Boston University was rocked by another scandal involving the school's hockey team over the weekend when star defenseman Max Nicastro was arrested early Sunday morning and charged with raping a female student.
Nicastro was taken into custody early on Sunday by Boston University Police and then transfered to the Boston Police Department in Brighton, reports the Boston Globe. According to the school's student news site BU Today, the alleged assault happened on campus and the 21-year-old was initially held on $25,000 cash bail pending his arraignment.
Following Tuesday's arraignment, in which Nicastro pleaded not guilty, bail was set at $10,000. The Associated Press reports that Nicastro's lawyer says no crime was committed.
BU athletic director Michael Lynch said that Nicastro has been suspended from the team pending the result of the investigation.
Nicastro, a 2008 Detroit Red Wings draft pick, is the second BU hockey player in 10 weeks to be arrested on sexual assault charges. University police took Corey Trivino, the team's leading scorer at the time, into custody in December and charged him with three counts of indecent assault and battery of a female student and one count of assault with attempt to rape.
Trivino, 21, pleaded not guilty to the charges in January and was kicked off the hockey team. Trivino is scheduled to be back in court on March 22.
The Boston Globe reports that school officials are investigating whether the two incidents are disturbing coincidences or a much bigger problem with the hockey program.