NEW YORK, N.Y. - NHL commissioner Gary Bettman has upheld the 15-game suspension that was assessed to Boston Bruins forward Shawn Thornton for his actions in a game against Pittsburgh earlier this month. Thornton, who appealed the ban last week, was suspended for punching and injuring an unsuspecting opponent in a game at Boston on Dec. 7. He slew-footed Penguins defenceman Brooks Orpik to the ice and landed gloved punches to his head. Orpik was knocked unconscious and suffered a concussion. Bettman heard Thorntons appeal at a hearing in New York last Friday. Thornton and the NHL Players Association could still elect to appeal to a neutral arbitrator. Thornton has seven days to make that decision. "We respect the process including the ability to attend the hearing with commissioner Bettman in support of Shawn, Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli said Tuesday in a statement. "At this time, we will decline comment until the process is complete and Shawn has exhausted all rights available to him." Buffalo Sabres forward Patrick Kaleta is the only player to use this appeals process under the current collective bargaining agreement, and no player has gone to the neutral arbitrator. Bettman upheld Kaletas 10-game suspension for an illegal hit on Columbus Blue Jackets defenceman Jack Johnson. Under terms of the CBA, Thornton will forfeit US$84,615.45. He is eligible to return Jan. 11 when the Bruins face the San Jose Sharks. .ca! Hi Kerry, Love the column, I always look forward to it and use it as a learning tool in my officiating endeavors too. My question is the interpretation of the Delay of Game rule that was applied late in the third period giving Montreal a pivotal power play and why a penalty was assessed in that situation as Bruin Aaron Johnson appeared to have deflected the puck over the glass with his stick. [url=http://www.netherlandssoccerteamshop.com/Jordy-Clasie-World-Cup-Jersey.html... Clasie World Cup Jersey . 5 Trade Deadline isnt that far away and teams will be making decisions on whether to buy, sell and decide which players can make the biggest difference and hold the greatest value. . In the end, Paul George, David West and Lance Stephenson were enough to put away the Bucks. George scored 32 points and West tied a season high with 30, helping the Pacers hang on to beat the Bucks 110-100 on Saturday night. [url=http://www.netherlandssoccerteamshop.com/Wesley-Sneijder-World-Cup-Jersey.h... Sneijder Netherland Jersey . "Theyre a team that plays hard, they skate, they play with emotion and skill and we had guys who didnt tonight and it just shows that skills overrated unless you have a work ethic and a compete level that you have to have out there.San Diego, CA (SportsNetwork.com) - Jordan Adams had 19 points, Norman Powell scored 16 and UCLA moved on to the Sweet 16 for the first time in six years with a 77-60 win over Stephen F. Austin on Sunday. Kyle Anderson added 15 points for the fourth-seeded Bruins (28-8), who will face No. 1 overall seed Florida in the South Region semifinals in Mempphis, Tenn.dddddddddddd., next week. Thomas Walkup scored 22 points, Desmond Haymon had 17 and Nikola Gajic added 10 for the Lumberjacks (32-3), whose 29-game winning streak came to an end. The Lumberjacks beat VCU in overtime on Friday for the first NCAA Tournament win in program history and hadnt lost since Nov. 23 before Sunday. ' ' '