DENNIS, Mass. (AP) – The coach of Barnstable High School’s hockey team is charged with attacking and beating a referee who sent him to the penalty box during a men’s hockey league playoff game, police said.

Michael Nunges, 36, of Barnstable, was arrested Wednesday at an ice rink in South Dennis. The referee – William Ahern, 48, of West Bridgewater – was treated for head and facial injuries at Cape Cod Hospital and released later that night.

At Tony Kent Arena on Wednesday night, Nunges and a group of men were playing in an adult recreational hockey league where checking players against the boards isn’t allowed.

With around 20 minutes left in the game, Nunges started to berate Ahern for calling a penalty on him for tripping, police said. Nunges served his penalty and returned to his team’s bench.

When Ahern warned him to stop yelling, Nunges hopped back onto the ice, skated over to Ahern and tripped him from behind, according to police. Ahern told police that Nunges jumped on top of him, gouged his eyes, then ripped off his helmet and banged his head on the ice three or four times.

Witnesses said Ahern briefly lost consciousness, according to Dennis Police Capt. William Monahan. Other players had to forcibly remove Nunges from Ahern, Monahan said.

“The fans and the other players on both teams were shocked and dismayed,” he added. “It was something they’ve never seen before.”

An off-duty rink employee summoned police to the arena, where they arrested Nunges on assault charges. The game was immediately called, with Nunges’ team losing 2-to-1, according to Monahan.

Nunges pleaded innocent and was released on his own recognizance following his arraignment Thursday in Orleans District Court. He is due back in court April 27 for a pretrial hearing.

In the meantime, a judge ordered him to stay away from Ahern.

Efforts to reach Nunges weren’t immediately successful. A court clerk said he wasn’t represented by a lawyer at Thursday’s arraignment.

AP-ES-04-07-05 1751EDT