Flin Flon Bomber Cole Duperreault is back off the ice, having been assessed a two-game suspension for an incident in a road game last week.
Duperreault was first suspended indefinitely by the league, then cleared of any wrongdoing and unsuspended, then resuspended for two games several days later.
Duperreault was originally suspended for an incident during the Bombers' Nov. 2 road game against the Melfort Mustangs. In the third period, with six minutes to go before the final whistle, Duperreault was given a five-minute major and a match penalty for what the league's game sheet originally described as "physical harassment of officials".
Duperreault came into the offensive zone to chase down a loose puck with an official between him and the puck - Duperreault appeared to make light contact skating past referee Jordan Carriere. Duperreault was ejected and the Mustangs were given a five-minute powerplay late in the third period - the Bombers killed the 5-on-4 off en route to a 2-1 win.
In the morning of Nov. 3, the SJHL put on its official website that Duperreault would be “suspended indefinitely” due to the incident during the Melfort game. Later that same day, the SJHL announced that the suspension would be overturned by the league, along with the match penalty Duperreault was assessed. The match penalty by itself would have carried a three-game suspension.
“The Department of Player Safety and Standard of Play reviewed an incident from the third period of last night's game involving Flin Flon and Melfort. After extensive video review and discussions with multiple personnel inside of and outside of the SJHL, there is enough conclusive evidence indicating that the alleged did not occur,” reads a statement sent out by the league at 6 p.m. local time Nov. 3.
“The match penalty and suspension to Duperreault has been rescinded.”
The league did another about-face on Nov. 6 though, issuing a two-game suspension to Duperreault for verbal abuse of an official during the same incident he had previously been cleared of responsibility in.
The two-game suspension, pending any other changes in league decision-making, will put Duperreault out of the lineup for the Bombers’ games this week against the Yorkton Terriers. He will be eligible to return Nov. 15 for a road game in Nipawin.
