After making the Opening Night roster, Capitals prospect Nathan Walker was optioned to the AHL last week after Travis Boyd returned from injury.
Saturday, Walker scored in his first game back in the Hershey Bears’ 3-2 win over the Springfield Thunderbirds. In Walker’s second contest, a 7-2 drubbing by the Syracuse Crunch, the Aussie forward got in his first fight of the year.
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Walker’s fight was notable for two reasons.
- Walker took on a player, Dominik Masin, who is significantly taller than him. The Bears forward held his own.
- Walker got sucker punched on his way to the penalty box
The fight occurred with 9:07 remaining in the third period and the Bears down four goals. Walker and Masin battled for a loose puck along the boards at the blue line. Walker gives the Crunch defenseman several shoves at the bench.
Eventually, boys will be boys, and Walker started throwing haymakers. According to Bears play-by-play man Zack Fisch, Walker landed several shots before the camera captured the action. Masin returned fire before the players tired and were seperated by officials.
But they didn’t stay separated for long! As the two players were escorted to the penalty box, Walker grabbed Masin’s arm to continue their angry conversation. The Crunch defenseman responded by punching Walker in the jaw.
Here’s a look in slow motion.
The Twitter account @SinBinBears also captured another angle.
This is the Masin punch threw. The fight was over well before and the refs were guiding them to the boxes. pic.twitter.com/e4zMxmyPyv
— Sin Bin Bears (@SinBinBears) November 12, 2018
Both players were given five-minute majors for fighting, while Masin was given an extra minor for unsportsmanlike conduct, presumably for the cheap shot.
According to HockeyFights.com, the fight was Walker’s 15th bout since first playing in the AHL during the 2013 season.
