A United States Premier Hockey League player has been banned for life after he delivered a brutal punch to a referee’s face on the ice Sunday.
Paul Halloran, a 20-year-old player for the South Shore Kings, was thrown out of the game against the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Knights after striking the ref, and later the league took action to ban him from the league forever.
The incident occurred in the first period when Halloran and the ref collided on the ice in front of the benches. The ref immediately threw Halloran in the penalty box for the collision, but a few seconds after the ref made his motion, Halloran skated over to him and let loose a piledriver to the ref’s face.
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Fortunately, the ref quickly got back up on his feet. But the attack was more damaging to Halloran.
On Sunday, USPHL Commissioner Bob Turow tweeted that the player was handed the ultimate sentence.
“The action taken today by a USPHL player is completely unacceptable in the USPHL. The USPHL has zero tolerance for any player striking any official at any time. The player in question’s actions have led to a lifetime ban,” Turow wrote.
“The incident is currently being investigated by local authorities, and as such the USPHL will have no further comments at this time,” he added.
The league has not yet said if the Kings will also suffer a penalty.
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