Zebra hunting! Lithuanian player hits referee with flying stick after loss (Video)
Danielius Nomanovas, 17, of Lithuania didn’t have what you’d call a calm, measured reaction after a loss to Great Britain in the Under-18 Div. II-A World Championship in Estonia on Wednesday. Unless you consider hurling a hockey stick at the referee like it’s an oversized boomerang to be a measured response.
After Lithuania lost, 3-2, Nomanovas pulled his stick back like he was about to take an imaginary slap shot. He then threw his lumber like he was training for the Olympic hammer toss, sending it right into the upper body of the on-ice official.
Nomanovas then had That Awkward Moment ™ when he realizes he just threw his stick at a referee in anger, as he circled back to pick it up and had a brief encounter with his opponents and the ref. But the players skated away without incident.
What made him so darn grumpy, outside of the loss? Keep in mind Nomanovas was given a hooking penalty with 3:09 left in the third period, in a tie game. Great Britain was subsequently given a slashing penalty to nullify the last 31 seconds of their power play, but then scored a shorthanded goal with 32 seconds left in the game for the victory.
And then Nomanovas threw his stick at a referee.
Terrible incident, right? Can’t even imagine what the repercussions were for hitting an official with a stick after loss, intentionally or not.
What’s that you say? There are no repercussions? That Nomanovas was in the lineup for Lithuania the next game against Croatia and had no points and six penalty minutes?
Open season on zebras!
s/t SportsGrid, via BHS
