By JIM CRESSMAN -- London Free Press

The fine, also levelled at the Windsor Spitfires, is over a shouting incident by the two head coaches following Friday's game.

The London Knights and Windsor Spitfires have each been fined $2,000 by the OHL for an incident involving their coaches Friday night at the John Labatt Centre

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Knights coach Dale Hunter and the Spitfires' Mike Kelly engaged in a wild, on-ice shouting match following London's 5-0 win in Game 1 of their Western Conference quarter-final.

Commissioner David Branch, in issuing the fines yesterday, said neither coach would be suspended.

Meanwhile, Knights defenceman Dennis Wideman remains eligible to play in Game 2 tonight in Windsor pending a review of his slashing major and game misconduct on Friday.

The league office requested the videotape and Knights GM Mark Hunter said he would get it to Toronto "as quickly as possible." Wideman whacked Spitfires forward Steve Downie on the back of the leg early in the third period after Downie punched Wideman on the throat.

"Let the league review it and then we'll comment on it after," Hunter said when asked if he would have preferred to see Wideman drop the gloves and fight Downie instead of using his stick.

Downie continued the game.

The league acted swiftly to assess the team fines after Dale Hunter and Kelly were assessed gross misconducts by referee Pat Smola.

Players and team personnel go by way of the ice surface to their dressing rooms at the west end of the JLC. Kelly had to be restrained by a linesman.

The tiff began with 31 seconds remaining when Hunter yelled at Kelly on the bench after a third fight in the game's final three minutes.

"He was sending guys out to fight and I told him he had no balls," Hunter said. "He doesn't go out and fight himself."

Kelly's version: "Dale started yelling at me. I was mystified, quite frankly. I told him, 'You're not the classiest guy in the world to be talking about no balls on our team.'

"Maybe I'm lacking some balls but Dale is lacking some intelligence. Who did I send out to fight? If you review the tape, all the guys were on the ice in regular shifts."

Downie, 16, was in the first fight with Knights defenceman Adam Nemeth, who is 18, at 17:00 with the score 4-0.

"Steve Downie is 16. I'm not sending him out to fight," Kelly said.

Hunter said his remarks weren't directed toward the Windsor players, but at Kelly.

"We were up 5-0 and we wanted to play hockey," he said. "We weren't doing the fighting."

The OHL commissioner, who was busy yesterday reviewing incidents in three other series, said both coaches acted "unprofessional and extremely demeaning to the game.

"Coaches have a burden of responsibility to conduct themselves in a professional fashion and if they don't, how do you expect the players to conduct themselves in a responsible fashion?" said Branch.

Mark Hunter said there were a lot of emotions at the conclusion of the game. "Some things were said that should not have been said," he offered.

"We've got to push ahead. The league has dealt with it."

The Knights have now won seven consecutive games, which includes the last six of the regular season, allowing them to finish first overall with a record 110 points.

The Knights have won all seven meetings with Windsor.

"It's one of the top four teams I've seen in my 13 years in junior hockey," Kelly said of the Knights.

No Sting suspension

Branch also ruled that a match penalty to Sarnia defenceman Matt Manias during the Sting's opener with Erie on Friday won't result in a suspension.

Manias swung his stick with one hand, striking the Otters' Geoff Platt as he scored the winning goal on a breakaway at 18:19 of overtime.

Branch said referee Mark Hicks thought Manias struck Platt on the side of the head but the video shows the blow was to the shoulder.

"I asked the referee if he had known it was on the shoulder, what would he have assessed?" Branch said.

"He said a double minor for high-sticking."