A member of the U.S. Olympic women's ice hockey team hopes to make NHL history, according to published reports.

Two-time Olympian Hilary Knight skated with the Anaheim Ducks on Friday as part of her effort to give more attention to women's hockey.  Knight was a standout on the women's hockey team at Choate Rosemary Hall in Wallingford from 2004-2007.

"So fun to skate with the boys today," Knight posted to Facebook along with pictures of Friday's practice.

Knight, who is reportedly the first female skater (non-goalie) to practice with an NHL Team, said she's confident she can play with anyone in the world.

“She was snapping picks. She fit right in, “ Ducks defenseman Ben Lovejoy said. Watch the practice report here.

Now, there's talk Knight may play with the Ducks in an exhibition game.

Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau said it is “conceivable” according to NBC Sports.

The theme behind the visit was to help grow the game among girls and young people.

The Olympic Silver Medalist is also a four-time World Champion and has been named MVP of the Canadian Women’s Professional hockey league.

Olympic champion Michael Phelps is being disciplined by the U.S. swimming team after his recent DUI arrest and will be out of competition for six months for violating its code of conduct.

The 18-time gold medalist will be barred from swimming in team-sanctioned meets for six months, must withdraw from the 2015 world championships team and must give up funding for six months, USA Swimming said Monday.

Phelps said Sunday that he planned to take a hiatus from swimming to attend a 6-week, comprehensive in-patient program following the DUI arrest, his second after one back in 2004.

He was arrested and charged last week with driving under the influence of alcohol, excessive speed and crossing double-lane lines in the Fort McHenry Tunnel on Interstate 95 in Baltimore.

Sunday morning, he tweeted his intentions, saying that the past few days had been difficult and that he was very disappointed with his actions.

I recognize that this is not my first lapse in judgment, and I am extremely disappointed with myself.

— Michael Phelps (@MichaelPhelps) October 5, 2014

“I’m going to take some time away to attend a program that will provide the help I need to better understand myself,” he wrote. “Swimming is a major part of my life, but right now I need to focus my attention on me as an individual, and do the necessary work to learn from this experience and make better decisions in the future.”

"Michael takes this matter seriously and intends to share his learning experiences with others in the future," Phelps' spokesperson said in a statement.

Phelps is the most decorated Olympian, winning 22 medals – 18 of them gold. He briefly retired from swimming, but got back into competition at the Pan Pacific Games in August.

"We fully support Michael's decision to place his health and well-being as the number one priority," said Chuck Wielgus, USA Swimming Executive Director in a statement. "His self-recognition and commitment to get help exhibit how serious he is to learn from this experience."

Phelps had previously targeted an Olympic return in Rio in 2016.
 

Opportunities for Nutmeggers to escape the dropping temperatures are becoming more frequent – and more direct.

The Connecticut Airport Authority has just debuted daily nonstop United Airlines service between Bradley International Airport and Houston-George Bush Intercontinental Airport.

Bradley’s inaugural departure to Houston took off Monday at 7:20 a.m. Service from Houston to Bradley began at 3:40 p.m. Sunday.

The Houston flights are operated by Mesa Airlines using Embraer 175 aircraft with 76 seats – 12 in first class and 64 in economy, including 16 economy seats with extra legroom, according to the CAA.

New routes and a better economy have allowed for the addition of direct flights, said CAA Executive Director Kevin Dillon.

The number of passengers traveling through Bradley between January and August increased more than 11 percent than during the same time frame in 2013, the CAA said.

The man accused of robbing a Subway restaurant at gunpoint in Naugatuck is facing new charges in connection with the armed robbery of a gas station in nearby Watertown.

Kevin Savage, 26, of Waterbury, was arrested Friday, Oct. 3 after robbing a Subway location on New Haven Road in Naugatuck the day before, according to police.

Watertown police filed additional charges today pertaining to the armed robbery of a Shell station in town and said Savage is also linked to armed robberies in Waterbury.

According to Watertown police, Savage held up the Shell gas station at 535 Straits Turnpike the night of Oct. 2. Police said he pulled out a handgun and got away with an unknown amount of cash.

Investigators in Waterbury and Naugatuck were looking into similar incidents and identified Savage as a suspect in multiple crimes.

Evidence processed in the Connecticut State Forensic Lab linked Savage to the Waterbury robbery. On Saturday, Oct. 4, DNA evidence connected him to the incident in Watertown, according to police.

Savage was arrested Monday and charged with first-degree robbery, first-degree threatening, first-degree reckless endangerment and sixth-degree larceny in connection with the Watertown robbery.

