England Ice Hockey’s Department of Player Safety (DOPS) wishes to address an incident involving the Solihull Barons during their game against the Blackburn Hawks on Sunday 17 September.

Our investigations have confirmed that Billy Crofts, a player under a two-match suspension from last season, was illegally allowed to participate in the match.

The suspension was imposed on Crofts on Saturday 1 April, after an altercation during a Nottingham Lions play-off game against the Solway Sharks. Furthermore, our investigation also revealed that Crofts was illegally iced in a pre-season game.

However, in line with sanctions imposed last season for similar breaches, additional sanctions will not be imposed for this pre-season violation.

All senior-level suspensions for the 2022/23 season, including that of Billy Crofts, were publicly listed weekly on the EIHA website.

In light of this breach, we refer to section 8 of the EIHA DOPS Policy, which outlines the ramifications for such oversights.

Based on the aforementioned policy, the following measures have been taken:

• The game result from Sunday 17 September, has been revised, awarding Blackburn Hawks a 5-0 win
• Billy Crofts’ suspension has been extended by an additional two games, making a total of four games. He will be eligible to play again on 14 October
• Solihull Barons have been assigned 10 penalty points to their team’s overall season total

We would like to emphasise our unwavering commitment to upholding the sport’s rules and expect full compliance from all involved parties.

Such adherence is vital for ensuring the game’s integrity, safety, and fairness.

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