Syracuse forward sucker punches Marlies forward on the bench and all hell breaks loose
We all know that late in close games, tempers begin to flare as teams look to do whatever they can to build some momentum. For the Syracuse Crunch and Toronto Marlies, Wednesday's matchup was just one of those games.
Not only did Marlies defenseman Noel Hoefenmayer take exception to a high hit on teammate Mikhail Abramov and drop the gloves to avenge his downed teammate, but Syracuse's Gemel Smith actually went after a player on the Marlies bench in the third period and delivered a nasty sucker punch.
The play occurred with 13:50 remaining in the third period when Smith went after Adam Gaudette, who had just made his way onto the Marlies bench, drilling him in the face without warning. Of course, Gaudette made his way back onto the ice and dropped his gloves as well.
Smith was issued a 4-minute double minor for roughing on the play and the Leafs wound up with a power play as a result. The Leafs made the Crunch pay on the ensuing power play and ended up skating away with a 5-3 victory, so it looks like it's the Marlies who got the last laugh.
| POLL | ||
OCTOBRE 27 | 251 ANSWERS Syracuse forward sucker punches Marlies forward on the bench and all hell breaks loose Should Smith be suspended for punching a player on the bench? | ||
| Yes | 218 | 86.9 % |
| No | 33 | 13.1 % |
| List of polls | ||
