Boston’s Kelly Babstock and Minnesota’s Britta Curl-Salemme Suspended for One Game
NEW YORK AND TORONTO – The Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) has announced that, following two reviews initiated by the PWHL Player Safety Committee, Boston Fleet forward Kelly Babstock and Minnesota Frost forward Britta Curl-Salemme have each been suspended for one game for incidents occurring during the January 2 game between their teams.
At 9:01 in the first period, Curl-Salemme was assessed a minor penalty for roughing against Fleet forward Theresa Schafzahl. Upon review, the Player Safety Committee determined that Curl-Salemme recklessly and dangerously made contact with her stick to Schafzahl’s neck and head, violating PWHL Rule 61 – High-sticking. The Committee reserves the right to reclassify an infraction differently than called on the ice.
At 11:23 in the second period, Babstock was assessed a minor penalty for cross-checking against Curl-Salemme. Upon review, the Player Safety Committee found that Babstock displayed no intention of playing the puck and recklessly extended the shaft of her stick with both arms to strike Curl-Salemme in the neck and head, violating PWHL Rule 60 – Cross-checking.
These are the first suspensions for both players in their PWHL careers.
The PWHL Player Safety Committee, chaired by Jayna Hefford, PWHL Senior Vice President of Hockey Operations, is responsible for monitoring all games and providing independent reviews and recommendations on supplementary discipline. The committee also includes Cassie Campbell-Pascall, PWHL Special Advisor; Bill McCreary, a former NHL referee and Hockey Hall of Fame member; Mike Murphy, long-time NHL executive and former VP of Hockey Operations; and Matt McMahon from the NHL’s Player Safety department.
