The Ontario Hockey League has reduced the penalty given to the Niagara IceDogs.
The league had fined the team $250,000 and and two first-round draft picks as a penalty for undisclosed recruiting violations.
Today, the penalty has been cut in half. The team will pay a $150,000 fine and lose one first round pick in the 2021 OHL Priority Selection.
In a message to season ticket holders team officials said, "Prior to the 2016-17 season, we had a problem with scouting and recruiting. We addressed the problem and had moved forward."
The IceDogs open the first round of the playoffs Thursday night against the North Bay Battalion.