A collaboration between the Armstrong School District, Armstrong County Commissioners, Pennsylvania Interscholastic Hockey League, Belmont Sports Complex and the Armstrong River Hawks hockey team has resulted in steps being taken to prevent a repeat of the verbal abuse suffered Oct. 28 by a female Mars ice hockey goalie.

Armstrong Junior-Senior High School students in the stands at the sports complex in Kittanning, which is the River Hawks' home ice, could be heard chanting derogatory and sexually explicit epithets at the goalie as she stood in the net.

A news release from the Armstrong County Commissioners Thursday said the following action was taken as a result of the incident:

Armstrong students in grades seven through 12 are prohibited from attending any River Hawks varsity or middle school hockey games for the remainder of the 2021-22 season.

Siblings of players may attend, but must sit with a parent or guardian.

Any spectator removed from the Belmont Sports Complex by a game official, security or staff will be prohibited from re-entering the facility for the remainder of the hockey and skating season.

Visitors to the Belmont Sports Complex are reminded that alcohol and/or tailgating is prohibited on the property before and during games.

The PIHL, in addition to the above action, has placed the River Hawks on probation for the remainder of the season, including playoffs. If a violation occurs during that time, a disciplinary hearing will determine further action.

Also, the PIHL has mandated that an Armstrong Junior-Senior High School faculty member attend each remaining home and away River Hawks game to serve as a monitor of student and parent spectators.

If inappropriate spectator behavior affects a game, the faculty member must call attention to the situation, inform an on-site security guard and ask that the offender or offenders be removed from the facility.

The PIHL is requiring the River Hawks organization to pay the cost of the faculty monitor's attendance at each game.

“Providing a safe environment for member associations and players to participate in interscholastic hockey will always be the PIHL's primary purpose,” said a news release from the PIHL. “Any actions by spectators that jeopardize or infringe upon the ability of players to participate in interscholastic hockey in a safe environment will not be tolerated.”

The county commissioners' news release estimated that 50 to 60 students were in the fan section of the stands, which is beside the goal, during the incident.

“This type of behavior is unacceptable and will not be tolerated at our county facility,” the county commissioners said in the news release.

The commissioners offered a public apology to the goalie, whom they said “should not have been exposed to this type of behavior in the bleachers.”

The commissioners said $150,000 was recently spent to add a female locker room at the sports complex “in support of female hockey.”

The news release said the collaborating organizations reviewed security and staff protocols at the rink on Oct. 28 before coming up with the measures above.

“We want our student athletes and our visitors to feel safe,” the release said.

Gary Montebell, manager at the Belmont Sports Complex, said Friday that security working the night of the game may not have understood the chants, which he said are clearer on video than in the cavernous ice arena.

“I had a Zamboni operator 50 feet away who could not understand what they were saying,” Montebell said of the vulgar chants.

He said a security meeting was scheduled immediately after it became clear that the students' chants were inappropriate.

“We want to make sure we are keeping aware of what's going on,” Montebell said.

He called the chanting “inexcusable.”

“It's unfortunate and disrespectful and ignorant and shouldn't have happened,” Montebell said.

Those who attended the game said on social media that the goalie could be seen crying after the chanting.

She gave up five goals in the third period. Armstrong won the game 7-4.

Mike Cominos, Armstrong Junior-Senior High principal, said administrators have had success in determining and disciplining the students involved in the chants.

He could not reveal which punishments were meted out over the incident.

“We are taking appropriate school action,” Cominos said.

He stressed that while the hockey team uses the school's name, it is not a school sport.

“We don't have school personnel working at the games like we do at volleyball and basketball,” Cominos said.

When he first viewed the video and heard the chants aimed at the female goalie, he decided that school security guards and other adults from the school should attend hockey games, such as a faculty member serving as a gate coordinator.

His reaction to the words used in the chants was disbelief and disgust.

Cominos said the incident does not represent the behavior of his students, and he hopes it does not tarnish the reputation of Armstrong Junior-Senior High.

“I was in the cafeteria today talking to some students off the cuff, and they are pretty angry and disgusted,” he said. “This is not the norm for our students.”

He said administrators at the school have been working on a sportsmanship program for the past month for athletes and spectators.

That program will cover appropriate behavior at athletic events, Cominos said.

He said students see things on televised college and professional games and mirror that behavior.

“That's where it falls on us to educate them,” Cominos said.

Mars' game versus South Fayette will be held Monday at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Center in Cranberry Township, reportedly due to the expectation of a large spectator turnout to support the goalie after her ordeal.