Just before their two-game total-goal provincial series against Weyburn last week, the Estevan TS&M bantam AA Bruins were forced to deal with the dismissal of their head coach Jeff Yanko and assistant coach Kevin Pastachak.
The two men were behind the Bruins bench during a league game in Regina on Sunday, January 9, when in the third period with 8:20 remaining a five-on-five scuffle ensued. To get control of the situation, the referee sent the 10 players involved to their respective benches.
Yanko was under the impression that all of the players involved would be given fighting majors; with fewer than 10 minutes remaining in the game, fighting majors would have meant those players would have been deemed ineligible for their next contest - the first of their provincial series.
He then pulled one of his players off the ice and replaced him with a player who had not been involved in the scuffle, allowing the wrong player to be penalized for another's actions. It turned out the referee decided against the fighting majors and gave each player involved a 10-minute misconduct. With fewer than 10 minutes remaining, the players were still ejected, but would not have to miss the following match as well.
"After the game, I apologized to the kids and I said we're going to make it right," said Yanko, who says he feels very remorseful for making the switch and having the wrong player ejected.
"I went to the official and said the wrong kid was ejected from the game, and he made the change on the scoresheet. In Sask Hockey's eyes, we played an ineligible player."
Yanko says he also apologized to the parents of the player who was wrongfully ejected.
"They didn't ask for this, right? And it wasn't as though we were picking on one particular kid; it was just that he was the closest kid to the door," said Yanko. "The other coaches on the bench, they were just supporting my decision and that's how Kevin Pastachak got involved. It was my bad judgment call.
The following day, Yanko said he met with an official from Estevan Minor Hockey Association (EMHA), explaining the situation and made it known that he had intended to step down from his position as head coach.
An EMHA meeting was held a few days later and the members of the board decided to suspend both men. EMHA president Kelly Kjersem told The Mercury that Kevin Pastachak has been suspended for one year with an additional three years probation, and Jeff Yanko is suspended from Estevan Minor Hockey indefinitely.
"I don't want to get into full details of it, but their code of conduct as coaches for Estevan Minor Hockey wasn't up to where we wanted over the issue so we had them suspended," said Kjersem. "Nick Sereggela is going to take over as head coach; Danny McKersie is going to stay on as manager and Dalton Giblett will be helping out for the rest of the year."
Yanko has also received as 30-day ban from the South Sask Minor Hockey League, a far cry from the indefinite one handed down by EMHA. While he does honour their decision, Yanko says he hopes EMHA reconsiders the suspension in the future.
"I hope Estevan Minor Hockey rethinks their decision because I grew up in Estevan; I played for Estevan Minor Hockey, and one of the reasons people volunteer their time for things is because it's their area of interest, said Yanko. "My area of interest was hockey and it was one of those things that I can give back in a way that I know how.
"It's really disappointing. I was prepared to step aside because of the decision I made, but Estevan Minor Hockey said I can't be a coach anymore, which is too bad because I have a daughter who has always asked me to help out, and I have. But people make mistakes and I made a big one. You're dealing with 14-year-old kids and you have to be accountable."
