The Petes brought in several players at the trade deadline with Brennan Othmann, Gavin White, Avery Hayes, Owen Beck and more. Several of the acquisitions have made major impacts for the Petes during the playoffs, something Petes general manager intended to do for a playoff push.
“We knew that we owed it to the players and to the organization and fans that because of the play that we demonstrated in the first half, we were going to do whatever could do to strengthen and solidify the roster,” said Michael Oke, Petes general manager.
The Petes depth has been tested during the series. Johnathan Melee sustained a lower-body injury in Game Five (and was out for the series), captain Shawn Spearing sustained a head injury after blocking a shot in the first period in Game Seven and Avery Hayes had a lower-body injury from blocking a shot in Game One. Hayes returned to the lineup in Game Three. Spearing has yet to be cleared to play and Wilson said he has yet to receive a prognosis on Spearing’s condition.
Cam Gauvreau and Chase Stillman also served two-game suspensions in that were doled out in Games Six and Three respectively.
“Anytime you go into the playoffs, depth is key,” said Oke. “It's going to be challenged, there's going to be adversity. We've got a resilient group, it seems that if one guy goes down, someone else picks it up.”
Wilson credits the players for coming together at the right time when it matters most.
“It's a credit to players that were here and it's a credit to the players that were brought in,” he explained. “These guys have really come together and they've really wanted to play for each other and I think they've proved that.”