New dad Ruby set to rejoin Mayhem for stretch run

There are many reasons that the Macon Mayhem find themselves mostly in control of their own fate to claim the SPHL’s best regular-season record going into the final two weekends of the season.

And just in time for that critical push, one of those players is set to rejoin the team this weekend with goalie Jordan Ruby once again lining up between the pipes after missing the past two weekends.

But Ruby had a very good reason to be away from his teammates. He was home in Ontario while his wife, Jillian, gave birth to their first child. On March 19 came the arrival of Dawson Kenny Ruby.

Now, the new dad is back down south with his teammates as they prime themselves for the postseason.

“No words can describe it and no experience can really relate to it,” Ruby said. “Being there for the week with my son was very special. It was just a lot of emotions and just learning together with them, it was just very special to be there. I already miss them a lot.”

The Mayhem (35-14-2 with 72 points) host Roanoke on Friday and Pensacola on Sunday and play Saturday at Huntsville, and are looking to halt a two-game losing streak and break a first-place tie with Fayetteville.

On paper, Macon has an easier path to claim first place. Fayetteville travels to fourth-place Peoria this weekend for three games and hosts third-place Huntsville next Friday and Saturday. Macon wraps up the regular season next weekend at home against ninth-place Roanoke on Friday and Saturday.

“It’s a good spot to be in,” Ruby said. “You kind of feel you are in control. Everyone wants to try and knock off the big dog and will give you their best because they want to beat you.

“Everyone wants to finish first, for sure, but you want to go into the playoffs with momentum.”

Ruby rejoined the team last weekend, getting on the ice to begin working his way back into action during an optional practice session on Monday morning. It’s a process that Ruby hopes will elevate him back to the same form as before he was with his wife and new child.

“Now, I’m making sure my body is just healthy and make sure it’s ready to do a lot of the things it wasn’t doing the last two weeks,” Ruby said. “Bodywise, you’re off for two weeks, but it only takes a couple of days for you to get going.

“Obviously games are a little different. When I left, I was getting in a good rhythm and was probably playing at the peak of my season. “

Even though Ruby has only appeared is 26 games this year for Macon, his 2.17 goals against average is still the best in the league.

“He’s been a huge part our team. Obviously, we’re excited to have him back,” Mayhem head coach Kevin Kerr said. “Hopefully he will be huge part of our team down the stretch. We have to get him back going on the right direction and hopefully he hasn’t missed a beat so we can get him in the groove and ready for the playoffs.”

Being away from his wife and new son isn’t quite as difficult as it would have been in past years, thanks to the wonders of modern technology.

“She was a school teacher back in Canada, so her days were a little long,” Ruby said. “Now, even though she has a just as busy and probably more important job with our son, she is a lot more flexible throughout the daytime. Thank God for FaceTime.”

With Ruby back, the Mayhem will lean on either Troy Passingham or Mike DeLaVergne to resume what was one of the more formidable goalie combos in the SPHL before Ruby’s time away from the team. But therein also lies a late-season decision for the Mayhem, which must settle on two goalies on an 18-player roster limit, or go with three.

Both proved their worth as the Mayhem’s goalie tandem while Ruby was away. DeLaVergne was 2-2-0, coming within 90 seconds of a shutout. With Passingham going 1-1-1.

The goalie position won’t be the only one Mayhem are shuffling going into the weekend. With the suspension of forwards Dennis Sicard and Stathis Soumeldis finalized, Macon is now short two mainstays from their scoring lines. Sicard will return from suspension next Friday against Roanoke with Soumelidis eligible to return on Sunday. Defenseman Chris Joseph’s one-game suspension has already been served.

The return of Matt Johnson from injured reserve should help. The right winger returned to action on Sunday and is tied for the team lead with a plus-16 plus-minus rating and has been singled out multiple times by Kerr for his on-ice leadership as well.

Behind the bench, assistant coach Leo Thomas will serve as head coach until Kerr’s suspension ends on Sunday.

This story was originally published March 29, 2017 at 6:50 PM with the headline "New dad Ruby set to rejoin Mayhem for stretch run."