The National Collegiate Hockey Conference has condemned the fans who threw projectiles onto the ice at the climax of St. Cloud State’s controversial loss to Minnesota Golden Gophers.
The Gophers won 4-3 in overtime thanks to a Blake McLaughlin goal just seconds after he blatantly hooked St. Cloud’s Nick Perbix, only for the referee not to blow his whistle.
As the Gophers celebrated, some crowd members could be seen throwing trash and other projectiles onto the ice at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center.
On Sunday, the NCHC issued a statement in which it said that a minor penalty should have been issued in the lead-up to the Gophers’ winning goal, but that NCAA rules state that “judgement calls of minor penalties” cannot be reviewed through video replay.
It did however say that disciplinary action for any officials will be handled internally.
Our captain, our hero 〽️ pic.twitter.com/AMRxz3biCI
— Minnesota Men’s Hockey (@GopherHockey) October 17, 2021
Of the response, the NCHC said that the response of some fans was “unacceptable under any circumstances and inconsistent with our mission, vision and shared values.”
“Endangering student-athletes, coaches, staff, officials, and other fans by projecting objects on the field of play will not be tolerated,” it said. A review of policies will be conducted in the wake of the incident.
The NCHC says it’s not typical protocol for it to comment on judgement calls made by officials, but did so in this instance “due to the significant impact on the game’s outcome, along with the dangerous aftermath.”
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Correction: An earlier version of this story suggested that it was Huskies fans who were condemned for throwing projectiles onto the ice, however the NCHC statement did not specify if those involved were fans of a particular team.