He was held on $200,000 bond and was due in court today.

Mayor Bill de Blasio says he's "very confident" the city's hospital system could handle an Ebola outbreak.

De Blasio touts the public health system in the nation's biggest city, the ability of its first responders and its ties to the leadership of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

De Blasio said Monday his city has a "much more aggressive and coherent game plan" than other U.S. cities to fight a potential Ebola case.

Eleven thousand Liberian immigrants live in the Clifton section of Staten Island, the greatest number in any city outside Africa, many of them refugees of the civil war of the 1980s and 1990s. Now they're watching as another enemy takes over their homeland. 

"Words cannot express... to see your countrymen dying from an enemy that you cannot see," said Jolo Redd. 

Home health aide Martha Daykeey said she sends practically everything she earns to keep her grown children in Liberia isolated and safe. When they speak on the phone, she cries. 

They tell her "'Mommy, we don't know what's going on, and people are dying around us, and we don't know if we are even going to survive,'" she said. 

On Targee Street, the owner of an African grocery store says he now sanitizes his hands after every transaction. 

"Different people come here and I deal with cash all the time," he said. 

De Blasio says "there is a clear protocol on what would happen if we had a case, clear understanding of how we will communicate among the hospitals," he said. "There are some places where someone may come into an emergency room with something that may look like Ebola. We may want to get them to a different facility with a different specialized capacity. 

He said anyone who suspects he or she has Ebola should call 911 or rush to the nearest emergency room.

Five Americans have returned to the U.S. from Africa for treatment since the start of the Ebola outbreak.

A New York man treated for Ebola-like symptoms in August didn't have the virus.

-- Roseanne Colletti contributed to this report. 

Miami Police announced Monday that 17-year-old Will Campbell has been arrested for the mass shooting that left 15 people injured, including children, at a Miami night club on Sept. 28.

Police Chief Manuel Orosa said detectives had been looking for Campbell throughout the weekend before taking him into custody Monday afternoon. Police said Campbell has been talking with detectives with his mother present.

Chief Orosa said the shooting stemmed from a fight at Norland Senior High School.

“One of his friends got involved in a fight and when him and his friends arrived at The Spot, they found the other person involved in the fight there," Orosa said. "He was told that (another patron) was the other juvenile involved in the fight. So, he took out a gun and shot that juvenile, who’s in critical condition at Jackson Memorial Hospital. He also shot at the crowd as he was running away, hitting 14 other people."

Orosa continued, “He will be charged with attempted first-degree murder and 14 counts of aggravated battery with a firearm.”

Police said since Campbell is still under 18, he will go through the juvenile justice system for now. Orosa said Campbell didn’t have much of an arrest history. The chief said Campbell had arrests for obstructing a police officer and possession of marijuana.

Campbell was arrested just days after The Spot's manager Tiffany Johnson was arrested and given a notice to appear in court for allegedly selling liquor without a license.

Johnson, 31, was arrested after agents found bottles of liquor behind the bar during an inspection of the facility. The bar only had a license to sell beer and wine.

The owner of the land where The Spot sits, Elijah Dukes, told NBC 6 last week he had been trying to get in contact with The Spot's owner John Stuart. Dukes said the business was "absolutely not" supposed to be operating as a club.

Dukes said the shooting was the first time police had been called to the property, which is the only commercial property Dukes owns.

The search grew on Monday for a woman with Alzheimer’s disease who disappeared from a Julian campground over the weekend without a trace.

Sally Estabrook, the 75-year-old mother-in-law of Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine, was last seen around 4 p.m. Saturday at the Pinezanita RV Park & Campgrounds on Highway 79. The woman’s husband said he finished taking a shower and realized she was gone.

Officials worry about her safety considering the nearby canyons and the hot conditions. They also worry she’ll be exposed to the elements.

About 30 searchers scoured the campground Monday morning and after finding no trace of her, expanded the search to outside perimeters about five miles from where she disappeared.

Mustaine, a La Mesa native, was at the search site on Monday, officials said.

He tweeted about the search efforts on Monday morning:

Please send good thoughts to Pam, and prayers from those of you who pray, as we search for her mom.

— Dave Mustaine (@DaveMustaine) October 6, 2014

His daughter, Electra Mustaine, also tweeted about Estabrook's disappearance, showing a photo of her with her grandmother:

Help find my beloved nana. She wandered off into the woods yestrdy @ 4pm. Has Alzheimer's-will not remember a thing!�� pic.twitter.com/0OlHWvUyeG

— Electra Mustaine (@electramustaine) October 5, 2014

Dave Mustaine got his start as Metallica's lead guitarist before forming the thrash-metal band Megadeth more than 30 years ago.

