La Ronge goaltender Liam McGarva was banned for 30 days following an on-ice incident on Feb. 12, 2020. (Twitter/La Ronge Ice Wolves)

By Brady Lang/CKOM News Staff

SJHL hands down long suspension after incident with on-ice official

Feb 19, 2020 | 11:02 AM

For the second time this season, the SJHL has handed down a historic suspension.

The latest incident to earn a long ban occurred Feb. 12 in a game between the Estevan Bruins and La Ronge Ice Wolves. Estevan won the matchup 8-0 and La Ronge wound up with three of its players on the league’s disciplinary report.

The league handed down the three suspensions Saturday.

The heaviest suspension was a ban for 30 days against La Ronge goaltender Liam McGarva for what the league called “physically becoming involved with an on-ice official.”

The 20-year-old McGarva had played 39 of 51 games for the Ice Wolves during the 2019-20 regular season.

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Holden Knights of the Ice Wolves was suspended for two games for a checking-from-behind incident and teammate Jake Gudjonson was banned for three games after a supplemental discipline review of a cross-check.

According to Estevan play-by-play broadcaster Rob Mahon, the game “kind of went sideways” following the end of the second period when the Bruins were up 4-0.

The incident that landed McGarva the 30-day ban began with a celebration from Estevan’s end in the third period.

The Bruins were up 7-0, according to Mahon, and Estevan scored its eighth goal of the game. The goal was Ryder Pierson’s first of the season, so the Bruins went to get the puck.

Mahon told 650 CKOM there then was a scuffle beside the La Ronge net, but it didn’t seem out of the ordinary in a game that featured high-intensity action. What happened next was out of the ordinary, according to Mahon.

“The referee went to get the puck, I was watching the Bruins do the flyby at this point, but I look back and all of a sudden, the referee is pointing McGarva out of the game. What I found out after was that he squirted his water bottle at (the referee),” he said.

“What got McGarva the suspension was as he was being led off the ice, he was irate, he was not happy at all, and he was trying to get at the official and get around the linesman to do it. As he got tangled up with the linesman, (McGarva) shoved him pretty hard with his blocker a couple times.”

Mahon said the incident happened directly under his spot in the press box. He said the push to the linesman wasn’t a punch.

“It wasn’t like he threw a jab at him or anything,” Mahon said. “They were just tangled up and he shoved (the linesman) a couple times, and it became a physical harassment of officials penalty as he was led off.”

La Ronge head coach-GM Kevin Kaminski told 650 CKOM that the team is moving forward from the incident that landed its goaltender with the long ban.

“It was one of those games,” Kaminski said. “He was frustrated. They told him he was gone and had to take him out through the penalty box to our dressing room. He pushed the linesman and that was that.

“There’s rules that we (have to) follow by and he accepts the consequences and he regrets doing it.”

SJHL president Bill Chow declined an interview, but said the league took the official ruling from Hockey Canada on abuse of officials.

Kaminski said the team is comfortable with goaltender Xavier Cannon carrying the load down the stretch and into the first round of SJHL playoff action.

He added the team and McGarva have accepted the consequences of the incident.

“(The league) told me what (the suspension) was, and I didn’t appeal it,” Kaminski said. “It is what it is. I think in life we all make mistakes, and again, we have to accept our consequences and move on.

“We have to be role models. We have to follow the new rules (of hockey) and adjust to them.”

The 2019-20 season has been a bright one for the Ice Wolves, who have missed the SJHL playoffs since the 2015-16 season.

The team recently clinched a playoff spot, and sits in second in the Sherwood Division behind the Flin Flon Bombers.

Kaminski said the team is a resilient group, and even though the Ice Wolves are continuing on without their netminder, he believes they’re going to be OK.

“This group of kids we’ve got … they’re full of character. We’ve had some ups and downs and learning processes throughout the year. We’ve always rebounded,” he said.

“We’re moving forward, and we’re looking forward to whoever we play in the first round.”

The 30-day ban is the second-longest in league history, second only to the suspension handed to Yorkton Terriers forward Greg Mulhall. He was banned for 25 games after a collision with Melville Millionaires goaltender Berk Berkeliev in late September.

Just over two weeks later, a profanity-laced video surfaced of Mulhall making light of the original incident. The league then severed ties with the forward for the remainder of the 2019-20 season.

McGarva will be allowed to return to the ice on March 11.