Egg Harbor police charge 3 adults in connection to youth hockey brawl
Cameras show several players getting into a fight, before parents ran onto the court and began fighting each other during a tournament in Egg Harbor Township.
Ball hockey turned to "brawl hockey" last weekend when kids and parents were seen fighting during a youth tournament in South Jersey. Now, three adults are facing charges.
Cameras show several players getting into a fight, before parents ran onto the court and began fighting each other during the Veterans Memorial Invitational Tournament in Egg Harbor Township. Some parents are seen grabbing their players to leave.
Egg Harbor Township police are charging two adults from Philadelphia and one from Maple Shade with simple assault and disorderly conduct. Police say none of them had permission to be on the court.
The tournament, held at Egg Harbor Township Street Hockey by the American Ball Hockey Alliance, involved one team from Maple Shade and another from Philadelphia.
The ABHA said in a statement that said in part, "This type of behavior is not representative of normal street/dek hockey play, and violence is never condoned in our sport...We take the role of spectators very seriously and impose appropriate sanctions for those whose behavior as fans is disruptive or inflammatory....We are also reviewing our training programs and regulations governing out referees to ensure that they are better equipped to manage and deescalate such incidents in the future."
It has suspended both teams and an assistant coach from the tournament and said these actions "do not reflect the values of the host facility, Egg Harbor Township Street Hockey."
The Maple Shade Street Hockey Board also released a statement to say that these actions would not be tolerated.
"We encourage all parents and players to reflect on their actions and consider how they can contribute to a more positive, respectful and sportsmanlike environment within the community, the board said.
