MOSCOW, December 21 (R-Sport) – A domestic abuse charge against Colorado Avalanche goaltender Semyon Varlamov has been dropped by prosecutors, the Denver Post has reported.
Varlamov was charged last month in Denver with a count of third-degree assault after his girlfriend Yevgeniya Vavrinyuk alleged he knocked her to the ground, stomped on her chest and dragged her by the hair.
"I maintained then and maintain now my client was always totally innocent of these charges," Varlamov's agent Paul Theofanous told The Denver Post.
"Mr. Varlamov will continue to focus exclusively on hockey and his family, and is grateful to the Avalanche ownership, management and coaching staff, his teammates, Colorado Avs fans, the Russian Federation and fellow countrymen for their unwavering support."
During the investigation, Varlamov continued a strong season for Colorado, registering a 0.924 save percentage as the team won 16 of 25 games.
The 25-year-old netminder is widely expected to feature on the Russian roster for February’s Olympics in Sochi.
News of Varlamov's arrest sent shockwaves in his native Russia and even prompted speculation from a nationalist parliamentarian that it was part of a plot to sabotage Russia's tilt at men's hockey gold at the Sochi 2014 Olympics in February.
