DOPS: Saturday 11th and Sunday 12th January 2025

Bristol Pitbulls #19 Elliot Lewis

Rule 48 – Illegal Check to the Head @ 49.04

The 5 + Game misconduct penalty for illegal checking to the head assessed at 49.04 is correct.

With Leeds #14 Playing the puck in his Defensive zone his back was clear to the advancing player of Bristol #19, as the play moved around the boards in the corner both players adjust their position to play the puck and #19 makes a check against the boards and as he does his shoulder rises and makes contact with the head/ neck area of Leeds #14 which is then pushed against the boards.

This contact was not targeted and the head was not picked.

Rule 48.1

A penalty for “Illegal check to the head or neck” will be assessed if one of the following occurs when a player checks an opponent:

(III) A Player who extends their body upward or outward in order to reach their opponent or uses any part of the upper body to contact an opponent’s head or neck.

The player receives 5 penalty points on their record and as a tier 1 tariff offence the Player is suspended for 1 game.

In addition, the player was assessed a 5-minute major penalty for fighting, this is correct and meets the requirements of the IHUK Rule 46 in house Rules for equal and willing combatants.

Player receives 1 penalty point and is free to play subject to accumulated penalty points.

In total the Player receives 6 penalty points and is free to play subject to accumulated penalty points.

Total games suspended is 1, this was served on Sunday 12th January 2025.

Berkshire Bees #13 Marcus Mitchell

Rule 61 – Slashing @ 52.13

The 5 + Game misconduct penalty for Slashing assessed at 52.13 is correct.

The Berkshire player #13 is battling for position in front of his teams’ goal and in retaliation to a minor cross check retaliates by swinging around and slashing out, with force at the Milton Keynes player #77.

This slash makes contact around the hand area of #77, some of which is unprotected, and delivered with sufficient force to break the offending players stick, causing reckless endangerment.

61.3. MAJOR PENALTY AND GAME MISCONDUCT PENALTY

The Referee, at their discretion, may assess a Major Penalty and an automatic Game Misconduct Penalty if, in their judgment, the Player recklessly endangers their opponent by “slashing” and the player would not be sufficiently sanctioned by imposing a Minor Penalty. Such assessment of reckless endangerment shall be based on the severity of the infraction, severity of the contact, the degree of violence and the general reprehensibility involved.

The player receives 5 penalty points on their record and as a tier 1 tariff offence the Player is suspended for 2 games.