Montreal Victoire forward Abby Roque has been suspended for one game for a hit to the Vancouver Goldeneyes’ Abby Boreen’s head, the PWHL announced Tuesday (Jan. 13).
Roque was given a five-minute major penalty and game misconduct four minutes into the third period for the hit. Boreen briefly left the ice, where she was assessed by medical professionals, and returned to the bench shortly thereafter.
Following an automatic review by the PWHL Player Safety Committee, it was found that Roque “took a poor angle of approach to deliver a hit” on Boreen and that the hit was avoidable, and that Boreen’s head was the “main point of contact.”
This is the first time in Roque’s PWHL career that she has been suspended.
A video by the PWHL Player Safety Committee posted online describes the play and the decision behind the one-game suspension.
“Vancouver is on the rush in their attacking zone when Boreen receives a teammate’s pass in her skates, Roque takes a poor angle of approach when she skates over from the far wing, drops her right shoulder and delivers a high check that cuts across the front of Boreen’s body, picking her head and making it the main point of contact on a play where such contact to the head was avoidable. This is an illegal check to the head,” says a safety committee member.
The safety committee acknowledged that Boreen was in a “vulnerable position” and had no chance to protect herself or defend herself.
The PWHL Player Safety Committee reviews all games and provides independent evaluations and recommendations for supplementary discipline.
anna.burns@surreynowleader.com
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