UMich. Iceman Slashes Player

(U-WIRE) Ann Arbor, Mich--Michigan senior defenseman Chris Fox was charged yesterday with "assault with intent to do great bodily harm" stemming from an incident that occurred on June 15, 1997.

According to Jim Halushka, the deputy prosecutor in charge of warrants and investigations in Oakland County. Fox slashed a man, Robert Thomas, across the face with a hockey stick. The incident, punishable by up to 10 years in prison, occurred during the championship game of a pick-up hockey league at the Detroit Skating Club in Bloomfield Township.

"Fox, completely unprovoked--according to the officials--brutally attacked [Thomas] and caused severe damage," Halushka said. "He knocked out four teeth.

Fox declined to comment on the situation until a later date. The defenseman has not been suspended by the team or the university.

Senior associate athletic director Keith Molin said that players charged with a felony are not automatically suspended and that such a decision is left to the team's coach.

"We're treating this situation as a personal matter," Molin said.

Although the alleged assault occurred six months ago, the prosecutors only recently identified Fox as the suspect. Following the slashing, referee Rick Perry asked Fox's coach to identify the player involved or accept a forfeit.

After the coach declined, the team skated off the ice and forfeited the championship game.

"The official said it was the most brutal attack he'd ever seen in 30 years of coaching," Halushka said.