KINGSTON, MASS. (WHDH) - A youth hockey league game in Kingston turned into a fight night when a coach allegedly attacked a referee, parents said.
Video shows a man punching a referee on the ice during a game between a team from Springfield and a team from New Hampshire. A team manager and a parent from the Springfield team said the coach from New Hampshire was upset about a call.
“They had some words and the coach spit on the ref,” said team manager Nicholas Chartier. “So the ref shoved him. And then he went after the ref.”
Both Chartier and parent Jay Morano said they were outraged by the fight.
“This is not normal,” Morano said. “We’ve played in multiple countries, multiple states…normally most adults and coaches that we see are very passionate, but they try to influence positively…this is something we’ve never experienced before.”
“You can’t have this in front of 11-year-olds, it’s a shame. It’s a disgrace to the sport,” Chartier said. “I think our coach handled it well. He told our kids in the locker room you don’t ever act that way. Just to try and put it behind them and move on.”
Morano said the fight did not represent youth hockey.
“I know there’s a lot of attention because it is so shocking,” Morano said. “But try to remember there’s a lot of people who do a lot of good and help these kids and they learn a lot, there’s a lot of good coming out of youth hockey and this isn’t the norm.”
7News has reached out to the referee and to league officials but has not heard back.
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