I don't know if this was mentioned yesterday on either the

radio broadcast or after the completion of the game on the TV coverage, but the officials yesterday deemed the dust-up at the end of last night's game to amount to fighting, issuing actual fighting majors -- and the game DQs that go along with them -- to Drew Bavaro and Jayden Davis. We can make do without Davis for a game but on a team that is sometimes reluctant to shoot a puck, Bavaro's absence will be a little more problematic.

Maybe I'm just too much a meathead hockey fan, or a little too old school, but did that tussle at the end of the game deserve fighting majors? Were gloves actually dropped and punches actually thrown? Call a couple of double-minors for unsportsmanlike conduct and toss in the game misconduct the rule book allows. That carries the potential of supplemental discipline if you get a couple of game misconduct penalties. I guess I hope Bavaro and Davis got their moneys worth since neither is playing next Friday.

There is video on Twitter.

Not sure how to link it here. I’ve seen much worse.

Link (link)

Click here for link at https://x.com/NotreDame_Prime/status/1746606131370201338?s=2

I can't see anything on that video that warranted fighting

majors and DQs, especially for Bavaro. Maybe something was out of view. Davis and his set-to partner each contributed to a nice take-down, and I could see some double-minors for roughing there, maybe even game misconduct penalties as I mentioned originally. I think this was a pretty severe overreaction by the referees. Maybe they were suddenly concerned about being unable to control the game once the clock hit 0:00.

I also understand needing to come down a little since the scuffle happened at the end of the game and without DQs there would be no real punishment, but game misconducts don't go away. You get a couple and they start suspending you for a game. Sort of a suspended sentence. I would be a lot more pissed if we were actually a good team and fighting for top spot in the league.

Think there may be an uptick in post-game scuffles

Not sure if it's only B10, but I have seen a couple games where this stuff has happened near the final whistle. 11/4 UM vs UW was virtually the same melee as our scrap with OSU. Except the enforcement was a ton different (only 2 players penalized and no DQ....so no real punishment).

Without DQ, there's really no deterrent. But to seemingly change enforcement standards mid-season is BS.

Any penalties on the Ohio State guys? *

Yes, they both got the same, fighting major and game DQs *