PEORIA, Ill. – A minor league hockey player is recovering after he fell on an opponent’s skate in Peoria over the weekend.

Justin Cseter, a centre for the Huntsville Havoc, had a gash on his inner thigh after colliding with Rivermen winger Dennis Sicard on Saturday night at Carver Arena. Cseter told the (Peoria) Journal Star (http://bit.ly/1sulmjo ) he was terrified when he saw the blood spurting out of him.

“I won’t forget the feeling on that ice, though. You lay there, not knowing if your artery is cut, not knowing if you’re going to make it through. You wonder if it’s career-threatening, life-threatening,” he said. “Then you walk away from it, and the feeling is amazing.”

Cseter was taken to a local hospital, where the injury was cleaned up and stitched. Surgery wasn’t needed since no arteries were affected.

“Really, eight staples is just all in a day’s work for a hockey player,” Cseter, 23, said. “Seriously, though, that is a really key muscle for a player and I don’t know how soon I’ll be able to return. Doctors are concerned that because the cut was so deep into the muscle, healing could be slow, and strength could take a long time to return.”

He said he’s thankful for all of the support he’s gotten since the accident.

The Rivermen Captains Booster Club donated $400, which had been collected for a fan drawing, to the Huntsville team to help with medical costs.

Cseter, who’s originally from Wisconsin, was released from the hospital Sunday and boarded a bus to head back to Alabama with his teammates.