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A Boston area hockey mom is facing the possibility of serious criminal charges after allegedly attacking two referees at the end of her son’s high school game. The incident occurred after the woman stepped on to the ice to confront the officials at the end of a game between Mansfield High School and Taunton High School in Massachusetts.
According to Spectrum News, police were called to the hockey mom after the game at the Foxboro Sports Center earlier this month.
“In this specific instance, we had two very veteran officials knew how to handle themselves out there and were able to manage this incident,” National Ice Hockey Officials Association (NIHOA) spokesperson Mike Ober said. “That isn’t the case all the time.”
The NIHOA also issued a lengthy statement about the attack.
“Following the game, a woman is seen on video waiting for over five (5) minutes for the officials to exit the ice surface, at one point stepping onto the ice surface,” the statement reads. “The woman later physically confronted the officials, as they retreated, preventing the officials from continuing to the locker room.
“Witnesses contacted the Foxboro Police immediately upon request of the officials. The woman departed the Foxboro Sports Center before police were able to make contact.
“A press release was issued on January 16th by the Foxboro Police Department. The incident remains under investigation by the Foxboro Police Department, who determined that ‘one person will be summoned to Wrentham District Court at a later date to face several criminal charges.’
“We are grateful to those who witnessed the incident, to Foxboro Sports Center personnel for their immediate response, and to the Mansfield and Taunton High School Athletic Departments for taking immediate action to ensure the future safety of officials.”
During the same hockey game, another Taunton man was thrown out for verbal abuse. “Are we going to have enough officials in the future if this trend continues? And my answer is no,” said Ober.
Spectrum News also reports that Massachusetts lawmakers submitted four bills this past week addressing assault on sports officials.
“It’s a sad day when you need legislation to deter poor behavior in the stands,” Ober said. “And what these bills do is bring minimum punishments and minimum penalties for, assaults in potentially verbal assaults or aggravated verbal assaults on officials.”