The forward was visibly frustrated after he was called for a penalty against the Texas Stars. As he was approaching the penalty box, Polei swung his stick for the glass but caught the unsuspecting victim first.
On his downswing, the Moose forward caught one of the linesmen right in the face with his stick blade. Jacob Stoller of The Hockey News shared the video on Twitter:
Polei was given a game misconduct for the incident, and fortunately, the official was able to finish the game.
It's clear there was no intention behind hitting the ref, but just like during play, the players must have full control of their sticks. After the linesman goes down, and he realized what had happened, it's easy to see he was remorseful.
It's likely that Polei will be facing a possible lengthy suspension for this, regardless of whether it was intentional or not.
POLL | ||
19 NOVEMBRE | 92 ANSWERS Likely suspension for AHL player who two-hands official in the head Will Evan Polei be suspended for the accidental play? | ||
Yes | 64 | 69.6 % |
No | 28 | 30.4 % |
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