He stays close to his roots in San Diego County. He now lives in Fallbrook, and earlier this year, he joined the San Diego Symphony for a special one-night performance as a guest guitarist.

Joining the search efforts on Monday for Mustaine's mother-in-law were search dogs, teams from Riverside and San Bernadino counties as well as BORSTAR (Border Patrol Search Trauma and Rescue).

They will continue their efforts until midnight.

Sheriff's officials are asking anyone with surveillance video from their home or business near the campground to come forward. They believe the footage could offer clues as to where Estabrook went.

“If anyone knows where she is or has seen (her), we urge you to please call your local law enforcement or the number for the search and rescue team and please, please speak your part because we miss her and we want her back,” said family friend Jordan Faintuch.

They say because of her Alzheimer's, Estabrook is not very communicative, but she may respond to her name.

Estabrook is described as 5 feet, 4 inches tall and 145 pounds with shoulder-length blond hair. She may be wearing a teal shirt and white capri pants. She isn't very communicative but may respond to her name, according to officials.

Anyone who sees Estabrook is asked to call 911.

The father of a Marine corporal presumed dead at sea says it was his son’s childhood dream to serve.

"That's all he talked about,” said Gregory Spears in a phone interview with NBC 7. “Then his senior year in high school, in fact, he was still 17 when he went to see the recruiter."

Cpl. Jordan L. Spears, 21, of Memphis, Indiana, was the first member of his family to join the military, his father said.

The Navy called off the search for Jordan on Thursday, 24 hours after he ejected into the Persian Gulf from an MV-22B Osprey that lost power.

“That was the longest and the worst time because we held out such hope for his safe rescue,” Gregory said. “But then as the time drug on and the longer it got, the hope began to fade."

Gregory Spears said water was the least of Jordan's concerns because his son was a lifeguard in high school and always a strong swimmer.

Jordan was assigned to Marine Tiltrotor Squadron 163, Marine Aircraft Group 16, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego. In July, he deployed with USS Makin Island to support U.S. military operations in the Middle East.

Besides his parents, Jordan leaves behind five siblings, including a twin. His father said he doesn’t know how they could get through this tough time without support from the Marine Corps.

“They say they'll be with us as long as we need them and trust me, it's a very difficult time," Gregory said.

The family is planning a private memorial service for Jordan.

A University of Alabama student from Fort Worth was found dead Monday in a fraternity house, school officials say.

Parker Alexander Jordan's body was found Monday morning at the Theta Chi house, university officials said in a statement. His death is not linked to hazing, and his cause of death hasn't been released, they said.

Jordan, of Fort Worth, was an accounting student, officials said. Interim Vice President for student affairs Steven Hood said in a statement that Jordan was a valued member of campus and will be missed.

A Granby middle school was evacuated Monday afternoon after the building lost power, but students and staff have since been allowed back inside, according to the superintendent's office.

Granby firefighters responded to Kelly Lane Intermediate School at 60 Kelly Lane in Granby after a tree branch fell and hit a power line near the school, causing the building to lose power.

The school wasn't affected by the problem but the fire alarm went off and the building was evacuated just before 1 p.m., the superintendent's office said.

Granby police said the school was without power for more than an hour. Crews from Connecticut Light & Power arrived on scene to make repairs and restore service to the building.

Students returned to class around 2 p.m. and will complete the school day as planned.

Groton city offices and the Groton Utilities building were closed Monday over asbestos concerns, according to the city’s official Facebook page.

Groton officials posted a special notice on the city’s Web site Monday notifying residents of closures at the municipal building and the Groton Utilities/Ledyard WPCA customer service centers on Meridian Street.

According to Groton Mayor Marian Galbraith, carpet pulled up over the weekend left dust in the air Monday morning, and some employees expressed concern about mastic from tiles that had once lain underneath the carpet.

Air quality tests revealed that the building was "well below the safe level for asbestos." Although floor samples tested positive for asbestos, nothing from the mastic was released into the air, Galbraith said.

“Our asbestos management plan requires us to close any area where there was a possibility of exposure,” city officials wrote on Facebook Monday.

The building will be cleaned overnight as a precaution. Officials will make a decision Tuesday morning about whether or not to open City Hall but "believe beyond a reasonable doubt" that there will be no issues, Galbraith said.

