Augsburg took a forfeit victory over Wisconsin-Eau Claire on Saturday night after the Blugolds left the ice surface while trailing 11-1 with just over seven minutes remaining in the third period.
Under NCAA rules, if a team or portion of a team leaves the ice in protest of an official’s call, the game is ruled a forfeit.
Following matching minor penalties for slashing, including the 10th penalty of the period against Eau Claire, the Blugold players headed to the locker room in protest, with the coaching staff remaining on the bench.
Under MIAC rules, with a 10-goal lead, the game was being played under running time, so initially, Eau Claire was assessed a bench minor for delay of game and the officials let the clock run out without re-dropping the puck.
However, after a subsequent check of NCAA regulations, it was determined that a major penalty for delay of game should be assessed to Eau Claire and a forfeit awarded to Augsburg.
The NCAA rule in question is Rule 6-39A, which reads: “The refusal to obey the decision of the referee shall not be permitted … PENALTY: Minor penalty for delay of game. If this continues, a major penalty shall be assessed. Should this behavior persist, the game shall be forfeited.”
At the point of the protest, the two teams had combined for 123 minutes in penalties (Augsburg 31 minutes, Eau Claire 92), including three game disqualifications, six 10-minute misconducts and two major penalties for spearing.
All statistics from the game will count, according to the NCAA.
