Published 2024-02-28 08.04
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Mantas Armalis is sentenced by the disciplinary board.
The Leksand goalkeeper is suspended for four games.
– It was an assault, I actually feel a bit bad, says Oskarshamn’s head coach Martin Filander to TV4.
Mantas Armalis thus misses four of the six remaining regular season matches in the SHL.
In addition, he must pay a fine of SEK 26,875.
Olli Palola interfered with Mantas Armalis with the stick in front of the goal during ongoing play.
Then the Leksand goalkeeper reacted strongly and lowered the Oskarshamn forward with the picking glove.
The blow came from behind, without Olli Palola being able to detect or be prepared for the blow.
“Be damned dirty”
The main referees Richard Magnusson and Kristoffer Folkstrand awarded match penalties for fighting.
– It was damn dirty. It’s like you lose faith that there is any respect. I have no problem with slapping someone in the face, but then everyone has to be ready to fight and make up. It was insanely low, says Martin Filander.
– It is clear that it was a match penalty, Mantas Armalis turned around and turned a left hook with the pick. He put our team in a bad position as well. It’s not okay, says Leksand’s head coach Challe Berglund.
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full screenMantas Armalis looked contrite in the dressing room. Photo: Suvad Mrkonjic / Bildbyrån
Not contactable during the break
– I asked if he remembered anything from the situation, but he didn’t. He tried to get up but fell several times. He was very tired and had difficulty opening his eyes, says team doctor Sadegh Dolatabadi.
The situation room wrote in the report: “When there are three minutes left in the second period, Leksand’s goalkeeper Mantas Armalis hits Oskarshamn player Olli Palola with a sucker punch. The game is in Leksand’s defense zone when Palola is pressed into Armalis and puts his club in the side of Armalis and presses. Armalis gets up, goes around his own player and delivers a powerful blow with his catcher’s mitt to the head of Palola, who is left lying on the ice and then steps off.”
In hospital during the night
The suspected spearing by Olli Palola before the slap in the face did not result in any expulsion or report.
On Wednesday morning, Olli Palola was allowed to leave the hospital after he felt better and will begin rehabilitation for a diagnosed concussion.
The incident occurred with the score 2–2 and Leksand was finally able to win the away match 3–2 after former Oskarshamn player Max Veronneau decided in extra time.
Top of the table Oskarshamn took their first point in twelve games, but still have twelve straight losses.
FACT
Mantas Armalis has stated the following
“I receive a spearing where I feel that he is deliberately pushing his club tip into the rib area while the game is in another place. He does it with so much force that it stabs and really hurts my ribs. Then I turn to him and throw a punch to mark that I don’t think it’s okay. Unfortunately, our back ends up between me and the player so I can’t see where my glove hits. It was never my intention to hurt, only to mark and it ended unhappily. Immediately after it happened and I see the consequence, I feel extreme remorse. As I said, I had no intention of harming another player or fellow human being, but that was the unfortunate outcome in this case.”
The disciplinary committee makes the following assessment
“The film sequence supports the information in the report. The board finds that it has been investigated that Mantas Armalis was guilty of what is alleged in the report. It is further investigated that the action was preceded by the opposing player pressing Mantas Armalis with the stick in the manner he described in his statement. Even if Mantas Armali’s offense was preceded by this, his subsequent choice to deliberately hit the head of the opposing player with his glove is indefensible.
When sentencing, the committee took into account the following key factors in particular:
- The strike, which takes place with the picking glove, takes place from behind against an unsuspecting opponent.
- Great risk of injury.”
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fullscreenMantas Armalis during the match after the match penalty. Photo: Suvad Mrkonjic / Bildbyrån
