Twice in a decade, or ever, for something like this to transpire would be a lot for any college hockey program to deal with. But twice in the same season, and less than a dozen weeks apart?
Something is definitely wrong down that end of Commonwealth Avenue.
Just over two months after Corey Trivino was arrested for sexual assault and subsequently dismissed from the Boston University men's hockey team, the BU program was dealt another serious blow when Max Nicastro was arrested on Sunday and charged with sexual assault, according to College Hockey News.
Nicastro, 21, a junior defenseman from Thousand Oaks, Calif., and a 2008 draft choice of the Detroit Red Wings, was held on $25,000 cash bail and was due to be arraigned on Tuesday. He has been suspended indefinitely from playing with the Terriers, for whom he had tallied three goals and nine points along with 32 penalty minutes in 27 games so far this season. In 102 career collegiate outings, the former blueliner from Chicago (USHL) has collected 11-22—33 points and 115 PIM.
What's going on at BU is past the point of shocking or ridiculous. It's no longer a hockey issue, either, for head coach Jack Parker to take care of on his own. No, it's time for the university administration to step in. They won't kill the program—and they shouldn't—but things have to change with the entire culture of men's hockey at BU.
Two alleged sexual assaults from the same team in matter of months is frightening, and not just for the victims, although they should rightly be thought of first. Such heinous acts also paint other BU players, most of whom are probably law-abiding citizens, with a broad and unfair brush of guilt, just because they happen to suit up on the same squad as the alleged perpetrators. A number of college/pro athletes in general may carry enormous egos, but a sense of entitlement is a far cry from felony.
Even if the charges against Nicastro are ultimately unfounded, as was discovered with the Duke men's lacrosse team a few years ago after those players were publicly vilified before being exonerated of rape charges, the damage to BU Hockey has already been done—again. It's going to take a while for it to recover from another black eye, and hopefully there isn't a third such ugly incident just waiting in the wings.
Not now. Not ever again.
ADDENDUM: Nicastro was arraigned on two counts of rape on Feb. 21, with an automatic plea of not guilty, according to USCHO.com.
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