Through 60 minutes of action, Åker/Strängnäs HC and Flemingsbergs IK of the Swedish U18 league combined for 46 penalty minutes. After the final buzzer sounded on Flemingsbergs’ 5-0 victory, when the teams lined up to shake hands, things got ugly.
Referee Alex Eriksson and linesmen Leonard Cilthe and Gustaf Löfberg had their hands full with a post-whistle melee that saw all players – aside from the backup goaltenders – ejected from the game.
The brawl reportedly started with some trash talking, followed up by stick taps and some shoving. Soon, all the players on the ice were involved.
The final tally for the game: 871 penalty minutes. Here’s what was handed out after the horn sounded:
- 825 penalty minutes
- 32 fighting majors
- 29 game misconducts
- 3 match penalties, which may result in further suspension
- 1 abuse of officials penalty
“This referee was correct when he noted everything that happened,” said Robert Sjöström, chairman of the Södermanlands Officials Committee, according to Afton Bladet. “Before he wrote down everything, he contacted the union. They said he would follow the rulebook and highlight that [the postgame skirmish] was not right, and that all involved would be given a five minute major plus a game misconduct.”
Sjöström added that the situation may have been handled differently in the professional leagues, but affirmed that the on-ice officials made the right call according to the rulebook.
“If you follow the rule book,” said Sjöström, “which these officials do – then it is right.”
It was apparently quite a scene. One for which no video has as-of-yet surfaced. That’s not entirely surprising considering the audience for this match. According to the official scoresheet, only 67 fans were in attendance.
Those who were there got quite a show.
