Teen hockey player to be charged in beating of another player

The parents of a 16-year-old Ontario hockey player who was repeatedly punched in the face and head by another player have been told by police that charges will be laid in the case after they came forward to CBC News Go Public with video evidence.

Julie Major said police in Woodstock, Ont., called her husband, Wes Major, and told him that after a "heated debate" with the Crown attorney, they have decided to lay charges in the incident involving her son Nick.

When contacted by Go Public reporter Kathy Tomlinson, Woodstock police Chief Rodney Freeman wouldn't confirm that charges would be laid against the player.

"We've talked to the victim's family, but we aren't putting out a formal release yet," Freeman said. "We are looking to wrap this up very soon for the benefit of the community."

The 16-year-old facing charges can’t be named under the Youth Criminal Justice Act.

In a hockey game in January, Nick, who plays major midget 'A' hockey in Woodstock, skated toward the opposing net near the end of the third period.

When the whistle blew, he stopped in front — spraying the opposing team’s goalie with ice.

In apparent retaliation, a Brantford player cross-checked him from behind. Other players crowded the net and fights broke out.

With Nick down on the ice, the same player who checked him then grabbed him, pulled his helmet off, and punched him relentlessly in the head — at least 10 times — before the linesman was able to pull him off.

Both boys were suspended for fighting — Nick for two games and the other boy for four, because it was his second fight of the season.

But Nick’s mother's video shows Nick didn’t fight back. He took the blows, then got up and skated to the bench. He suffered a broken nose, concussion, bruises and cuts.