Bricknell suspended for illegal check to the head

Storm forward receives suspension

On Friday night in Altrincham, Storm forward Jake Bricknell was assessed a major and game misconduct penalty for an illegal check to the head on Steelers forward Tomáš Pitule.

As the video shows, Pitule is involved in a battle with Storm’s Chase Harrison skating along the side wall in an attempt to clear his defensive zone. Pitule makes a play on the puck, chipping it up the ice. As Pitule releases the puck, Bricknell cuts across the front of Pitule’s body and delivers a high, hard hit to Pitule, making the head the main point of contact on a hit where such head contact was avoidable. This is an illegal check to the head.

It is important to note that the head is the main point of contact on this hit. While Bricknell does graze Pitule’s upper body simultaneously with the head contact, the brunt of the force of this hit is delivered by Bricknell’s shoulder to Pitule’s head, driving it into the glass. It is also important to note here that the head contact was avoidable, Bricknell times the hit such that contact can be made through the shoulder or core. However, once he catches Pitule, rather than delivering a shoulder to shoulder check that delivers directly through his core, Bricknell elevates unnecessarily up into the head of Pitule making it the main point of contact, driving it into the glass.

Furthermore, while Pitule is making a play on the puck, his motion is anticipated and predictable and does not contribute significantly to the head being made the main point of contact. If Bricknell wants to deliver this check, he must take an angle of approach that hits through Pitule’s shoulder and core and not extend upwards unnecessarily, ensuring he avoids making the head the main point of contact.

To summarize:

• This is an illegal check to the head
• No History - Bricknell has neither been suspended nor fined during the 2022/23 Viaplay Elite League season.

Effective immediately Manchester Storm Jake Bricknell is fined and suspended for one game.