Funk suspended after brawl

Rochester D Mike Funk has been suspended for one game after accumulating his third general misconduct ejection after a brawl in Friday's 4-0 loss to Syracuse. From Kevin O's Rochester D&C article:

A scrap between Amerks winger Tanner Glass and Crunch defenseman Duvie Westcott sparked an 11-player brawl that led to the ejection of nine players, including Amerks goalie Tyler Plante. "That's more a season of frustration setting in," Amerks defenseman Mike Funk said. "It's something that needed to be done." There was no plan to fight, especially since the Amerks have no brawlers. But the brouhaha began when Glass gave a shot to Westcott with his stick. Westcott slashed him back, at which point Glass decided they would fight. "It was a complete two-hander that set it off," Amerks coach Randy Cunneyworth said after his club was shut out for the ninth time. Soon all players paired off. Funk enraged the Crunch when he tried to fight highly skilled centerman Derick Brassard. Brassard turtled and Funk, who rarely fights himself, ended up on top of the rookie. "That will be in the memory banks," Crunch coach Ross Yates vowed. Crunch thug Jon Mirasty, one of the toughest fighters in the AHL, had been paired off with Anthony Stewart, with the linesmen trying to break them up. Mirasty saw Funk punching Brassard and broke free and began throwing punches at Funk from atop the pile. Because Stewart was still being detained by a linesman, Plante left his crease to pull Mirasty away from the pile. He certainly didn't want to be paired off with Mirasty. A linesmen was between them as each threw a punch. "It was like hitting a brick wall," Plante said. "Obviously he's taken a punch before."

The Rundown: Zagrapan - 4 SOG Gragnani - 2 SOG, -1 Mancari - 3 SOG Whitmore - 1 SOG MacArthur - 1 SOG, -1 Funk - 15 PIM Weber - 12 PIM Dylan Hunter missed the game with a shoulder injury, while D Mike Card re-joined the team in full-gear for their Friday practice. Card isn't expected to play again this season, but it's an encouraging sign in his battle back from a pair of concussions.