Brunelle suspended for 5 games

Press Release

The Director of Player Safety of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, Raymond Bolduc, suspended today, Francis Brunelle of the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles for 5 games. The suspension was handed out following an incident that occurred on November 5 against the Acadie-Bathurst Titan.

Here is the rationale that led to the decision:

The opponent was skating with the puck along the boards.
He passed a Titan player and cut towards the net from the face-off circle.
At the same time, the player at fault accelerated, cut towards the inside and checked the opponent.
The player at fault was skating at a high speed and the main point of impact was to the head. He came from the side and made no effort to minimize the impact.
His opponent suffered an injury.
This was the first offense for the player at fault.

The Director of Player Safety took this decision after having viewed videos of the incident, considered the officials report, spoken to the players and organizations involved and after consulting the Advisory Committee for disciplinary action.

 (Nathan can be reached at nathanfournier@mainehockeyjournal.com)