A massage therapist is facing sexual assault charges after a female client accused him of inappropriately touching her during a massage at his Monroe business, police said. 

Bruce Smith 58, of Rhinebeck, New York, turned himself into Monroe police on an arrest warrant Friday in connection to a complaint police have been investigating since August. A female client told police that Smith touched her inappropriately while he was giving her a massage at the Etheric Center at 731 Main Street in Monroe.

Smith is a licensed massage therapist and runs Etheric Massage within the Center for Authentic Living. He practices traditional and eastern massage techniques "to manipulate the physical body and create movement in the etheric (energy) body in complementary ways that allow clients to 'find center' -- an alignment of the two bodies that results in long lasting experiences of true healing," according to the description of his business on the Center for Authentic Living website.

Monroe police charged Smith with fourth-degree sexual assault. Police released him after he posted a $5,000 bond and he is due in court on Oct. 10.

A 19-year-old man from southwest suburban Bolingbrook was arrested Saturday at O’Hare International Airport for allegedly attempting to travel overseas to support terrorism.

The man, identified as Mohammed Hamzah Khan, was charged Monday with attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization operating inside Iraq and Syria. Khan was arrested without incident on his way to Vienna and then Istanbul to allegedly fight for ISIS, prosecutors said.

Khan appeared in federal court Monday morning before U.S. Magistrate Judge Susan Cox in Chicago and remains in federal custody pending a Thursday morning detention hearing.

According to the complaint affidavit filed Monday, a round-trip ticket was purchased for Khan on Sep. 26, from Chicago to Istanbul. He was scheduled to depart Saturday and return on Thursday.

Khan was stopped by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at O'Hare while passing through the security screening checkpoint Saturday afternoon and interviewed by FBI agents at the airport.

While executing a search warrant at Khan’s residence, federal agents found "multiple handwritten documents that appeared to be drafted by Khan and/or others, which expressed support for ISIL," according to the affidavit.

One of the items, according to the affidavit, was a handwritten letter that appeared to have been written by Khan and left in his bedroom to explain his travel to his parents.

The affidavit alleges the letter instructed his parents not to contact police about his trip and informed them he was on his way to Syria.

“First and foremost, please make sure to not tell the authorities, for if this were to happen it will jeopardize not only the safety of us, but our family as well," the letter read, according to the affidavit.

The letter read there was an obligation to “migrate” to the “Islamic state” now that it has “been established.”

According to the affidavit, Khan was upset that he was obligated to pay taxes that would be used to kill his “Muslim brothers and sisters."

“We are all witness that the western societies are getting more immoral day by day. I do not want my kids being exposed to filth like this...” the letter read.

He also extended "an invitation" to his family to join him.

Khan's Bolingbrook neighbors are upset and concerned about the arrest.

"I see the people every day when I am coming home from work doing whatever they do across the street there. You never think you have terrorists living on the same block as you. That's scary," neighbor Daniel Arnold said.

"A couple of my friends were like, "watch out for that house." I am like, 'don't be like that,' and, low and behold, they were right I guess," neighbor Steve Moore said.

If convicted, Khan could face a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Six veterans living at a West Haven retirement center learned Monday that they can stay after the Veterans Administration discovered it had payed for their placement in error and considered moving them to a different facility.

"I've never had it so good," said Vinnie Lynch, a Vietnam-era veteran who lives at Seacrest Retirement Center. "I had PTSD and bipolar disorder, problems adjusting in regular society. Since I've been here I've been doing very well.

He and other veterans at Seacrest posed for pictures with Rep. Rosa DeLauro, who persuaded the VA not to make the veterans move. The VA issued first one extension of their contracts at Seacrest and have now issued a second.

"We said we would do whatever we have to do to keep the residents at Seacrest," said the facility owner, Lewis Bower. "We were letting them stay either way, with or without the contract. The contract gives them a lot of additional benefits and their families benefits and, I think, recognition for the service they gave to our country."

DeLauro said the VA knows it has to come up with a permanent solution because veterans in other states face similar issues.

A West Virginia community is outraged after a high school yearbook named two teens, one of them a special needs student, "Most Likely to Disappear."

The odd title, included in the yearbook's superlatives section, was printed across the bottom of a photo of the two students at Cameron High School in Cameron, West Virginia, Ohio Valley NBC affiliate WTOV reported.

One of those teens is a special needs student, and his family is demanding action.

