MacMurchy’s Suspension Cut to 1 Game

Wisconsin’s Ryan MacMurchy had a suspension for his alleged involvement in a fight cut to one regular-season game Monday by an appeals committee.

MacMurchy was suspended from practices and games under Wisconsin’s Student-Athlete Discipline Policy, which levies punishments for violations involving drugs, gambling or violence.

The junior forward was cited by Madison police for misdemeanor battery after a Sept. 5 incident outside a campus-area bar. According to police, MacMurchy, 21, received four stitches to close a cut in the back of his head after falling following a punch by Chris Chelios, 30, of Chicago, a cousin of the former Badgers athlete and NHL star of the same name.

Chelios was charged with substantial battery.

A five-person appeals committee set a one-game penalty for MacMurchy after a hearing on Monday. The committee could again modify the punishment if it receives additional information.

It remains unclear which game MacMurchy, a 6-foot-2, 207-pounder from Regina, Saskatchewan, would miss. Wisconsin’s 36-game regular-season schedule opens Oct. 15 against Mercyhurst.

MacMurchy, Wisconsin’s top returning scorer, has played in 82 of the 83 UW games over his first two seasons.