The Bayernliga game between the Erding Gladiators and the Schongau Mammuts ended on Friday evening with a real scandal.
Erding – About halfway through the game, when the score was 2-2, a previously unknown player threw a puck from the spectator stands onto the ice, injuring the linesman.
The game was first interrupted and finally stopped.
TSV Erding has now offered a reward for identifying the perpetrator.
It should have been a great ice hockey evening - and it could have been.
Everything was in order: 700 spectators formed a magnificent backdrop, and the two teams on the ice offered top Bavarian league ice hockey.
With a majority, Jonas Lautenbacher took the lead in Schongau (5th), Roni Rukajärvi also put the puck into the net to make it 1-1 on a power play (16th).
A little later there was a contentious situation when the main referee Sebastian Alt initially decided on a goal for Erding after a slanted shot, but after consulting his line judges withdrew the goal.
In the second third, the events rolled over.
Sebastian Busch put the Gladiators in the lead (24th) after great preliminary work by Simon Franz, but Florian Höfler scored less than three minutes later to make it 2-2.
Then Mark Waldhausen was badly checked into the gang from behind, but there was only a two-minute penalty against Schongau.
Seconds later, Erding's Rudi Lorenz received a five-minute penalty plus playing time after a check that resulted in injury.
The gladiators fought great and didn't concede a goal.
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No chance: celebrating the 2-1 lead for the Erding Gladiators in the 24th minute (photo above; green-black, from left) Tomas Plihal, setter Simon Franz, goal scorer Sebastian Busch and Michael Franz. Everything was fine then.
© Christian Riedel / fotografie-ri
Just when the hosts were complete again and the game was interrupted, it happened: A puck was thrown from the standing room side and hit linesman Natalie Bertl squarely in the head, who – despite her helmet – walked off the ice visibly dazed.
She then vomited in the dressing room and was taken to the hospital as a precaution, according to the referee's report.
Main referee Alt and linesman Sebastian Daumann actually wanted to continue the game in a two-man system - this was also communicated to the teams, both coaches confirmed in the press conference.
But after consultation with the referee observer Roland Aumüller who was present and a telephone call to league manager Frank Butz, the game was finally stopped.
Now the sports court has the floor, and the police are investigating for bodily harm.
As reported by TSV Erding, the thrower cannot be seen on the game video.
It was also not about a puck of the "puck throwing", which is always played in the second period.
Here all pucks are numbered and registered by name.
The said puck definitely had no number.
"It's a shame that it wasn't played to the end, it would have been a nice Bayern league game right to the end," said both Schongau's coach Markus Ratberger and Erding's team boss Felix Schütz.
Both agreed that although there had been some contentious situations, the referee's performance "was ultimately okay," as Schütz put it.
As for the game penalty, the unfortunate check was certainly not intentional.
On the other hand, the main referee could have pronounced a game penalty against Schongau when he checked Waldhausen from behind.
"Full speed from behind into the gang, that's not possible," said Erding's team boss and earned a nod from Ratberger.
Neither of them could say exactly where the puck that hit the linesman came from.
He probably didn't come directly from the Erdinger fan block, but rather from the area above the Erdinger players' bench.
According to the additional report prepared, the second linesman saw an "unidentifiable person" who "quickly left the stand".
"Of course you have to apologize," said Schütz.
"Throwing a puck at the referee isn't an option." You have to wait and see how the association decides, "but I'd be disappointed if the game were counted against us, because the boys can't help it."
He would not have stopped and "give the game another chance".
Michael Westphal was pissed off.
“The association condemns this senseless act in the strongest possible terms.
She intentionally injured a person and deprived hundreds of fans and both teams of an exciting ice hockey game," complained Erding's ice hockey department head.
"The damage to the club is not yet foreseeable, we have to wait for the decision of the arbitral tribunal." He wished "the referee a quick recovery and the police a quick search success".
And Westphal added: "We have offered a reward of 1,000 euros for identifying the perpetrator."
