The Maritime Junior Hockey League has handed out 22 game suspensions to the Summerside Western Capitals and Miramichi Timberwolves following a brawl that started before the puck was dropped.

"I think we just made a statement as a league how serious we are about it," league president Derryl Smith told CBC News on Thursday.

The brawl started during warm-up for the game Saturday, when players from both teams entered into the respective opposing zones and dropped their gloves. League officials reviewed a video of the fight, but will not release it.

The league suspended two players from each team for between three and five games. The coaches were suspended for two games, and both teams were fined $1,500.

The Capitals also had two extra one-game suspensions because of a new rule in which players involved in more than five fights in a season are suspended for one game. Two Capitals players had reached their limit, and were assessed an additional game.

Pat McIver, director of hockey and business operations with the Western Capitals, said there has been a long rivalry between the two teams, and he blames the Timberwolves for starting the brawl.

"Their player's on the record saying that he's been wanting to fight with Will Johnston," said McIver.

"There's only so much you can take. We feel there was a game plan from their stand point."

Timberwolves coach Billy McGuigan has a different story.

"I don't think you can really fault anyone for starting it. You know, a couple of players were jawing at each other and it over-boiled," he said.

McIver believes the Timberwolves knew his star player was at the fight limit for the season, and would get an extra suspension, and that's why they started the fight.

They're trying to get him out of the series any way they possibly can," he said.

McGuigan denies that.

The teams will meet again next week, and McIver said says he's looking forward to meeting Summerside in the playoffs.

"It's going to be a war. It's going to be some exciting hockey for sure," he said. During the two regular season games remaining between the two teams the league will have a standby official monitoring warm-ups. These officials are usually only used in playoff games, but given the history between these two teams the league decided to add the extra official.