Frustrations boil over as Hathaway takes on Cozens in spirited tilt

It was a night to forget for the Buffalo Sabres as they fell to the Philadelphia Flyers at home by a score of 5-1, but things got a bit heated towards the end of the third period.

After the puck goes into the Flyers' zone, Garnet Hathaway takes a run at Dylan Cozens, trying to lay a big hit along the boards. Cozens didn't take kindly to the hit and proceeded to cross-check Hathaway in the back.

As the whistle goes, with the officials sending both players to the box, Hathaway and Cozens drop the mitts for a short, but spirited bout.

For Hathaway, it was his first fight as a member of the Philadelphia Flyers and he got the better of Dylan Cozens, landing a big right hook to knock the Sabres forward to the ice, before they were separated by the officials.



After cooler heads prevailed, Cozens and Hathaway were sent to their respective locker rooms for the rest of the night. According to the box score on the league's official site, Cozens was given a two-minute minor for cross-checking, as well as a five-minute major for fighting, while Garnet Hathaway was handed two-minutes for roughing and five for fighting.

It's a quick turnaround for both teams as Cozens and the Sabres will head up the QEW to take on the Maple Leafs in Toronto, while Hathaway and the Flyers will return home to Philadelphia where they'll face the Los Angeles Kings.

As for the next game between Buffalo and Philadelpha, that won't come until April 5th, so it's unlikely anything will carry over from tonight's game, but it'll be interesting to keep an eye on each of these teams in the coming months and see what direction they'll head in.