Youth Hockey Referee Arrested For Physically Escorting Player Off Ice

A hockey game at Champions Ice Rink in Cromwell, Conn., took a violent turn Saturday when a referee physically escorted a player off the ice, prompting some parents to go after him and marking an abrupt end to the game, police said, via NBC Connecticut.

Steven Levins was refereeing a game for 13- and 14-year-olds when he called a match penalty on a player, requiring them to leave the ice. Police said the situation escalated from there, with one witness saying the player in question shot the puck at the ref’s head out of anger.

This led Levins to physically engage the player to get them off the ice, which in turn angered parents and became a point of concern for those in the stands, some of whom called 911.

While the specific actions the referee took with the player were unclear, police said the incident went beyond acceptable contact for an escort off the ice.

Levins was arrested on charges of breaching peace and the risk of injury to a minor. He was released after posting the $5,000 bond.

Photo via Twitter/@Phunnsie