Aberdeen Lynx will not compete in Scottish Ice Hockey competitions next season unless a new administration is in place.
The Aberdeen club announced their decision to withdraw from SIH after their coach Owen Reynolds and player Jack Flynn received six and five-game suspensions respectively.
The Lynx pulled out of Saturday’s scheduled Scottish Cup semi-final second leg against Dundee Comets following the SIH decision to overturn their 7-5 victory in the first leg to a 5-0 defeat.
This was as a result of fielding a suspended player in the fixture as well as in two play-off games against Dundee Comets but Aberdeen Lynx have claimed that mitigating factors led to the administrative error.
In a statement, the club said: “The Aberdeen Lynx coach had been regularly visiting the SIH online system where player penalty points and game sheets are stored and believed the player in question to have nine penalty points, one less than the threshold for suspension.
“There was, however, one game sheet from a game in November which had not been uploaded on to the system and therefore wasn’t visible to him or anyone else.
“This was a game during which the Aberdeen Lynx club chairman, who normally uploads the game sheet, suffered a broken wrist and suspected heart attack and was taken to hospital at the end of the game.
“The game sheet was submitted to SIH by email as a photograph as soon as the chairman was physically able to do so. Aberdeen Lynx then paid a late submission fee of £50 as a result.
“It was during this game that the player had received a major penalty giving him one additional point, meaning that his total was 10 points rather than nine as understood by the coach.
“It is noted that the onus to monitor penalty points sits with the club but the question as to why three games were allowed to be played before the issue was raised is still significant.”
The club added that this has led them to take the decision “to no longer compete in a sport which is run by the current administration of SIH”.
The statement added: “Aberdeen Lynx have exhausted all avenues of challenge to the application of the SIH decision on the grounds of fairness and transparency.
A Scottish Ice Hockey spokesman said: “Scottish Ice Hockey can confirm it is aware of the statement released today on social media by Aberdeen Lynx.
“The SIH board is due to meet next week and this issue has been added to the agenda.”