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The University of Maine athletic department indefinitely suspended men’s ice hockey players Mike Hamilton and Wes Clark for violations of the student-athlete conduct code.
The announcement came Wednesday night, three days after Hamilton, a junior from Victoria, British Columbia, and Clark, a sophomore from Oakville, Ontario, were arrested for assault and aggravated criminal mischief.
At approximately 9 p.m. Sunday, the pair allegedly attacked a member of the UMaine baseball team at Washburn Place apartments. Accompanied by a group of fellow hockey players, Hamilton confronted the man about his ex-girlfriend, who was at the apartment. After exchanging words, Hamilton allegedly assaulted the man in the apartment doorway and the fight quickly moved inside, police said.
Upon entering the building, Clark and others continued to grapple with the baseball player, according to reports. During the fight, the victim was punched and kicked. Three to five minutes after the tussle began, Hamilton, Clark and other members of the team left the scene.
The victim, a 21-year-old UMaine student, went to the Orono police station at about 12:15 a.m. to report a crime. He arrived at the station after receiving stitches over his left eye at Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor.
The pair were released Monday from the Penobscot County Jail, each on a $5,000 personal recognizance bail, a jail official said. They were brought into custody early Monday morning by the Orono police department.
An official report of the incident has yet to be finalized. Sgt. Scott Scripture of the Orono police department believed it will be completed sometime today after all the witnesses have been interviewed and re-interviewed. The report will then be given to the Orono district attorney who will file other charges if warranted.
Interim Athletic Director Blake James waited until he knew all the information before making the announcement.
“Unless you see what happens, it’s hard to say you know everything, but I believe everyone involved has been very open about what happened, and I think I have talked to as many people as possible,” said James. “Based on those conversations, I have come to as accurate as a picture of what occurred.”
Blake consulted police reports to decide what action to take.
The suspension centers around violations of the student conduct code, which operates on a point system. The system places values on many common violations of university rules and Maine laws committed by college students.
While coach Tim Whitehead was included in the process, James delivered the punishment.
The athletes will be unable to take part in any competition until James reinstates them. However, both will be allowed to practice and interact with the team for the remainder of the year.
The players will now await the decision of Dean of Students Robert Dana, who oversees the administration of the student conduct code.
“What will happen in a case like this is that a bit of an investigation will occur and then, if there is the reason to believe that one should proceed, an allegation letter would be sent to the student,” said Dana.
Dana said the allegation letter lays out what areas of the conduct code got broken. From there, the official hearing the case would meet with Hamilton and Clark, as well as witnesses.
“If the student was responsible, sanctions can range from warning to dismissal,” said Dana.
The student-athletes and the person hearing the case could receive the letters as early as today.
“I am all about being deliberate about this,” said Dana. “These are young people whose lives are complicated enough.”
Dana made it clear that in no way would the athletic department’s ruling sway the deans’ course of action.
“First and foremost, the student-athletes don’t get treated differently from a university perspective,” said Dana. “From a university conduct code perspective, they get treated exactly alike.”
Hamilton and Clark’s punishment from the university could also include anger management sessions and community service.
In addition to the university’s punishment, Whitehead could impose a suspension for a violation of team rules.
“We like to err on the side of being firm,” said Whitehead. “It’s an ongoing process. I want to be careful not to overact.”
Whitehead went on to say that he is happy with how his team has reacted to the difficult situation.
“Our players need to accept their responsibility, which they are doing, and pay the consequences and move on with their lives,” said Whitehead. “I do know that the team is taking it very seriously. They have met as a team several times. Players are coming in to see me. I think it will be a very teachable moment for our team.”
That response has been echoed in the sentiments of Hamilton, commented James.
“My general feeling all along has been when you conduct yourself in ways unbecoming, there are going to be consequences for that, and I think Mike understands that,” he said.
The university or athletic department have yet to punish any other members of the team who were at the apartment.
James has since spoken with both teams and addressed the idea of retaliation or another confrontation.
“I just want to make sure this was an incident we never have happen again no matter if it includes teams or any of our individuals,” said James. “We don’t want student-athletes that are going to be representing the program, themselves or the university in that fashion.”
Whitehead believes there will be no more issues between the two squads.
“There doesn’t seem to be any lingering animosity there whatsoever,” said Whitehead. “In fact, most of these guys are friends.”
Members of both teams were unavailable for comment, as was baseball head coach Steve Trimper.
The hockey team is prepared to face season-long suspensions.
“Everyone wants this to be resolved quickly,” said Whitehead. “It was an emotional incident that happened. It’s regrettable, and now we need to get closure and move forward.”
Both players are currently sidelined with injuries. Hamilton missed the Black Bears’ past two games this weekend and looked to be out longer with a torn meniscus. At the time of his injury, he was playing on UMaine’s top line with junior center Michel Leveille and captain Greg Moore. Clark has been out since the start of the season, and just recently started skating again.
On the stat sheet, Hamilton has three assists in nine games. He just began rebounding from a difficult sophomore season when he had three goals and 15 assists in 38 games. Fans will remember Hamilton for his game-winning goal against Wisconsin in overtime that helped the Black Bears reach the NCAA championship game in 2004.
Clark played in 11 games last season with two goals and an assist.
Neither player was known for garnering penalty minutes.
“You hate to see people get tied up like this,” said Dana. “Two students were arrested. That’s a disaster. Another was hurt. That’s a disaster. It’s no-win for anybody. Fisticuffs are never acceptable.”
