension and then came back and added a much needed physical game to the then struggling Prairie Thunder. 

“He just adds so much,” Skalde said.  “The teammates absolutely love him”

Again for Liambas, his playing was short lived.  A game played on Valentines Day ended with more bad luck for Liambas who will be out 6 to 8 weeks after emergency surgery to repair lacerated tendons in his right arm.  He suffered two complete and two partial lacerations to his flexor tendons.

Anyone that has seen Liambas play knows he is high energy and physical. 

“I’ll be that guy that you will know when I am on the ice” Mike said.

Coach Skalde also commented, “He does what he has been told to do since learning to play the game, which is play aggressive” 

Aggressive he is, unfortunately given his last year many fans of the game feel he has crossed the line from aggressive to reckless.  Although he still has his fans and supporters who believe he has just had a year of extremely bad luck.  Mike did tell me that the suspensions he received have not changed the way he plays. 

“Coach Skalde gave me a big opportunity, the entire (Bloomington) organization has helped me get through all of this, but without my family I wouldn’t have been able to make it this far.”

Outside of hockey Liambas does a large amount of charity work.

“I spent a lot of time at the Shriner’s Hospital for Children in Erie” Liambas recalled “I would go there 3 or 4 times a week for 3 or 4 hours, after morning skate, it was tough to leave that when I came (to Bloomington).”

Since coming to Bloomington Liambas has also spent time in local schools reading to kids and teaching them how to play floor hockey. 

Whatever the future may hold for Mike Liambas after he recovers, it is bound to be exciting.  Mike has a great heart, and a large love for the game of hockey.  After speaking with him and his Coach, as well as others in the Prairie Thunder organization there is no doubt Liambas feels compassion for both Ben Fanelli, and Jason Lawmaster. 

Contact Justin.Boyd@prohockeynews.com