Mason Marchment is lucky to have avoided an immediate ejection after he could be seen slashing a game official with his stick after not getting a call during the second period of the Dallas Stars playoff battle against the Winnipeg Jets on Sunday.

Just moments earlier, Marchment had an opportunity to score a goal when he was tripped up by the Jets defense, though the play was not deemed to be a penalty. While skating back to the bench, a frustrated Marchment could be seen tapping the shins of referee Graham Skilliter with his stick.

Have a look at the incident below:

It wasn't a violent act by Marchment, but it's still a clear violation of the league's rules on abuse of officials, and will almost certainly be reviewed by the NHL. That could result in discipline for the Stars forward.

Per NHL rules, an instance in which a player "touches or holds any official with their hand or stick" warrants a misconduct penalty. Despite that rule, Marchment was not penalized by Skilliter in the moment. The 29-year-old reportedly went up to the officiating crew at the start of the third period, seemingly to offer an apology, per NHL insider Elliotte Friedman.

Marchment was back on the bench and took his first shift of the third period, so it appears he avoided any immediate discipline for slashing the official.

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This article was originally published on www.si.com as NHL Player Could Face Discipline for Hitting Ref With Stick on Purpose.

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