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No hearing for Brian Boyle over Hickey hit

 
Brian Boyle said Tuesday there was no malicious intent and he didn't expect to get disciplined.
Brian Boyle said Tuesday there was no malicious intent and he didn't expect to get disciplined.
Published May 4, 2016

While Islanders coach Jack Capuano expected Lightning center Brian Boyle to be suspended for his overtime hit on Thomas Hickey, that will not be the case.

There is no supplemental discipline hearing scheduled for Boyle today, per the NHL. Boyle appeared to hit Hickey high with his shoulder/upper arm, but replays didn't show direct contact with the head; coach Jon Cooper called it "mild" compared to the other hits in the game. Boyle scored the winning goal 10 seconds later.

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Boyle said Tuesday there was no malicious intent and he didn't expect to get disciplined. Capuano, who called the hit a direct "head shot" Tuesday, didn't back down Wednesday. Capuano said Hickey was bleeding out of his mouth and teeth after the game.

"I just feel like the hit was high," Capuano said. "I'm going to stand by what I said."

Also, Hickey won't have a hearing for his hit on Jonathan Drouin, a hit Cooper called "thunderous." Drouin left the game and didn't return until midway through the third.