Warriors, Vees given hefty suspensions

The BC Hockey League has thrown the book at the West Kelowna Warriors and Penticton Vees for a game-ending bench clearing melee following their game last Saturday at the SOEC.

Late Wednesday, the league announced suspensions totalling 25 games to the two teams.

Photo: Contributed - Vees Video

Players from both benches enter a skirmish following last Saturday's game in Penticton

Fines may have also been assessed although those were not made public if they were.

The Warriors were hardest hit as Shawn Hochhausen, Braxton Bilous, Brennan Clark and Matthew Berry were handed suspensions totalling 18 games while Vees Michael Rebry, Brayden Park and Cody DePourcq will sit for a combined seven games.

The suspensions break down this way:

• Bilous 8 games - 3 games for receiving a Gross Misconduct, 3 games for leaving the dressing room area to join an altercation and 2 games for provoking an altercation at the end of a game.
• Hochhausen 7 games- 3 games for leaving the bench and being charged with a fight, 2 games for fighting at the end of a game and 2 games for provoking an altercation at the end of a game.
• Berry 2 games - 1 game for leaving the bench to join an altercation and 1 game for provoking an altercation at the end of a game.
• Clark 1 game - 1 game for leaving the bench to join an altercation.
• Rebry 5 games -  3 games for leaving the bench to engage in a fight and 2 games for fighting at the end of a game.
• Park 1 game -  1 game for leaving the bench to participate in an altercation.
• DePourcq - 1 game for leaving the bench to join an altercation.

The suspension came as players from both teams came together along the side boards in the Penticton end across from the benches following a 2-1 Vees victory.

Video showed Bilous taking several pokes at Vees Jedd Soleway and dropping his gloves before being guided away by the referee.

At the other side of the rink both teams, already on the ice following the buzzer, got mixed up with each other.

Things appeared to break out after two Penticton players took down Warriors defenceman Dustin Cave.

After several skirmishes were broken apart and the Vees gathered around their victorious goaltender, Bilous came back onto the ice, skated through the Vees celebration, locked on with a linesmen, re-igniting hostilities.

From start-to-finish, only three minutes elapsed before teams were finally ushered to their respective dressing rooms.

Saturday's contest was the final meeting between the two teams during the regular season.

The clubs could still face each other in the playoffs.

This is the second time this month the league has come down hard on teams following  game ending brawl.

Following a game in Victoria between the Grizzlies and Chilliwack Chiefs teams were hit with a combined 37 games in suspensions.

Six Victoria players were suspended a total of 21 games while seven Chiefs players were hit with suspensions totalling 14 games.

One game suspensions were also handed out to Victoria coach Bill Bestwick and Chilliwack assistant coach Brandon Fleenor.