North Dakota defenseman Ben Blood has faced scrutiny from his post-game actions in UND's Saturday's 6-2 loss to Minnesota. Following an end of game scuffle with the Gophers' Seth Ambroz, the 6'4", 226 lbs Blood pulled Minnesota freshman (and 5'8", 173 lbs) Kyle Rau out of the handshake line and set off a brawl.
The actions have cost the senior his assistant captaincy. From the press release on UNDsports.com:
"Regardless of any provocation, Ben's actions in the post-game handshake were not acceptable," said Hakstol. "The handshake line is a traditional, gentlemanly part of our game where, at the end of a hard-fought battle, opponents show good sportsmanship and shake hands like men."
Hakstol added that Blood will be subject to further internal team disciplinary actions.
Video of the incident, posted on SB Nation Minnesota Saturday, has picked up steam online Monday and been shown on Yahoo! Sports' Puck Daddy blog and Deadspin.
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