The University of Denver has suspended senior defenseman Patrick Mullen for one game for actions at the end of last Saturday's Western Collegiate Hockey Association men's game against Minnesota Duluth at the DECC.
Mullen, 22, from Pittsburgh, cracked his stick over the right arm of UMD freshman winger Mike Connolly, who was prone on the ice, in the final seconds of a 4-2 UMD win.
Mullen met this week with Denver coach George Gwozdecky and school associate director of athletics Ron Grahame. Gwozdecky said in a release: "Patrick's reckless action with his stick warrants a one-game suspension."
WCHA commissioner Bruce McLeod, based in Denver, said in a release: "I will also be meeting with the player to address the serious nature of his actions and to impress upon him that any further such incidents will not be tolerated and will result in even more stringent penalties."
Mullen, son of NHL Hall of Famer, Joe Mullen, will serve his suspension today as No. 6-ranked Denver plays at Colorado College.
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Connolly, 19, from Calgary, Alberta, had his right hand X-rayed Monday and, while there was no break, he was diagnosed with a bone bruise and advised to wear a splint for two days. UMD's third-leading scorer with 25 points in 30 games was at practice Wednesday. The No. 12 Bulldogs are off this week and resume play Feb. 20-21 at Michigan Tech.
The incident in Saturday's game began in Denver's offensive zone, after Denver goalie Marc Cheverie was pulled for an extra attacker. A Mullen shot was blocked by Connolly and the two raced for the puck at neutral ice.
Connolly dove and fell on the ice, pushing the puck toward the Denver net with about three seconds to play. With the puck about five feet ahead of the players, Mullen raised his stick and cracked down on Connolly's right arm, in the area of his thumb.
"I can't say why someone would do that," Connolly said. "Maybe his emotions got the best of him."
Mullen continued to skate ahead and stopped the puck just before it reached the net as time expired.
After the game, before the teams went through the handshake line, Gwozdecky asked Mullen to apologize to UMD coach Scott Sandelin, said Sandelin.
It was the second incident in a week reviewed by the league. Minnesota defenseman Brian Schack fought Minnesota State Mankato defenseman Channing Boe on Jan. 30 in Mankato, Minn. Schack was scrutinized for smacking Boe after Boe lost his helmet and ultimately suffered a broken right leg.
Schack received a minor penalty for instigation, a major penalty for fighting and a game disqualification. The league didn't hand out any further sanctions, but did send a letter to Minnesota noting that Schack was on notice and any future action of similar nature would be dealt with, said WCHA supervisor of officials Greg Shepherd.
