B.C. regional junior hockey league hands out 35 games worth of suspensions for on-ice brawl

UPDATE Jan. 6, 2023: Nelson Leafs head coach Adam DiBella resigned Friday morning,following the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League'sdecision to suspend him for the rest of the regular season. Read the latest story here.

A major B.C. regional junior hockey league has issued a slew ofsuspensionsfollowing a brawl between players on New Year's Eve.

In its statementTuesday, the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League (KIJHL) said it had handed out a total of 35 games in suspensions to players from theNelson Leafs and eight games to Beaver Valley Nitehawks players due to an on-ice brawlinvolving the two teams on Dec. 31.

The league said ithappenedduring the opening faceoffof the second period.

Four Leafs players, including Tyler Seminoff, Leighton Partington, Hunter Sperle and Ryland Mennie, received the heftiest penalties among disciplined players.

They have each been suspended for eight games, includingthree for participating in a staged fight and five for instigating fights, according to the league.

Another Leafs player, Marko Pavlovic, has been suspended for three games.

Four Nitehawks players, including Gavin Tritt, Boris Hristov, Spencer Dixon-Reusz and Kaleb Percival, have each been suspended for two games.

The league says the players are eligible to return later this month, but it decided to suspend Leafs head coach Adam DiBella indefinitely, pending the completion of its investigation into his actions during the game in question.

WATCH| Players fight following puck dropin KIJHLgame on New Year's Eve:

Line brawls in B.C. regional junior hockey game result in a slew of suspensions

2 years ago

Duration 1:24

Nelson Leafs and Beaver Valley Nitehawks players are penalized for a multi-fight incident on Dec. 31.

Leafs coach under investigation

KIJHLcommunications directorEmanuelSequeira says in his time with the league he had notseen that many disciplinary actions imposed on teams at one time.

In referencing DiBella's indefinite suspension, Taylor McKee, professor of sports management at Brock University in Ontario,says it looked to him like the Leafs coach haddirected players to initiate the fight.

"It certainly felt like they were permitted to do it," he told host Chris Walker on CBC's Daybreak South.

McKee adds that he's surprised that a young coach like DiBella, 29, would allow brawls to happen in the game, as hockey has become less violent over the years.

CBC News askedKIJHL commissioner Jeff Dubois for comment, butSequeira said Dubois would issue a statement on the suspensions once the investigation intoDiBella is complete.