The Minnesota Hockey Board on Monday approved more severe penalties for youth hockey players who engage in risky moves like checking from behind and boarding. The rule changes come after a check from behind left Benilde-St. Margaret's hockey player Jack Jablonski paralyzed.

Checking from behind, like the illegal hit that paralyzed Jack Jablonski last December, will continue to trigger an automatic 5-minute major penalty in Minnesota youth hockey for at least another year. The Star Tribune reports the board of Minnesota Hockey voted 18-6 on Sunday to continue the rule change that elevated the penalty from two minutes to five. An ad hoc committee recommended going back to the original penalty structure while stepping up "education and accountability" of coaches, game officials and players.

A student at Benilde-St. Margaret's who suffered a paralyzing injury during a hockey game is having surgery on Wednesday morning. Doctors will fuse together Jack Jablonski's damaged vertebrae.

The Pioneer Press reports Jenna Privette has regained some feeling and is in pain, which could mean she's not paralyzed after receiving a dangerous check from behind during a hockey match. Her injury came just a week after a similar check paralyzed a Benilde-St. Margaret's hockey player.

Doctors say it's too early to tell how bad the lasting damage will be to Jack Jablonski, a Benilde-St. Margaret sophomore who suffered a severe spinal injury during a hockey game.

The Minnesota State High School League will begin imposing tougher penalties for three of the most dangerous hockey hits. This follows the illegal hit that paralyzed Benilde-St. Margaret's hockey player Jack Jablonski two weeks ago. Fox 9 also reports supporters are planning to honor the high school sophomore at next weekends U.S. Pond Hockey Championships.

MPR talks with Dr. Bill Roberts, a professor in family medicine at the University of Minnesota who did research decades ago that found most injuries in youth hockey followed illegal blows and checks, like the one that paralyzed Jack Jablonski. He says attention to the fact tends to wane over time but wonders if the recent rash of severe injuries will spur serious reforms.

The Benilde-St. Margaret's sophomore continues to make progress following his paralyzing injury in late December. WCCO talked with captains from both the Benilde-St. Margaret's and Wayzata hockey teams about the devastating accident and the aftermath following Jablonski's injury.