“The family and the young gentleman in the picture had no idea this was coming, and to be quite frank, they were very offended and shocked,” the family’s lawyer Jerry Sklavounakis told WTOV.

The student, whom WTOV identified only as Brady, was confused by the superlative. He looked up what it meant and saw “no positives,” Sklavounakis said.

Other superlative categories in the yearbook were positive, like “Cutest Couple,” “Best Dressed” and “Most Athletic.”

“In this day and age, it’s pretty amazing that someone with the school system would approve this superlative for any student, let alone someone with special needs,” Sklavounakis added.

Marshall County Superintendent Michael Hince told WTOV that he could not comment because it is a legal matter.

After allegedly making racially charged comments at last month's Meriden City Council meeting, councilor-at-large Lenny Rich is facing fierce opposition and many residents are calling for him to step down.

"The community is outraged and we want him to step down because he’s an at-large city councilman," said Jason Teal, who leads the local NAACP chapter. "He’s supposed to represent the entire city of Meriden and not just one section. So I don’t think he’s representing the minority constituents very well."

According to the Meriden Record-Journal, Rich called the city's future "bleak" at a September city council meeting.

"Where are you going to get the funds to hand up, to prop up all the people who are left? You're going to look exactly like Detroit...Take a look. Read the poverty. Ninety percent black; 35 percent didn't even graduate from high school. It's a bleak picture," Rich said, according to the Record-Journal.

Outraged community members flocked to a city council meeting Monday night to voice their concerns about Rich and urge him to step down.

"You said the words. An apology does not go far enough. You are not allowed to make this mistake," Teal said at Monday night's meeting. "We call on you to submit your resignation. There is no room for statements of this nature in our society. We demand consequences. Lenny must go."

"His words in this community hurt everyone," a resident said, calling Rich an "embarrassment."

The debate was so heated during the public comment portion of the meeting that at one point a woman was escorted from the room while hurling insults at Rich.

"His statement I found very offensive. I am not part of your 90 percent. We are taxpayers; we work," said another woman in attendance. "I've never been so disappointed in my life."

Rich's bio on the city Web site says he worked as an auditor for more than 30 years in the private sector. He issued an apology over the weekend.

"I offer my sincere apology to anyone who was offended by my remarks at our last City Council meeting. My only intent was to address severe concentrations of poverty and the negative consequences associated with depressed cities. I know my comment brought in race and that was not my intent," Rich said in a statement.

Rich said he has no intention of stepping down and that he chose to raise his family in Meriden because the city features a "diverse community."

Meriden city leaders issued a press release Monday night calling Rich's remarks "incredibly disturbing and offensive comments... that detract from the great progress being made and that cannot go unchallenged."

The press release also references Republican Mayor Manuel Santos' comments that he would not want a family making $50,000 per year living in the downtown district and alleging that the cost of doing business is high "in particular here in Meriden."

"There is no room in Meriden for bigotry, racism or class warfare," the statement continues. "We stop short today of calling for resignations or formal censure because we strongly believe in the free exchange of ideas and viewpoints. Such license of free speech, however, does not insulate the mayor or any city councilor making offensive comments from condemnation or other offenses. Therefore, we call on Mayor Santos and Councilor Rich, in the future, to think more carefully before making, as public officials, derogatory statements that reflect so poorly upon the citizens of Meriden whom Santos and Rich were elected to represent."

The release is signed by the city's majority leader, deputy majority leaders and four councilors.

More bad financial news for the city of Hartford.

Late Monday afternoon, the credit rating firm Standard & Poor's lowered its outlook for dozens of city bonds from "stable" to "negative."

Standard & Poor's said the city has a “sizeable gap in its long term budget projections” for the next six months to two years, and if that continues, it may drop the city’s bond rating.

S&P cited the city's “diminished flexibility” following a sizeable drawdown of its rainy day fund in the current fiscal year.

Currently, the city’s bonds still have a solid "AA-" rating, and S&P points out that Hartford does not plan to used any rainy day funds to balance next year’s budget.

Maribel La Luz, spokeswoman for Hartford Mayor Pedro Segarra, released a statement addressing the AA- bond rating but failing to acknowledge S&P's lower bond outlook.

"Today, Standard & Poor's reaffirmed the City of Hartford’s Double AA- Bond Rating on its general obligation (GO) bonds citing adequate economy, strong cash levels and strong management with good financial policies," La Luz said in the statement late Monday afternoon. "The strong investment-grade bond rating allows the City to continue to borrow money at aggressive interest rates. Bonding is used for important capital improvement projects such as school infrastructure upgrades, streetscapes, park and sidewalk restoration."

