Knoxville Ice Bears

Chilly reception? Augusta returns with Aaron McGill

date: 11/17/2011

 

Augusta’s Aaron McGill might be greeted like Public Enemy No. 1 tonight by Knoxville Ice Bears fans.

McGill, whose sucker punch last Feb. 12 shattered the jaw of Mark Van Vliet, makes his return to Civic Coliseum when the first-place RiverHawks (8-1-1) play the Ice Bears (6-2-0) in a matchup of the top two teams in the Southern Professional Hockey League standings.

As a result of the punch, the SPHL suspended McGill for the rest of the 2010-11 season — calling it a “sucker punch” in the league press release — and Van Vliet spent weeks with his jaw wired shut and was placed on 30-day injured reserve.

Van Vliet downplayed the significance of McGill’s return for tonight’s game at 7:35.

“I’m just going to go play my game and things will take care of itself,” Van Vliet said after Thursday morning’s skate. “It was last year, so it’s not a big deal, and I’m just going to play hockey.”

Knoxville forward David Segal was suspended by the SPHL for three games for his involvement in the brawl that started when McGill’s punch sent Van Vliet to the ice with 1:42 left in the Ice Bears’ 6-1 victory.

 

 

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