Ex-Silvertip Beach sets off fight in Lethbridge

It didn’t take Kyle Beach long to find himself at the center of controversy in his new home.

The talented and tempermental former Everett Silvertips star was the instigator of an incident between his new team, the Lethbridge Hurricanes, and the Medicine Hat Tigers that led to fines, suspensions and plenty of controversy (for video of the incident, see below).

The incident took place Wednesday near the end of Lethbridge’s 7-5 home victory over Medicine Hat. With the Hurricanes leading 6-5 and Medicine Hat’s goaltender pulled for an extra attacker, Beach, traded by Everett to Lethbridge earlier this month, took off on a breakaway with nothing but an open net in front of him.

Beach slowed down as he approached the Medicine Hat goal, took a glance backward, then finally put the puck in the net just as a Tiger was about to catch up to him.

Then came the mayhem.

The Tigers apparently took offense at Beach’s slowing down. One of the Tigers threw his stick toward Beach. Another rode Beach into the boards during Beach’s celebration. A couple fights broke out from the ensuing scrum.

One of those fights was between Medicine Hat enforcer Matt McCue and Lethbridge playmaker Colton Sceviour, with McCue throttling the overmatched Sceviour. Seeing their teammate getting beat up by a much larger player, Lethbridge’s Dwight King and Craig Orfino came off the bench to engage McCue. Leaving the bench to join a fight is strictly forbidden.

Lethbridge may have ended up with the victory, but the Hurricanes came out on the wrong side of the discipline. The WHL suspended head coach Michael Dyck for five games and fined him $500 for a lack of control over his players. King also was suspended for five games for leaving the bench and instigating a fight. Orfino was suspended for three games for leaving the bench. The team was fined $500 for players leaving the bench during an altercation.

McCue was suspended two games for his part in the altercation.

Beach has provided a huge boost for the Hurricanes. Mired in a seven-game losing streak when Beach was acquired, Lethbridge has gone 5-2-2-0 since, with Beach racking up nine goals and five assists in those nine games.

But with Beach, the offensive production comes with its own sideshow attached, as the Hurricanes just learned.

Around the WHL: The Kootenay Ice are staying put. Kootenay, subject to rumors of a possible relocation, reached an agreement with the city of Cranbrook on a 15-year lease at the Cranbrook Recreation Complex. … The NHL’s New York Islanders will play two exhibition games in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, in September. The Islanders face Calgary on Sept. 19 and Edmonton on Sept. 20 at Credit Union Centre, the home of the WHL’s Saskatoon Blades. … Sceviour signed a three-year contract with the NHL’s Dallas Stars. The Stars selected Sceviour in the fourth round of the 2007 draft. … Calgary defensemen Keith Seabrook was named the WHL Player of the Week. The 20-year-old had three goals and five assists as the Hitmen went 3-0.

League leaders: Points — Casey Pierro-Zabotel (Vancouver) 87; goals — Joel Broda (Calgary) 39; assists — Pierro-Zabotel 60; penalty minutes — Ryley Grantham (Kelowna) 148; wins — Martin Jones (Calgary) 31; goals against average — Dustin Tokarski (Spokane) 1.88; save percentage — Tokarski .940.