Music: {allcanada} Lessard gets 15 games

Thursday, November 3, 2011

{allcanada} Lessard gets 15 games

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BOUCHERVILLE, Que. -- Jonathan Lessard of the Baie-Comeau Drakkar was suspended 15 games by the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League on Thursday for a knee-on-knee hit that ended the season of the Quebec Remparts' Nick Sorensen.

Lessard caught Sorensen with a knee as the Swedish forward was cutting into the centre of the ice in his own end late in the second period of Quebec's 2-0 victory over Baie-Comeau on Oct. 28.

The Remparts said Sorensen, who played on Quebec's top line, suffered damage to the ACL and MCL ligaments in his left knee and will be out for four to six months.

A statement from commissioner Gilles Courteau said that when Sorensen tried to avoid the hit "the player at fault also changed direction and violently hit him with his knee. Due to the change in direction of his opponent, the distance between the two players did not permit the player at fault to hit his opponent with his shoulder. The player at fault kneed his opponent, causing serious injury.

"The incident is not the first for the player at fault."

The league also fined Remparts coach and GM Patrick Roy $2,500 for comments he made to the media after the game. Roy said a severe suspension was needed but questioned whether league disciplinarian Raymond Bolduc was "too nice" to hand out a stiff penalty.

"At no time will I permit that a staff member of a Quebec Major Junior Hockey League club make inappropriate comments toward League personnel, especially in regards to their capacity to accomplish a mandate which I have given them," Courteau said.