In the third period of the Wheeling Nailers’ game at the Orlando Solar Bears, goalie Scott Darling made a sprawling save on a Bears’ shot. Ryan Cruthers skated into the crease and poked the puck home, as referee Don Jablonski signaled that the tying goal in the 2-2 game had been scored.

As you can see above and in the (off the Jumbotron, but you get the idea) video below show, this did not sit well with Darling:

Goalie throws net at referee from The Journal Gazette on Vimeo.

Here’s how reader Stacie Larson saw it:

I don't know one goes about getting footage from an ECHL game, but I was at the Orlando Solar Bears game on Saturday, versus the Wheeling Nailers. In the second period, with about 3 minutes remaining, Ryan Cruthers scored a goal (his 100th ECHL goal, btw). Maybe it was a goal, maybe it wasn't. The ref, though, was emphatic, calling it a goal. Cruthers just kept jabbing at goalie Scott Darling, and the puck slid in. One could argue the ref should have whistled the play dead, but he said he could see the puck the whole time, so didn't. Darling, however, was having none of it. He was so hot, he stood up from where he'd fallen into the net, picked up the net, and threw it at the official! Never have I seen the like. To make it more surreal, Darling was only given a 2-minute unsportsmanlike behavior penalty. I'm thinking an awful lot of refs would have tossed him.

Well, not so much a throw as a shove. But just two minutes. ECHL doesn’t frown upon cage tossing, apparently.

Orlando would win the game, 3-2, in overtime. (By the way, check out the ECHL box score -- they list the actual rule numbers for each penalty.)

s/t ‏@OTownSolarBears for the photo.



