Spotlight Staff

Used by Permission by Andrea DeMeer
Copyright 2014 Similkameen Spotlight

ANATOMY OF A HOCKEY FIGHT - IT'S FUN

Conducting a post mortem of a hockey fight ends up being a little like describing a car accident.

It all happened so quickly. Instinct took over. People got hurt.

“It’s fun and it’s fast,” Princeton Posse’s homegrown Mort Johnson said in an interview following his first Junior B on ice brawl, and his first game suspension, Wednesday night against North Okanagon.

When asked to comment on the photo above Johnson grinned. “I probably was thinking just hit him more times that he hits me.’

According to head coach Bill Rotheisler, Johnson dominated the set-to, and one fan in the stands remarked the rookie player skated to the bench with a smile that “lit up the whole arena.”

There was after-melee clean up to deal with. “He was hurt,” said Johnson. “There was a little bit of blood and he was hurt.” Johnson and Bradly Palumbo each received a game suspension under rule 9.3 covering more than one altercation between whistles. There was also considerable confusion following the Posse’s 6-4 win, prompting Rotheisler to send an email to the club’s board members. 

“I heard some crazy things including five games for four players and myself. It’s probably one of the best examples of rumours spreading and growing like wildfire I have seen as there was literally no indication from the league… There were no suspensions given for Cooper Prechel, Kurtis Klinger or any member of the coaching staff,” Rotheisler said in the email.

According to Johnson the fight was on when the Posse’s Erik Dion came under an unprovoked attack by a North Okanagan player. With Dion down on the ice, Palumbo moved in to help and was intercepted by another opposing player. Johnson skated for Dion when he was opposed by North Okanagan’s Tyler Mort.  Twenty two penalties were handed out during the second period including 10 game misconducts – five a side – penalties for fighting, and one Posse penalty for leaving the bench.

Posse Captain Kurtis Klinger said “a new rivalry was born” during Wednesday’s game. He said fights are a necessary element of the sport. “It’s all about protecting your team mates and not letting your guy be in a vulnerable position.”

Klinger said a fight “at the right time” can also “spark the team and change the direction of the game.”

While some players at the Junior B level fight-train in the off-season, that is not part of the Posse’s program.

“It (fighting) is not exactly frowned upon but if it’s not at the right time Bill will let you know.”

Tyler Ehlers was the Away Star of the Game for Princeton with a goal and three assists. Other Posse goal scorers were Destin Robinson, Colton St. John, Trevor Pereverzoff, Klinger and Daine Elphicke. Assists were earned by Craig Thompson, Estevan Hale, Bryan Kromm, Dion, Pereverzoff, and Klinger.

Stephen Heslop stopped 26 of 30 shots on the Posse net.