A women’s hockey game between Romania and Bulgaria Sunday at the Division III Group A Women's World Hockey Championship Sunday descended into a brawl.
The teams were playing for fourth place.
Romania was already well ahead in the matchup and was about to secure the win with a 10-2 victory. Bulgarian players had already been given two game misconducts and a penalty for fighting. Things then took a more violent turn after the third period.
A general view of pucks during warm-ups prior to a game between the Dallas Stars and the Arizona Coyotes at Mullett Arena March 31, 2023, in Tempe, Ariz. (Norm Hall/NHLI via Getty Images)
Romanian and Bulgarian players got tangled up near a net and, all hell broke loose just as the final horn was going to sound. Players left their benches and started to fight. The Romanian goalie rushed down the ice to help out her teammates.
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According to Hockey Worldwide, a total of 554 penalty minutes were assessed to the two teams.
The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) tournament ran from April 3 to April 9. Romania and Bulgaria were joined in the group by Hong Kong, Ukraine, Lithuania and Estonia. Romania finished fourth and Bulgaria fifth in the standings.
Hong Kong finished in first place.
A view of the IIHF logo on a referee's shirt during the second period between Team Latvia and Team Austria in the relegation round of the 2023 IIHF World Junior Championship at Scotiabank Centre Jan. 2, 2023, in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. (Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)
Romania’s Ana Voicu finished with five goals. Bulgaria got goals from Simona Asparuhova and Maria Runevska.