The move by S&P comes less than a week after another agency, Moody’s Investors Service, lowered the city’s bond rating, citing many of the same issues.

"As I stated last week, perspective matters," Segarra said in a statement Monday. "Two rating agencies have slightly varying opinions but they agree on one important fact; the City of Hartford’s bond ratings are a quality investment-grade. That’s due in part to our strong management and Hartford’s growth over the last four years. We’ll continue to be diligent in trying to identify new sources of revenue, improve our infrastructure, and mitigate further burden on our taxpayers so we can further advance the growth of our the capital city.”

Treasurer Adam Cloud said the city is working to "[maintain] a strong fund balance" and "focus on eliminating long term budget deficits."

"The Treasurer’s office will continue to support both the administration and the Court of Common Council in their efforts to achieve these goals," Cloud said in a statement.

Police in West Haven are appealing to the public for help as they "aggressively" investigate a shooting outside a local pub early Saturday, the same place where a man was shot and killed last winter.

"It is something we cannot tolerate," said Mayor Edward O'Brien, after a meeting with police and owners of the building across from City Hall where the Central Pub operates. "It has to be safe down in our center area. We need the perception of safety."

According to police, the 21-year-old victim was shot in the stomach when a brawl broke out early Saturday morning. A BMW carrying the wounded man to the hospital crashed into another car.

It's the second violent incident in a year outside this bar, formerly known as Lager House, which underwent a name change after a man was shot and killed last winter. The pub reopened in February.

The pub owners were not available to comment on the incident.

Police are pursuing the gunman and have not revealed the victim's name. Anyone with knowledge of the shooting, which happened around last call, is urged to contact police at 203-937-3900.

Days after Connecticut Light & Power filed for a $221 million rate hike, small businesses and churches are joining the fight to keep prices down.

Rev. Sam Saylor of the Blackwell Memorial AME Zion Church on Blue Hills Avenue in Hartford says the rate increase will take money away from church programs helping needy families.

“Those dollars go to the children who need clothing and shoes to go to school,” Saylor said at a meeting Monday.

Customers have been outspoken about the utility company’s push to increase fixed rates, which all customers must pay regardless of the energy they use.

According to Sen. Richard Blumenthal, fixed rates for residential customers would jump from $16 per month to $25.50 per month if CL&P’s proposal goes through.

Small businesses would pay $55 per month, up from the current fixed rate of $38.50, and churches rates would increase from $47.50 to $70 per month.

CL&P officials say the rate increases are necessary to maintain the company’s system.

“Most of your bill is still driven by what you use, the kilowatt hours,” explained CL&P spokesman Mitch Gross. “This particular line item ensures everyone pays their fair share in order to maintain the system, to make sure it’s reliable.”

The Public Utilities Regulatory Authority has already held several public hearings on the proposal.

“We want those individuals in charge to watch over those whose greed seems to run out of control, and this seems to be one of those cases,” Saylor said.

PURA is expected to make a decision on CL&P’s request in December.

A New Jersey dad is accused of assaulting his son's youth football coach after the coach told players he was cutting their season short because of bad attitudes, authorities say.

The team of eighth-graders from Toms River High School North was 0-6 and had just lost 37-0 to crosstown rivals. 

The coach alleged Joseph Oleske, a dentist whose son is on the team, ran across the field after the game Sunday and tackled him without any provocation. The two men then fought on the ground until bystanders broke them apart, he said. The coach suffered a bloody lip. 

Oleske told police he went to speak with the coach after he learned post-game that the coach told players to turn in their equipment because he was cutting short their season due to "ongoing bad attitudes," according to the prosecutor's office.

The coach admitted to police he told the players the season was over as a discipline measure for poor sportsmanship and bad attitudes, but he said he did nothing to antagonize the parent, authorities said.

The parent alleged the coach behaved aggressively toward him and he acted in self-defense.

American Youth Football Commissioner Dave Schlendorf said three people were expelled from the league: Oleske, for the alleged assault; his son, for allegedly jumping in to help his dad; and the coach, for using profanity while berating the players after the loss. 

Schlendorf said he'll take over coaching the team. 

Oleske, 46, was charged with simple assault, a misdemeanor. He was released pending a later court date. 

Oleske didn't return calls to NBC 4 New York for comment.    

Jen Maxfield contributed to this report. Follow Jen Maxfield on Twitter @JenMaxfield4NY