Nine May Face Disciplinary Action in American Hockey League Brawl

Jack Butterfield, president of the American Hockey League, Sunday termed “utterly disgusting” a wild pregame brawl that led to the ejection of nine players before Saturday night’s Rochester Americans-Hershey Bears playoff game.

But Butterfield, who said he is still reviewing film of the game, hasn’t decided whether the players will be subject to additional disciplinary action.

After the players started jawing at each other during the pregame practice, Rochester’s Andy Ristau and Hershey’s Jeff Brubaker started the melee by exchanging punches. Videotape of the fight showed that as Ristau and Brubaker wrestled on the ice, two other Bears--Kevin Maxwell and Greg Smyth--attacked Ristau. One pounded Ristau with his fists, while the other hit him with his stick.

Brubaker then got on top of a semi-conscious Ristau and pounded him until it appeared Ristau was in convulsions on the ice. Ristau suffered a concussion.

After the brawl, the Americans won, 5-4, in overtime to take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.