Saponari Brothers Booted, Corey Trivino Suspended, BU Screwed

Drinking Incident Cited Among Several Issues Leading to Punishment

Just when you thought it couldn't get any worse for the Terriers going into the 2010-2011 season, we get this bomb dropped on us.

Here is the basic run-down.  Victor Saponari and Vinny Saponari have both been dismissed from the BU hockey program, and Corey Trivino has been suspended for an indefinite period of time to start off next year.  Earlier this week, the Daily Free Press reported that these three players would face punishment stemming from an incident at the tail end of last year. 

Vinny Saponari and Corey Trivino Were to be Crucial Components of the BU Offense Next Year

Jack Parker issued a statement in a news release, saying "Over a period of time, there have been cumulative instances in which Victor and Vinny Saponari have displayed conduct unbecoming of a Boston University hockey player.  In a related issue, Trivino will be suspended for the early part of next season.”


The FreeP report said the following: "Sources said the coaching staff was recently informed that the four players were drinking on the night of March 17, less than 48 hours before the Terriers’ Hockey East semifinal matchup with the University of Maine. BU’s season came to an end with a 5-2 loss in that game."

You may notice that the above quote says "four players," even though only three were disciplined.  Adam Kraus was the other player implicated in the incident.

Here's the thing.  There simply has to be more to this whole thing than one drinking incident.  Drinking before a playoff game, which the team coincidentally came out completely flat in, seems like grounds for suspension, but not necessarily dismissal. 

In his two years at BU, Vinny Sap had 20 goals and 31 assists.  He is by far the biggest loss of the three in my mind, as he really began to come into his own, especially in the offensive end, this past season.  Vinny began to make it a habit to score highlight reel goals, and on a team devoid of senior leadership and goal scoring he was poised to ascend to a very important position on this team.

Vinny's Abesnce Will Be Tough to Replace

Trivino is a big loss as well, although not quite as much on the scoresheet.  His two years in Scarlet and White saw 10 goals and 18 assists, but he was praised as an important energy player.  When he went down with an injury near the end of last season, it threw a major wrench into the then free-flowing Terrier offense.
One possibility is that Parker is simply cleaning house of any and all players who aren't completely committed to the idea of a fresh start.  He has talked at length about the importance of being more hungry, and even went as far as selecting the team captains, breaking the long tradition of allowing the players to vote on their leaders.  If these guys were negative influences on their teammates, and helped maintain a lazy attitude in the locker room, it could be as simple as Parker not wanting them around.

However, my suspicion is that this probably goes a bit deeper than that.  It's great to make a statement, but this team has already been stripped down to the bone. To release an important player outright when you're already hard up for goals for just a drinking incident seems a bit extreme.

We're going to have several more posts on this, including reaction from the players, more details and more analysis, so stay tuned.