Mike Sgroi Suspension - The Nuclear Option - AHL Albany River Rats Hockey on MLN Sports Zone

The Nuclear Option
Albany River Rat Mike Sgroi goes nuclear on Providence Bruins enforcer Garret Stroshein in the penalty box and draws a whopping AHL suspension.

Dan Hickling
Minor League News

ALBANY, N.Y. – The penalty box. It’s not just for cooling off any more. At 3:00 of the second period in the fourth game of a long five night road trip for the Providence Bruins, enforcer Garret Stroshein was attacked by Albany River Rat Mike Sgroi in the penalty box.

The game had been going the Bruin's way in the early minutes, until Chris Minard, just up from the ECHL, scored his first AHL goal.

Stroshein and Sgroi had fought in the opening frame, with Sgroi scoring a decisive win.

Round Two began to brew when Stroshein issued "love taps" on the leg with his stick, a challenge to Sgroi, but was rebuffed. Both players had received minor penalties.

Sgroi became visibly irate as Stroshein skated to the penalty box.

"He got me earlier," said Stroshein, "and I was just trying to get back in there. I got penalties, then he got penalties for turning down the fights, and that upset him."

"My take on it is that he was looking to keep his job,” grumbled Sgroi. “I was obviously upset that he was taking liberties with his stick. Then I was upset that the referee (Chris Ciamaga) made a horrendous call, putting me in the box. Then he was goading me in the penalty box. I have never received that lack of respect."

The Pepsi Arena penalty boxes are not completely partitioned. Sgroi, still smoldering, suddenly went after Stroshein in the visitor's box, pummeling him with both hands, before being pulled off.

"I don't even remember what the words we exchanged, were," Sgroi said. "I'm an emotional guy. Sometimes my emotions get the better of me. I got on top of him and gave him a beating."

Stroshein, tried to downplay the encounter, saying, "It surprised me a little bit. But in the heat of the game, emotions get high. He was doing his job. It was no problem."

Both players received game misconducts.

A second Minard goal proved to be the 3-2 game winner, with 10:45 left to play, for the Rats, who had been 0-19 when trailing after two periods.

"It was a large mistake," said Sgroi, "losing my cool the way I did. I apologize sincerely to my teammates and the organization, for making everybody look bad, because it reflects on them."

The incident was automatically reviewed by the AHL league president Dave Andrews, and sentence was passed: A ten regular-season game suspension for Sgroi. He will return to action on February 4th, 2006.