EVERETT — Neither antagonist from the punchout that followed Everett’s victory over Spokane on Wednesday are likely to be on the ice when the teams square off again tonight.
Silvertips leading scorer Kyle Beach, who was knocked out by the Chiefs’ Chris Bruton, has a concussion and won’t play this weekend.
Meanwhile Bruton, Spokane’s captain, has been suspended by the league for a period yet to be determined. He sat out Spokane’s game at Seattle on Friday night and awaits word on the ultimate length of the suspension.
Beach suffered his concussion at the conclusion of Everett’s 2-1 victory at Spokane on Wednesday. Some pushing and shoving after the horn led to a shove in the face to Bruton and a haymaker to the jaw to Beach. Beach was knocked unconscious, had his neck fitted in a brace and had to be helped off the ice.
Beach gave his account of the incident before Friday’s home game against Portland:
“It was a scrum after the game — you see them every single game. There was what I would call a bit of an overreaction. But I guess tempers and emotions run high in games and Bruton connected with a nice punch.
“I remember the whole incident,” Beach added. “I remember everything from when I got punched to when I went down to when (teammate Jonathan) Harty got to me to when Chris (Walker, the team’s trainer) got to me. So there’s really no memory loss or anything. It’s an interesting situation, but it’s over now.”
Bruton received a match penalty for attempt to injure. Beach received a roughing penalty.
The concussion means Beach will be out at least through next weekend’s games. It also means he’ll miss the Canadian Hockey League’s Top Prospects Game on Wednesday in Edmonton, Alberta. Beach was ranked by the NHL Central Scouting Bureau as the No. 1 prospect from the WHL for this year’s NHL draft.
The concussion is Beach’s second in roughly a month. He received a concussion just prior to the Christmas break during a fight at Tri-City. However, Beach said he was feeling OK.
“I feel good,” Beach said. “Obviously I’m a bit unsure. It’s hard to tell what it is and how long it will be. I’ll be out for a while, but I’m already antsy to get back in the lineup.”
Spokane coach Bill Peters said after Wednesday’s game that he believed Beach was acting as he laid on the ice, and in Friday’s edition of the Spokane Spokesman-Review he wasn’t backing off his statement.
“He’s a high-maintenance guy,” Peters said about Beach. “This is right up his alley, it’s part of his schtick. He’s done this numerous times. It’s all a big charade.
“Anyone knows if he’s seriously injured, you take him off on a spine board, that’s what our doctor wanted to do and then his teammates helped him off,” Peters added. “The act is growing thin. It’s one of those things. Some teams lay on the ice, some teams play straight up. His reputation is what it is and it’s well-deserved.”
Unsurprisingly Beach disagreed.
“Obviously those are some choice comments,” Beach said. “I don’t think they’re that respectable and will fly with the league. But I guess everyone’s entitled to their own opinion and if he thinks it was diving, well we’ll see what he thinks when I’m out for two weeks.”
Nick Patterson’s Silvertips blog: http://www.heraldnet.com/silvertipsblog
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
