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Burlington Baseball Star Charged In Bat Attack After Rivalry Hockey Game

WINCHESTER (CBS) - A star high school athlete is facing charges after a nasty on-ice rivalry between two local high school hockey teams took a violent turn this week after the game.

The hockey game between Burlington and Winchester came down to an overtime shootout with Burlington taking the win.

After the game, trash talking between student fans spilled outside of the rink, and the situation escalated.

"It's scary how things can turn so violent so quickly," Winchester High School Senior Rob Bemis said.

According to police, some of the students from Winchester were throwing items at a car that 17-year-old Harrison Smoske of Burlington was driving.

"That prompted him to make a very poor choice, to follow that car back to Winchester," Lt. Peter MacDonnell told WBZ-TV.

When that car full of Burlington High School students showed up at Winchester's town common, between 30 and 40 Winchester teenagers were waiting for them.

Police say there, students may have thrown additional objects at the car, prompting Smoske to hop out of the car, grab a baseball bat and start swinging.

A 17-year-old from Winchester student suffered a blow to the head and wound up in the hospital with a fractured skull. He is reportedly out of the hospital and recovering.

Smoske was arrested Tuesday and charged with assault and battery with a deadly weapon.

Smoske's mother told WBZ-TV her son was acting in self-defense.

Students say there was no need for the trash talking to escalate like it did.

"No need to bring weapons to a non-escalated scene like that. It was just words, no need to go fight over it," Bemis said.

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