No butts about it, cheeky goalie ejected
NORTH LOGAN, Utah - A University of Southern California hockey goalie put on a show, but it had nothing to do with stopping shots. Mickey Meyer rode his stick like a horse, dropped his bulky pants, mooned the crowd and slapped his buttocks during a game against Brigham Young University, police said.
He was ejected and ticketed for lewdness, a misdemeanor, after an officer who was working security at the rink said he witnessed the scene Saturday.
"I had my fill of these refs," Meyer said on an Internet broadcast of the game, according to The Herald-Journal of Logan.
It will be up to prosecutors whether to pursue a case against him.
"This is a small town," North Park police Sgt. John Italasano said. "This was a college team playing and hockey's a wild game. Sometimes things get out of hand."
Meyer's antics occurred while play was stopped and referees were trying to sort out penalties in the third period of a consolation game in the ACHA West Regional tournament at Eccles Ice Center.
The junior from Clinton, N.Y., was "riding his hockey stick like a horse and slapping his butt," North Park Officer Mike Stauffer said in a report.
After pulling down his pants, Meyer slapped his bare bottom several times, Stauffer said.
Rink manager Floyd Naegle was unhappy.
"We don't treat this as a funny incident," he said Tuesday. "We're a family oriented business. It's a one-time incident and we try to do what we can to protect ourselves."
The Trojans lost the game against BYU, 6-4. The night before, they'd lost 3-1 to Utah State. USC volunteer hockey coach Mark Wilbur said the incident highlights the frustration that can come with playing tournament consolation rounds early in the morning after a loss far from home.
"All you're doing is asking for seniors to do stupid stuff," he said.
If the season's over, he'd just like to pack up the team gear and go home, he said.
Wilbur said he had no specific policy for dealing with publicly bared bottoms.
"I sure as hell don't condone it on any level," Wilbur said.
Prosecutor Scott Wyatt laughed when told about the incident Tuesday at the state Capitol, where he is a member of the Utah House. He declined to say whether he would press charges. The maximum penalty is six months in jail.
"Well, that's my call, but I haven't seen anything" from police, Wyatt said. |
