DOPS: Saturday 4th and Sunday 5th October 2025

Peterborough Phantoms #23 Bradley Bowering

On review it has been adjudicated that whilst the penalty assessed at 52.24 - a 5-minute Major and Game Misconduct Cross Checking under Rule 59 - is the correct tariff, due to the actions and contact area the required penalty selection should have been Illegal Checking to the Head or Neck, Rule 48.

48.1. ILLEGAL CHECK TO THE HEAD OR NECK
There is no clean check to the head or neck. The Player delivering the hit must avoid hitting the opponent's head or neck. A hit resulting in contact with an opponent's head where the head was the main point of contact and such contact to the head was avoidable is not permitted. This rule supersedes all similar actions regarding hits to the head and neck

48.3. MAJOR PENALTY AND GAME MISCONDUCT PENALTY
The Referee, at their discretion, may assess a major penalty and an automatic game misconduct penalty if, in their judgment, the Player recklessly endangers their opponent by an “illegal check to the head or neck”. Such assessment of reckless endangerment shall be based on the severity of the infraction, severity of the contact, the degree of violence and the general reprehensibility involved.

48.4. DISCIPLINARY MEASURES
If deemed appropriate, Supplementary Discipline can be applied by the Proper Authorities at their discretion.

It is important to note that there are a number of factors that separate this play from other cross-checking violations elevating the incident to merit this level of supplemental discipline:

This is not an inadvertent or accidental use of the stick while leveraging for body position or other hockey purposes, where players can reasonably expect escalated contact, or for both players' sticks to come up high or other hockey purposes.

Peterborough #23 had already slashed the Milton Keynes player #89, and was being penalised by the officials, and #89 did not retaliate. The game had been stopped giving #23 sufficient opportunity to engage in a different manner or to skate away from the situation.

Instead, fully in control of this play at all times, he chooses to deliver a cross-check to the head and neck area of the Milton Keynes #89, delivering a forceful strike to an opponent's head/neck area, causing injury requiring medical intervention.

In short, this is not a hockey play. This is an intentional and forceful strike to an opponent's head using his stick as a weapon to take retribution.

The player receives 0 penalty points on their record and, as a tier 2 tariff offense, the Player is suspended for 5 games.

Total Games suspended is 5 games, 1 of which has already been served.

Bristol Pitbulls #71 Jay King

At 54.38 the player was assessed a 5-minute Major plus Game Misconduct penalty for Slashing, Rule 61. This is the correct call for this incident.

61.1. SLASHING
Slashing is the act of a Player swinging their stick at an opponent, whether contact is made or not. “Non-aggressive” stick contact to the pants or front of the shin pads, should not be penalized as slashing. Any forceful or powerful chop with the stick on an opponent's body, the opponent's stick, or on or near the opponent's hands that, in the judgment of the Referee, is not an attempt to play the puck, shall be penalized as slashing.

61.3. MAJOR PENALTY AND GAME MISCONDUCT PENALTY
The Referee, at their discretion, may assess a major penalty and an automatic game misconduct penalty if, in their judgment, the Player recklessly endangers their opponent by “slashing” and the Player would not be sufficiently sanctioned by imposing a minor penalty. Such assessment of reckless endangerment shall be based on the severity of the infraction, severity of the contact, the degree of violence and the general reprehensibility involved.

The penalty for Slashing at 54.38 meets the requirements of Rule 61.3 Major Penalty and an automatic Game Misconduct as the slash was to the lower leg area, some of which is unprotected.

Due to the actions undertaken the position of the contact and the force used, the player receives 0 penalty points on their record and, as a tier 1 tariff offense, the Player is suspended for 1 game.

Total Games suspended is 1 game.