NOVEMBER 17, 2016, Brooklyn, NY – The Player Safety Committee of the National Women’s Hockey League (NWHL) held a meeting Wednesday night and has suspended Buffalo Beauts forward Kelley Steadman one game for an illegal hit on New York Riveters defenseman Kiira Dosdall on Sunday at HARBORCENTER in Buffalo. Steadman will serve this suspension and miss the November 20, 2016 game against the Boston Pride at HARBORCENTER.
Steadman’s illegal body check resulted in an injury to Dosdall. Steadman, playing without a stick, attempted to make a play to stop Dosdall in front of the Buffalo bench. Foregoing a play on the puck, Steadman checked Dosdall with her shoulder and finished the contact by extending her arms through the Riveters defenseman. Prior to the hit, Dosdall made a pass off the boards and was left vulnerable and unprepared for body contact. The play resulted in Dosdall being hit into the edge of the boards.
This play is considered boarding, and by NWHL rules any time a player is injured as a result of boarding, the player who commits the infraction is to be assessed a major penalty and game misconduct or match penalty. A video summary of the suspension can be viewed at https://goo.gl/5ZP3OY.
This is the first time that Steadman has been suspended in her NWHL career.
The Player Safety Committee, charged with reviewing plays, holding hearings, and determining supplemental discipline, includes former player Kelly Cooke, 2014 US Olympian Josephine Pucci, US Olympian and Patty Kazmaier Award winner AJ Mleczko, NHL and AHL official Terry Koharski, and Vice President of Hockey Operations at the East Coast Hockey League, Joe Ernst.
