Frost's Curl-Salemme suspended 1 game for high hit on Sceptres' Fast

The PWHL suspended Minnesota Frost forward Britta Curl-Salemme 1 game for her illegal check to the head of Toronto Sceptres defender Renata Fast in Game 1.

Curl-Salemme caught Fast with the flyby high hit late in the second period. She was assessed a major penalty and a game misconduct after review.

Fast remained in the game.

Curl-Salemme was handed two single-game suspensions during the 30-game regular season. She was disciplined for roughing Boston Fleet forward Theresa Schafzahl and later banned for an illegal check to the head of Sceptres defender Megan Carter.

Curl-Salemme tallied nine goals and 15 points in 28 games during her first PWHL campaign. She scored the Frost's opening goal in Game 1.

"I thought it was a pretty ugly hit, and I think the refs made the right call," Sceptres captain Blayre Turnbull told theScore postgame.

Frost head coach Ken Klee defended Curl-Salemme.

"Britta's a hard player. There's other players in the league that play hard as well," Klee said, according to The Hockey News' Ian Kennedy. "Other players have had multiple incidents. Even (Marie-Philip) Poulin, as one of the top players in the league, she's had multiple incidents.

"Players who play hard, play aggressive, sometimes it's tough. It's happening in a split second. It's nothing malicious for her. We know that decisions are going to be made, but for her, she's trying to play hard, trying to do her job. ... Right before that, she gets cross-checked in the back. Plays happen, and for me, it's one of those hockey plays. It's nothing malicious."

Game 2 of the best-of-five series goes Friday in Toronto.