Shiann Darkangelo’s hat trick helped the Connecticut Whale improve to 9-1-0 after a 6-1 win over the New York Riveters in NWHL action Sunday night.

With the game 5-0 in the third period, things got quite heated after Whale forward Danielle Ward collided with Riveters netminder Jenny Scrivens. New York captain Ashley Johnston took exception to the contact and let Ward know about it, but then Michaela Long came in and sent Johnston to the ice with a cross check.

That’s when the emotions picked up.

"We have a bit of a melee here..." Indeed, we do.

The end result saw Long ejected after receiving five minutes for charging, a minor for roughing and a game misconduct. Johnston, for her part, was handed a minor for roughing.

At one point, from what we can tell, there were seven Riveters on the ice during the brawl. The extra skaters weren't caught by the officials and avoided penalties, as per Rule XXIX Sec. H of the NWHL rulebook.

Will the Department of Player Safety dole out any supplemental discipline? Connecticut and New York won't have to wait long to see one another as they meet again next Saturday.

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Sean Leahy is the associate editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Sean_Leahy

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