IHL imposes suspension on Lakovic

      As expected, the International Hockey League came down hard on Thunder left wing Sasha Lakovic for his punch to the head of Houston's Alan May.
      Lakovic belted May with 19 seconds left in Game 2 of their Western Conference quarterfinal playoff series Sunday in Houston.
      Lakovic has been suspended for the remainder of the Houston series. The suspension will not be lifted at least until Lakovic, Thunder general manager Bob Strumm and coach Chris McSorley fly to Detroit on April 30 to meet with league officials.
      "We need to sit down and have a chat, and until we do, he is suspended indefinitely," said Thomas Berry, the IHL's director of hockey operations.
      But Lakovic remained defiant, saying he was provoked by May and that he couldn't understand why he was suspended.
      Lakovic said May had been taunting the Thunder's star players, particularly Alexander Semak and Ruslan Salei, throughout the game. Lakovic said it was his job to stand up for his teammates.
      "It's ridiculous," he said of the suspension. "I don't see what the big deal is. He suckered me. He knew it was coming. He's nothing but a phony. He was beating the (crap) out of Ruslan Salei, our goal scorer, all game. Being a tough guy, you don't do that. You don't pick on the goal scorers, you go with the other (tough guys).
      "He was using a lot of foul language during the game and bringing up my family and stuff. Definitely, he was trying to provoke me. My job is to not let anyone pick on my teammates. I stood up for them, so why should I be suspended for doing my job?"
      McSorley escaped a suspension, but he still could face league action. The game was televised nationally as the IHL game of the week, and there reportedly is a tape that shows McSorley telling Lakovic to get May.
      McSorley denies that, saying he sent Lakovic out to screen Houston goaltender Frederic Chabot. Lakovic provided a different version, too.
      "Chris was telling me to go out and screen Chabot, and I told him I was going to kill May," Lakovic said. "He said to make sure I waited until the puck drops."
      Said McSorley: "Sash's job in that situation was to put a big body in front of Chabot. He felt he had a situation going on with May, and I told him just to be smart and to at least wait until the puck dropped."
      Houston coach Dave Tippett said May, who was helped off the ice Sunday by his teammates, did not practice Monday or Tuesday and that he was questionable for Friday's game at the Thomas & Mack Center. Lakovic laughed and said he was willing to bet May would play.
      "I guarantee you he's going to play, no doubt about it," Lakovic said. "Anyone who thinks he's not going to doesn't know what they're talking about."