‘All-out brawl’ on the ice ends match for Ridley hockey
A Flyers Cup AA high school tournament hockey game Thursday night at the Hatfield Ice Arena in Colmar, Montgomery County didn’t quite reach the final whistle, and has apparently left some parents and school administrators fuming.
The game, a quarterfinal-round match between Ridley and Central Bucks West, was called to an end due to what was described as an “all-out brawl” with just over seven minutes remaining in the third period and the Bucks leading 7-1. Ridley therefore was deemed the loser by forfeit, but only after the melee, which was said to have included some spectators, was finally quelled.
A video that went out on social media later showed an ejected player re-entering the ice surface to get into the fracas. The fights spilled over into the crowd, and Hatfield police were called, but according to
The Intelligencer newspaper, no arrests were made.
The newspaper reported that police were notified and a number of Hatfield Township officers responded to the scene. Several officers went onto the ice, and two of them escorted a member of the Ridley coaching staff to his dressing room.
After the teams left the ice, police were still on the scene interviewing witnesses, and an officer was present in the Central Bucks West dressing room.
In all, 100 penalty minutes were doled out in the game, 64 to Ridley, but the game was abandoned before tallying up what resulted from the incident.
In the game, the topseeded Bucks controlled play throughout via two goals each from Shawn Philipps and Tucker Forte to oust the No. 8 seeded Green Raiders.
Brawls seem sadly par for the course this time of year. A season ago, fans of Springfield were involved in an incident at Ice Line in West Goshen after the Flyers Cup A final with West Chester Rustin. That scuffle, which involved fans, led to several arrests.
Hatfield Township police issued a release Friday indicating that an investigation into this latest incident was continuing, and asked anyone with any additional information or video recordings of the altercation to call 215-855-0903 or email policetips@hatfield-township.org.
According to the release, two Central Bucks West players reported being injured during the altercation, and one player was transported by Volunteer Medical Service Corps ambulance to Abington Memorial Hospital for treatment for non-life threatening injuries.
Assisting Hatfield Township at the scene were Souderton Borough, Telford Borough, Montgomery Township and Lansdale Borough police departments.