Junior hockey league player gets lifetime ban after punching referee

A junior hockey league game between the South Shore Kings and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights has been trending for all the wrong reasons.

And that’s because Paul Halloran, of the USPHL’s South Shore squad, decided to punch a referee, dropping him to the ice, during the first period of their recent game, according to multiple reports.

Video posted to social media shows Halloran engage the referee and shove him after the pair collided near the Kings’ bench. The referee whistled Halloran and motioned toward the penalty box, but as he was headed in that direction, Halloran threw a punch that connected and sent the refereeing to the ice.

The referee was able to get back to his feet, and did not seem to be seriously injured, but Halloran, 20, won’t be playing USPHL hockey again. That, at least, according to a statement issued by the league in the aftermath of it all.

Just your average tier 3 junior game in the States… pic.twitter.com/JasARhGRUO

— World Hockey Report (@worldhockeyrpt) February 20, 2022

“The action taken today by a USPHL player is completely unacceptable in the USPHL,” the league’s commissioner, Bob Turrow, said in a statement. “The USPHL has zero tolerance for any player striking any official at any time. The player in question’s actions have led to a lifetime ban.”

And, per reports, it may also lead to criminal charges as authorities are reportedly investigating.