Shortly afterward the coach and one player of Wembley Lions, and a player of Earl's Court Rangers were suspended from active duties for three games, following scenes at a match between these teams, But at the same time the rule that there shall be one instead of two re-forees on the ice, has come into force. It is at this point that the controversy has begun. Several sports writers here declare that the two decisions of the British Ice Hockey Association work against each other.
They agree that strict control is a healthy move—not least from the point of view of the players themselves. At the same time they point out that ice-hockey is played nowadays at so great a pace that minor infringements are inevitable, And if there is only one referee, they say, the strain on this man in trying to follow the play is too great. He cannot effectively watch play at both ends within a few seconds. When he has also been instructed to deal sternly with fouls, there is, it is claimed, tendency for him to be continually blowing his whistle.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.