A Buffalo father has been charged with third-degree assault after a dispute with a coach of his son’s hockey team left the coach hospitalized.
Michael Schaefer, 48, was arrested Saturday night at a high school hockey tournament in Orchard Park, N.Y., police told The Buffalo News.
Schaefer allegedly assaulted a St. Francis High School coach after Schaefer’s son, a goalie, was pulled during the first period of a game, according to WGRZ-TV. Police say Schaefer accosted the coach near the ice shortly after the game ended, pushed him and hit him several times.
Coach Scott Diebold was treated for a shoulder injury at Mercy Ambulatory Care Center, according to The Buffalo News.
Orchard Park police chief Mark Pacholec said in an interview with WGRZ that this is the worst instance of parent-coach violence he has seen.
“We’ve seen parents and coaches go at it before,” Pacholec said, “but to this extent — no.”
Multiple media reports state that Schaefer, who is due to appear in court later this month, was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the alleged assault.
For more on the situation, see the video below.
