‘She’s not out there trying to hurt anyone’: Frost’s Klee reacts to Curl-Salemme ejection
A coach is defending his player for a questionable play early in the playoffs.
When speaking to the media after the team’s Game 1 win over the Montreal Victoire on Saturday afternoon, Minnesota Frost head coach Ken Klee was asked about losing Britta Curl-Salemme, who was ejected from the game after a high hit on the Victoire’s Kaitlin Willoughby.
Klee stated that losing a player of Curl-Salemme’s caliber is tough, noting that she would never intend to hurt a player.
“Britta’s awesome,” Klee explained. “She’s a great player. Great person in our room. Plays hard. Plays the right way. Plays physical. She’s not out there, obviously, trying to hurt anyone. She’s just out there trying to play hard.”
The hit in question came late in the second period. Shortly after taking a hit herself, Curl-Salemme delivered a hit to Willoughby, with her arm clearly hitting the latter in the head.
Curl-Salemme was handed a five-minute major penalty for an illegal check to the head and a game misconduct. The Frost were able to come out on top without her, using a Jincy Roese goal in overtime to come away with a 5-4 win, and a 1-0 lead in the best-of-five series.
Klee mentioned that the PWHL might make a decision on supplemental discipline for Curl-Salemme, which he noted is out of his control.
“The league’s going to make their call, and we’ll just react.”
A similar hit happened in the first game of the series between the Boston Fleet and Ottawa Charge on Thursday night. In that contest, Fleet defender Rylind MacKinnon stepped up and delivered a hit to Charge forward Gabbie Hughes, catching her in the head. MacKinnon received a five-and-a-game for illegal head contact, as well as an additional one-game suspension.
If the PWHL Player Safety Committee holds to its recent standard, Curl-Salemme won’t be in the lineup for the second game of the semifinals between Minnesota and Montreal. She has faced supplemental discipline three separate times in her career. She was suspended twice during her rookie season, including a one-game suspension in last year’s playoffs. She was also fined $250 for cross-checking New York Sirens forward Kristin O’Neill in March.
Game 2 between the Frost and Victoire in Laval is set for next Tuesday, with puck drop scheduled for a little after 7 p.m. ET.