The ECHL Department of Player’s Saftey has announced that Orlando Solar Bears Defenseman Jimmy Mazza has been suspended one game and fined an undisclosed amount for instigating a fight at the 19:01 mark of the third period in Friday’s game vs. Greenville Swamp Rabbits. As stated in the ECHL rule book under rule 46.22, any player charged with being the instigator in the final five minutes of a game shall automatically receive a one-game suspension. The Solar Bears and Swamp Rabbits combined for 268 penalty minutes in last night’s game, with 258 of them coming in the final minute of the game, which would also result in a line brawl; Mazza was the only player given a game misconduct. Mazza has seven goals and 17 assists for 24 points and 125 penalty minutes in 67 games this season. He was suspended two games earlier in the year for an unpenalized cross-check. The 29-year-old defenseman will miss tonight’s game vs Greenville.
Orlando and Greenville weren’t the only two teams racking up penalty minutes last night as the Norfolk Admirals and Reading Royals combined for 246 penalty minutes last night as Reading’s Devon Paliani and Norfolk’s Carson Musser would both game misconducts in that game but would avoid further discipline from the league. Musser has eight goals and 18 assists for 26 points and 57 penalty minutes in 56 games with the Admirals this season. Paliani has 16 goals and 27 assists for 43 points, along with 105 minutes in penalties in 69 games this year with Reading.
