Another setback for hard-luck Bourdon

Defenseman Marc-Andre Bourdon has concussion issues from banging his head into the glass during a recent game and is out of the Phantoms' lineup indefinitely, Adirondack coach Terry Murray confirmed after his team's morning skate Saturday in Voorhees.

Earlier this season, Bourdon spent two months at the University of Michigan, where he received treatment from concussion specialists and also skated on the college rink. The Flyers sent him to the Phantoms last month, and it took him a few games to get back into form, Murray said, adding that Bourdon was making major strides.

"He was pumped, as far as being able to be a hockey player again and being around his teammates," Murray said.

That was before Bourdon was injured against Wilkes-Barre on Feb. 8, his seventh game with the Phantoms.

"He went to hit a guy in the neutral zone by the penalty box, and the guy kind of dipped down on him, and he banged his head on the glass," Murray said. "He got cut over the eye and got several stitches, and everything is related to that blow to the head."

Murray said Bourdon was "having problems with headaches. He gets up in the morning and some days he feels really good and he can come and get through the full practice. Other days he wakes up and calls into the medical staff and says he can't make it. He hasn't slept well, he has headaches, he stays in bed.

"But he's pushing through a lot, as far as trying to get on the ice, trying to stay active," Murray added. "He's getting out of the house, going for walks and coming in and getting off-ice workouts. He's trying to participate in the practice as long as he can."

Bourdon was impressive during a 45-game stint with the Flyers in 2011-12, but he did not play any games with the NHL team last season because of concussion issues.

Before returning to the Phantoms last month , the 6-foot, 225-pound Bourdon hadn't played since Nov. 30, 2012, when he was with Adirondack. With the Phantoms last season, he suffered his second concussion in the calendar year.

A third-round draft pick in 2008, Bourdon said last month that the headaches, dizziness and vision problems had disappeared because of the treatment he underwent in Michigan, and that he was ready to play and climb the ladder back to the NHL.

At the time, Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren called it a "feel-good story."

If healthy, Bourdon will be a strong contender for a defensive spot with the Flyers' next season.

Breakaways. Kimmo Timonen and Finland won a bronze medal with a 5-0 win over Team USA on Saturday…..Center Nick Cousins, who entered Saturday with 13 points in 49 games, has had an up-and-and down first full season with the Phantoms. "He's a ways away" from the NHL, Murray said. "He's got to mature physically.".…. Murray praised the play of Mike Matczak, 25, a Sewell native who is one of his third-pair defensemen.

Follow Sam Carchidi on Twitter @BroadStBull.