EVERETT — The National Lacrosse League has suspended Washington Stealth transition player Paul Rabil for a hit he delivered in last Friday’s 13-12 overtime loss to the Toronto Rock.
But Rabil will play tonight against the Minnesota Swarm at Comcast Arena because the Professional Lacrosse Pla
yers Association (PLPA) filed an appeal on his behalf.
The suspension was for a head shot with a stick against Toronto’s Garrett Billings. There was no penalty called at the time. The suspension came down after the league reviewed game film during the week.
The NLL determined that the hit should have resulted in a five-minute penalty and a game misconduct. That would have been Rabil’s second game misconduct of the season, which requires a one-game suspension.
Each week NLL team’s can ask for reviews of hits that weren’t called during a game. Stealth coach Chris Hall and general manager Doug Locker said that to their knowledge, Toronto did not ask for the review, the ruling came straight from the league.
The PLPA filed an appeal on Rabil’s behalf Friday, allowing Rabil to play tonight. PLPA officials will review tapes and determine if they will go forward with the appeal process. If they continue with the appeal, the final decision will be determined in arbitration. If the PLPA decides not to follow through, Rabil’s suspension would take effect for the April 16 home game against Rochester.
Locker is optimistic.
“We were very surprised to get the ruling from the league that they were suspending Paul,” Locker said. “We feel very strongly that once the PLPA reviews the tape that they will mount a strong appeal on Paul’s behalf.”
The risk for the Stealth is that if the PLPA goes forward with the appeal and the arbitration process goes beyond next weekend, they could lose Rabil for a playoff game.
The Rabil situation isn’t the only concern for the Stealth going into tonight’s game. Washington also has to worry about injuries to forward Jeff Zywicki, transition players Jason Bloom, Chet Koneczny and Kyle Sorensen, and defenseman Chris McElroy. For tonight’s game, Sorensen is probable, Zywicki and Bloom are game time decisions, McElroy is doubtful and Koneczny is out.
The Stealth played two overtime games on the East Coast last weekend, but fatigue doesn’t worry Hall — the injuries do.
“Fatigue presents no issue at all, but all of the sudden injuries and suspensions are a monster issue for us,” Hall said.
The Stealth (7-7) have won four of their past six games and have a half-game lead over Minnesota in the West Division. Beating the Swarm tonight would give the Stealth a 1.5-game lead over the Swarm and Washington would have to lose its last game and Minnesota would have to win its final two games to take over second place and play host to a first-round playoff contest.
A loss for the Stealth gives Minnesota a half-game lead and Washington would have to win its final game and hope that Minnesota loses its final two games since the Swarm hold the regular-season tie-breaker over the Stealth.
Pink in the Rink
The Stealth and the Puget Sound affiliate of the Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation have teamed up for the second year in a row for “Pink in the Rink,” which takes place tonight at Comcast Arena. The event is part of the NLL’s effort to raise money to support cancer research and awareness.
Each Stealth player will wear a pink helmet during the game. Those helmets, among other items, will be auctioned off during the game. The fans who win the helmets will be invited onto the floor after the game and presented the helmets by the players. Last year, “Pink in the Rink” raised more than $10,000 for breast cancer research, but the Stealth have even higher goals this year.
“We are honored to be the beneficiary of the second annual Pink in the Rink,” the foundation’s Puget Sound executive director, Cheryl Shaw, said in a statement. “We appreciate Washington Stealth’s commitment to helping us spread the word and raise money to find the cures for breast cancer,”
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
