NEW ULM — Last year, New Ulm Steel defenseman Alec Moser’s season lasted all of three games.

In the Steel’s third game of the season, Moser tore his ACL in his left knee in a home game against the LaCrosse Freeze.

Now, almost a year removed from his surgery, the Devils Lake, North Dakota native is ready to get back on the ice for the Steel as they open their 2017-18 home season at 7:10 p.m. Saturday when they host Willmar at the New Ulm Civic Center in a NA3HL game.

“Getting him back is huge,” first-year Steel head coach Andrew Kolb said. “He is not still hurting, but he may still have a little pain once in a while. We will manage that in the correct way. Getting him back is huge — he only solidifies our defense even better.”

Moser said that the play in which he suffered the injury was unusual and he remembers it well.

“It was kind of a weird play,” Moser said about the injury. “I was behind the net and the puck was kind of in my skates and a Freeze player was coming to hit me. I was getting braced for the hit and he kind of rolled on top of me. My leg extended and my leg hit the ice. I knew I was done right away. I knew it was not good at that point.”

So for Moser, a season that saw him prepare a year for, a season that saw him move to New Ulm for a promising 45-game schedule and a hopeful long playoff run, was now over in a split second.

“I don’t know how to describe the feeling,” he said Thursday after a practice at the New Ulm Civic Center. “It was terrible — I went home (to Devils Lake) and worked as hard as I could on rehabbing my knee.”

What was also tough was that Moser’s Billet (Host) family — Mike and Paula Kral — were at the game.

“They knew what had happened and after it happened, I just did not want to be around hockey,” Moser said. “I did not even want to watch hockey. Being out for the whole season was tough.”

What was also tough was leaving his Steel teammates who he had become friends with.

“I missed the camaraderie with the teammates,” he said. “They are like family — you create bonds with them every day in practice. You butt heads in practice, but you are still friends.”

Moser had surgery a month after the injury.

“They wanted my MCL to heal before they did surgery on my ACL. I did my rebab and therapy every day. It was tough.”

Moser kept in touch with his Steel teammates during the season and came to some games.

“But it was tough to watch,” he said. “I felt that I should be out on the ice with them playing, but I am sitting in the stands.”

Moser said that he is excited to be back with the Steel and grateful that the Steel wanted him.

“They know that I am coming back off of an injury,” he said. “But I am like a choo-choo train — I am still trying to get on the track to where I want to be at. But I am hoping that by our first game, I will be there.”

Saturday night at the New Ulm Civic Center, Moser will take to the ice for the first time here since his injury.

“I know that I cannot be tentative,” Moser said. “You just have to go out there and play. It is just hockey. But I do know that I am going to love stepping on the ice here again. It is going to feel great.”