JORDAN

PROVIDENCE — Jonathan Sigalet and his Providence Bruins teammates arrived at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center yesterday morning ready to prepare for the team’s game last night at Worcester.

Across the city, Jonathan’s brother Jordan, a goaltender for the P-Bruins, remained at Rhode Island Hospital after collapsing on the ice during a game a little more than a week ago. The fall was the result of complications from Jordan’s battle with multiple sclerosis. There’s a strong possibility he will be moved to a rehabilitations center, perhaps as soon as tomorrow.

There’s still no timetable for a possible return to the ice.

Jordan, who was diagnosed with the disease in March 2004 while he was a junior at Bowling Green, has little movement in his legs and needs assistance to walk. Jonathan said his older is getting better, and that’s the only thing the family is concerned about right now.

“He hasn’t said much about hockey,” said Jonathan. “He’s staying really positive. He has a great attitude towards it, and he has since Day One, when he was diagnosed. I’ve been [at the hospital] with my family and have watched him go through some of his therapy, and just trying to stand up is hard to watch. At the same time, he’s got a great attitude about it.”

The family and the team are still trying to piece together exactly what happened. The P-Bruins and the Worcester Sharks were midway through the third period of the game that Providence eventually won, 5-2. Jordan Sigalet was playing a solid game between the pipes.

The play was in the neutral zone when Sigalet collapsed and, according to Jonathan, Jordan doesn’t remember if his legs just gave out and he hit the ice face-first or if he lost consciousness. There’s about a three- to four-minute span before the collapse that Jordan can’t recall. A fan who was sitting behind the net said he saw Sigalet trying to get the attention of the goal judge just before he collapsed.

When team trainer Mike Poirier and the medical staff took Sigalet off the ice on a stretcher, the goalie was conscious and alert.

MS is an inflammatory disease that affects the central nervous system, and it’s believed Jordan suffered what is known as relapsing remitting, which is the most common form of MS and includes sporadic attacks similar to what occurred on Nov. 16.

Living and playing with MS, Jordan has always said he realized what he’s dealing with and the effect it has on his body.

“I have to take it day by day,” he said in January 2006. “The disease I have is so unpredictable; I could not be walking tomorrow. I just have to keep a positive attitude, and I’ve found that is getting me through the bad days.”

That statement still holds true today.

Because of the knowledge the Sigalet brothers have of the disease, episodes like Jordan’s latest have become a way of life.

“You know it’s a possibility, but you really don’t think about it because he looks so strong on the outside,” said Jonathan. “Even that night, he was playing so well in the game, and then out of nowhere he’s out cold on the ice. It came out of left field, but that’s the disease. It’s really sporadic and affects everyone differently.”

A similar episode occurred in Manchester a couple of seasons ago, but that time Jordan left the ice on his own after feeling sick. He later realized the smoke from pregame pyrotechnics had reacted with his medication and caused him to feel ill. There was some speculation that the renovation work at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center may have contributed to Jordan’s collapse, but that’s not the case.

Through it all, Jordan Sigalet has persevered.

The 26-year-old was looking forward to a promising pro career after completing his collegiate days at Bowling Green, where he was a Hobey Baker Award finalist in 2005. The Boston Bruins picked him in the seventh round (209th overall) in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft, and he began his pro career with Providence in 2005.

Jonathan, 21, played two seasons at Bowling Green with Jordan and decided to pass up his final two collegiate seasons, after the Bruins selected him in the fourth round (100th overall) of the 2005 draft, for a chance to play pro hockey with his brother.

“When my career is all said and done, and whether I make the NHL or not, I wanted to have those years playing with him,” Jonathan said. “I’m really glad I left school early to come here and be with him. It’s been the best five years of my life playing together with him. Hopefully, he can get healthy and back to playing again.”

The two arrived in Providence as rookies for the 2005-06 season, and have given each other a support system. The older brother has helped the younger one get through the growing pains of becoming a pro at such a young age, and the younger Sigalet has helped the older one deal with his disease.

The brothers are five years apart in age — almost to the day — and never has either one asked that one unthinkable question.

“I can ask ‘Why?’ and he can ask the same question, but it doesn’t really get you anywhere,” said Jonathan. “He has accepted that he’s been stuck with this and he’s moved forward. That’s why he’s been so successful since he’s been diagnosed. He didn’t sit and dwell on it.”

In fact, Jordan has done the opposite.

He’s become an ambassador for the MS Society and has worked countless hours raising money and awareness of the disease. He created “Sigalet Saves for MS,” where for every save he makes EMD Serono, Inc. makes a $20 donation to the Rhode Island Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

Jordan declined to be interviewed, but he did release a statement, saying he’s thankful for all of the support he has received from the fans, the doctors, the team and its players.

“I am staying positive,” he said. “I’m keeping in good spirits and feeling better each day. Again, thank you to everyone for your well wishes, support and privacy you have shown myself, Jonathan and our family at this time.”

jmcdonal@projo.com