The tackle that raised the profile of Pelicans’ Ben Blood in the Iauantain Ilves match was not worthy of a ban.
Pelicans tough defender Ben Blood didn’t get suspended for last Saturday’s Ilves match, where he punched the opponent’s captain Eemeli Finland worthy of a shower command in the opening set.
After the match, the situation room of the SM League took Blood’s tackle to the disciplinary delegation for consideration.
The disciplinary delegation notes that Blood’s actions do not cause Eemeli Suomen to lose its balance.
The investigation also states that as a result of the Ilves player’s loss of balance, Blood collides with Suomen’s back with his body, causing Eemeli to fall heavily to Suomen’s side.
– Considering the suddenness of the situation, Blood did not have the opportunity to avoid crashing into Finland’s back in the situation, the report says.
In the opinion of Kurinpido, Blood does not make such a push with his hands in the situation, which would affect the impact on Finland’s side.
– There is no carelessness or reprehensibility in playing Blood’s situation, and thus reckless endangerment of the opponent. Based on the situation, there are no grounds to ban Blood, states the disciplinary report.
The semi-final series between Ilves and Pelicans is at 1–1. The next three matches will be played in Tampere on Thursday, Saturday and Tuesday.
Read the full disciplinary statement From the SM league website (you will switch to another service)
Source: SM league