OHL hands out suspensions to Otters, Petes players and coaches

The repercussions are finally being felt for one of the bigger fights in Ontario Hockey League history.

Players and coaches from the Erie Otters and Peterborough Petes are set to be suspended following a brawl that escalated onto both teams' benches on Sunday night, the league announced Thursday.

Otters head coach Kris Mallette received a five-game suspension, while assistant coach Ken Peroff got two games for their roles in the altercation.

Meanwhile, Otters player Alex Messier was handed a nine-game suspension for his game misconduct, aggressor, and game misconduct, continuing an altercation, penalties. Additionally, the forward exceeded the regular-season fighting major threshold, which results in an automatic two-game suspension.

In the other corner, Petes head coach Rob Wilson will be suspended five games, while defenceman Grayson Strohack is out four games for game misconduct, continuing an altercation, and game misconduct, third man into a fight — the latter of which is an automatic two-game suspension.

Both clubs were also fined, with the Otters facing a $7,500 bill and the Petes dealing with a $5,000 tab.

The feuds began when the two coaches were face to face between the benches and had to be separated by assistant coaches after a heated dispute in the second period of a game Erie led 3-0.

Things seemed to escalate when Erie's Alex Messier went after Peterborough's Francis Parish for a fight immediately after a faceoff.

As the coaches started jawing at each other, Messier also got between the benches and tried to grab Wilson or another Petes player.

Wilson and Mallette were both ejected for a fight off the playing surface.

Messier and Peterborough's Grayden Strohack, the third man in the fight on the ice, also were thrown out.

The Otters went on to win 7-2.