MOSCOW, November 23 (RIA Novosti) – The District Attorney’s Office in the US city of Denver on Friday officially charged Russian hockey goaltender Semyon Varlamov with domestic abuse.
The charges stem from claims by the National Hockey League star’s girlfriend, Yevgeniya Vavrinyuk, that during a dispute in late October he knocked her to the ground, stomped on her chest with his foot, and dragged her by the hair into another room.
Varlamov faces charges of third-degree assault, which is punishable by up to two years in jail, but escaped a further second-degree kidnapping charge.
The Colorado Avalanche starting goalie, who is hoping to play some part in February’s Winter Olympics in Sochi, is next due to appear in Denver County Court on December 2.
Varlamov was arrested on October 30 after turning himself in to the police.
He was released on a $5,000 bail shortly afterward and has since appeared in eight games for Colorado Avalanche.
The NHL said in a statement that it was aware of the Denver District Attorney’s Office intention to pursue the assault charges and said it would continue to monitor the situation.
“We do not expect to take any action or have any further comment pending the resolution of those charges,” the NHL said.
The Colorado Avalanche said it would have no further comment until the legal procedure had concluded.
Varlamov’s father, Alexander Varlamov, told RIA Novosti’s sport news service R-Sport after his son’s arrest that the accusations were groundless.
“I can only say one thing with complete responsibility: No crime has been committed whatsoever,” he said.