Dunedin Thunder star Cole Beckstead is recovering from a nasty head knock he suffered in the New Zealand Ice Hockey League finals. Beckstead was left dazed after a heavy hit from Southern Stampede captain Connor Harrison in the deciding game of the finals in Queenstown on Sunday night. The incident happened with 6min 48sec remaining in the game, which the Stampede won 6-2 to claim a sixth consecutive Birgel Cup. Beckstead had just cleared the puck off the boards when he was checked heavily from behind by Harrison. Beckstead’s head clattered against the barrier, he hit the ice, and he was noticeably unsteady on his feet when he got up. Harrison was handed a 5min major penalty for roughing. The Thunder took the unusual step of issuing an official statement on Monday. Pointedly, it opens by describing Beckstead copping “a hit to the head from behind” during the game. They said Beckstead was “back in Dunedin” and thanked fans for their “outpouring of kindness and interest in Cole’s wellbeing”. However, there was no further reference to the incident. “With respect to Cole’s privacy, we will not be providing further comments.” Neither NZIHL general manager Paris Heyd nor Stampede coach Cam Frear could be reached for comment on Monday. Game three of the NZIHL finals had a fractious finish with a flurry of penalties in the final minute. It ended with Thunder star Ian Audas copping a rare penalty for throwing equipment — footage of the game shows a water bottle flying across the ice — and import Samuel Loiselle ejected for abusing an official. Game two on Saturday night ended with an on-ice melee between the teams that finished with the benches clearing, punches being thrown and a referee tumbling to the ice between two combatants. Stampede player Logan Campbell was considered the instigator and copped a 20min penalty, while Max Hurring served 5min for the Thunder.
