University of Alberta refuses to shake hands with UPEI after ugly game: 'That wasn't hockey'

The Alberta Golden Bears lost to the University of New Brunswick Reds in the U Sports men's hockey championship game Sunday, but the most dramatic moments of the weekend actually came during Alberta’s semifinal contest Saturday night.

Coming off a dominating 7-0 victory over the University of Windsor in the quarterfinal, the Golden Bears squared off against the tournament’s host team, the Prince Edward Island Panthers. While Alberta ultimately came away victorious, the 4-1 win wasn’t without controversy.

With the Golden Bears leading 3-0 in the third period, UPEI forward Zac Beauregard crashed the net and collided with goaltender Ethan Kruger, who believed the act to be intentional. Kruger quickly retaliated by dragging Beauregard down to the ice by his legs, sparking a massive scrum between both clubs.

It wasn’t long before a major pileup formed around Alberta’s net, with many players toppling over each other. Amidst the chaos, Kruger’s mask fell off, leaving him defenceless to the many scuffles officials attempted to separate.

But just as the situation started to calm down, Beauregard sucker-punched the Golden Bears netminder in the face, causing tensions to rise even further.

Once the dust settled, Beauregard received two minutes for goaltender interference, two for roughing and a 10-minute game misconduct. UPEI’s Kaleb Pearson also received a 10-minute game misconduct, with Alberta given a two-minute roughing penalty.

The chippiness continued throughout the remainder of regulation, as the entirety of the game featured 50 combined penalty minutes — 42 to UPEI and only eight to Alberta.

Shortly after the final horn sounded, as the Golden Bears celebrated their U Sports final berth, players and coaches quickly left the ice without shaking their opponents' hands — a customary tradition following the end of each playoff round.

Golden Bears head coach Ian Herbers said postgame he feared his players and staff were in danger amidst the hostile environment that broke out not only on the ice, but also in the crowd. So he advised everyone to leave as quickly as possible.

“That was the worst I’ve seen. That wasn’t hockey,” Herbers said. “Not safe. Every time our guys went on the ice, I didn’t feel safe for our players.

“Safety of our players. Didn’t want something happening in the scrum,” Herbers continued. “I figured best for our team, U Sports, and the tournament, better to just get this done with.”

Kruger, who missed the remainder of Saturday’s game after entering concussion protocol, was cleared to play in Sunday’s championship game but allowed three goals on 32 shots against.