Sask. junior hockey goalie suspended 30 days for incident with on-ice official
A goalie in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) has been suspended for 30 days.
Liam McGarva of the La Ronge Ice Wolves received a match penalty for "physical harassment of officials" in a Feb. 12 blowout loss in Estevan, Sask.
The league said he was suspended for "physically becoming involved with an on-ice official."
Ice Wolves coach Kevin Kaminski said he was told McGarva sprayed a referee with a water bottle.
And when McGarva was ejected, Kaminski said his player pushed a linesman in an attempt to talk to the ref.
"You can't push a linesman," Kaminski said. "And it's one of those games. He got frustrated and did something he regrets."
Kaminski said the suspension is fair and both the team and the player accept its length.
"I think in any sport in any level — reffing or umpires or whatever it is — they're hard to find these days, especially good ones," Kaminski said.
"We've got to work with them. We can't afford to be losing those guys."
McGarva was recently named one of three finalists for the SJHL Goaltender of the Year award and came into the weekend tied for the league lead in wins and shutouts.
The Ice Wolves will make their first appearance in the postseason since the 2015-16 campaign, but it's expected the suspension will cost them the services of their starting goalie for most of the first round of the playoffs.
SJHL President Bill Chow said the league didn't have an option but to follow a Hockey Canada discipline guideline in the McGarva case.
McGarva is the latest high-profile SJHL player to receive a lengthy suspension in recent weeks, as the runaway leader in the league scoring race was also suspended this month.
Yorkton Terriers forward Chantz Petruic, who has been averaging more than one goal and two points a game this season, was suspended for six games for leaving the bench to start a fight in a Feb. 7 home game versus Weyburn.
Mike Stackhouse, a long-time SJHL communications official, said he doesn't recall anyone in the league ever receiving the type of suspension McGarva was handed.
But, he said most leagues now defer to automatic suspension guidelines already prescribed in rule books.
Stackhouse said if some incidents he has seen in SJHL rinks in years past were to occur today, they might have resulted in "half-a-year or full-year" suspensions by today's standards.
"I don't think it's a reflection of added violence in the game or disrespect or anything like that," he said.
"In fact, I think it's probably been better than it's ever been."
