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Ex-Edina hockey player pleads not guilty to overnight mayhem

By PAUL WALSH, Star Tribune

Last update: August 12, 2009 - 9:45 AM

Former Edina High School and University of North Dakota hockey player Joe Finley has pleaded not guilty to charges that he and a current UND player threw so many objects from a residential garage that traffic had to be halted on a Grand Forks street.

Finley, 22, entered his plea Tuesday to misdemeanor charges of disorderly conduct and giving false information to officers.

Finley and forward Matt Frattin, 21, were arrested by campus police at about 3 a.m. on July 21 at Finley's home. Frattin, of Edmonton, was accused of fleeing police.

Police said at the time that "alcohol was involved" in the incident. As for why the two littered the street with a lawnmower, kitchen table, glassware and other items of their own, police said that the players had behaved this way previously.

Finley was a first-round NHL draft selection of the Washington Capitals in 2005. He played four seasons for the Fighting Sioux, collecting seven goals and 28 assists in 154 career games while being a physical presence with his 6-foot-7, 245-pound frame. In high school, he played two seasons at Edina, then left before his junior season for junior hockey.

In April, Finley signed a two-year contract with Washington and was assigned to the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League.

Frattin pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct and was given a 10-day suspended sentence. He also will serve a two-game suspension next season, and UND reduced his student aid and ordered him to get counseling.

A draft choice of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Frattin was North Dakota's third-leading scorer last season as a sophomore with 13 goals.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

--Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482

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