TORONTO (AP) — A junior hockey player has been suspended for the season after a hard check sent an opposing player to the hospital with skull and facial fractures.

The Ontario Hockey League suspended Michael Liambas of the Erie Otters on Wednesday.

The decision came after a boarding incident in a game between Erie and the Kitchener Rangers last Friday. The 20-year-old Liambas was assessed a match penalty for his hit on Ben Fanelli, whose helmet flew off as he fell unconscious to the ice.

The 16-year-old Fanelli was taken to a hospital in critical condition. Doctors recently upgraded his status to serious but stable.