For the second time this season, a sexual assault allegation has struck the Boston University hockey team. In December, leading scorer Corey Tirivino was arrested in December on several charges after he allegedly broke into a woman’s room at night. Trivino pleaded not guilty to the charges, but was thrown off the team.
This time around, it was 21-year-old defenseman Max Nicastro who has been under arrest for an alleged rape of a female student. He was taken into police custody Sunday and has been held on a $25,000 cash bond. Tuesday afternoon, Nicastro was arraigned on two counts of rape Tuesday in Brighton District Court and a plea of not guilty was automatically entered on Nicastro’s behalf according to a story posted on ESPN. The judge Tuesday lowered his bond to $10,000 cash. Nicastro will return to court March 26 for a probable cause hearing.
Similar to Trivino, Nicastro has been suspended from the team indefinitely. In regards to NHL draft status, both players have been drafted by NHL franchises in 2008: Trivino was a second-round pick of the New York Islanders and Nicastro was drafted by the Detroit Red Wings. A spokesman for the school said to the Boston Globe “Fewer than five of BU’s 33,000 students this academic year have faced charges related to sexual assault.” It’s quite strange that not only both are athletes but both are members of the hockey team. Coach Jack Parker and athletic director Mike Lynch were not available to comment to the Boston Globe in a story they posted to the site.
Nicastro, a junior, appeared in 27 of the 30 games the Terriers have played this season. He only has nine points but he’s made them count during conference play where he has eight points in 23 games.
Trivino’s loss was much larger as he was suspended after appearing in 15 games. In those 15 games he had 13 goal and four assists. Including 14 points in 12 conference games.
This was the last distraction the team needed as they are in a dogfight for the Hockey East regular season championship. They trail rival Boston College by two points entering the final pair of games this season. The BU Terriers are on the road where they take on last-place Vermont.
