Wranglers center Chris Ferraro has filed a criminal complaint against Victoria left wing Robin Gomez as a result of an on-ice incident Saturday in British Columbia.
Gomez, an enforcer who leads the Salmon Kings with 142 penalty minutes, came off the bench and assaulted the unsuspecting Ferraro with a punch to the head midway through Las Vegas' 5-4 victory over the Salmon Kings.
Ferraro fell hard to the ice, was knocked unconscious and suffered a concussion and gash on the back of his head that required eight stitches.
Victoria police are investigating to determine if there is sufficient evidence to press assault charges, the Victoria Times Colonist reported.
The ECHL on Thursday suspended Gomez for the rest of the season and the Kelly Cup playoffs. The league also said Gomez was fined the maximum allowed by the collective bargaining agreement, but the amount was not disclosed.
Ferraro wants the matter adjudicated through legal channels as well.
"We all play physical, we all play hard and compete, but for a player to just be attacked and assaulted without even knowing it's coming, there's no room in any sport for that. There's no room for that in life," Ferraro said. "I'm a very forgiving person, but this (punch) was well thought out. It wasn't spur of the moment.
"He was on the bench and he had one intention and he was very deliberate in his actions, so this was a situation where I can't just turn my cheek and say, 'He was upset at the time, let me forget about this.' "
Ferraro, in his 14th professional season, said he considered how the incident affected kids in attendance, the ECHL and the sport in deciding to make a criminal complaint.
"I'm not looking for everyone to feel bad for me, I'm looking at the big picture and I felt it was necessary to do that," he said.
• TRADES -- The Wranglers traded rookie forward Josh Sciba to Dayton for future considerations to make room for veteran forward Nathan Barrett, whose rights were acquired from Pensacola for future considerations.
Sciba had seven points in 22 games for Las Vegas.
Barrett, 26, had 13 points in 13 games for Victoria, which released him Feb. 23. He is in his sixth pro season and has 204 points in 304 games. He had 61 points in 78 games for Norfolk of the American Hockey League two years ago.
• HOME ICE -- Las Vegas (37-11-11), which leads the National Conference by 10 points with 13 games left, will play 10 of its last 13 games at home.
• JERSEY AUCTION -- The Wranglers will wear specialty jerseys tonight against Bakersfield (17-31-9) at the Orleans Arena, and fans may bid on them in a silent auction.
A portion of the proceeds will be donated to the St. Baldrick's Foundation (stbaldricks.org), which raises funds and awareness for the fight against childhood cancer.
Four people -- including Dr. Jonathan Bernstein, a local pediatric cancer physician/researcher -- will have their heads shaved at center ice during the first intermission to bond with childhood cancer patients who have lost their hair while undergoing treatment.
Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey @reviewjournal.com or (702) 383-0354.
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