From left, MSAD 75 school board member Hutson Hayward, board Chair Amy Spelke and Superintendent Heidi O’Leary discuss the appointment of an interim boys hockey coach during the board’s meeting Thursday night. Spelke said the temporary appointment of Erik Baker, O’Leary’s brother, would allow the Mt. Ararat High School team to continue its season while hazing allegations are investigated. Paul Bagnall/Times Record

Allegations of bullying by members of the Mt. Ararat High School boys hockey team include a hazing incident last month in which two senior players held down a freshman player in the locker room and “hit him with pickles,” according to a witness.

The senior players also allegedly tried to remove the younger boy’s pants as he screamed in protest.

Those details were laid out in a conversation between an attorney for the school district and a player on the team who saw the incident. There also were references during the interview to previous incidents that may be part of the investigation, but the student said he did not personally witness those.

The interview was recorded by a parent and shared with the Press Herald on the condition that neither the parent nor the child would be identified.

Allegations first came to light Monday when Maine School Administrative District 75 Superintendent Heidi O’Leary sent a letter to parents in the district saying hockey practices would be canceled while they investigated a “potential bullying/harassment issue.” One game also was postponed while the investigation continues.

MSAD 75 includes the towns of Topsham, Harpswell, Bowdoin and Bowdoinham.

The Lewiston law firm Brann & Isaacson is conducting the school department’s investigation, O’Leary said this week. Attorney Hannah Wurgaft is identified in the audio recording as the investigator interviewing the student.

Reached by phone Thursday, Wurgaft said she could not comment on the ongoing investigation.

O’Leary also would not discuss any details Thursday, citing the ongoing investigation.

“My priority is to complete a fair and thorough investigation and always put the interests of our students first,” the superintendent wrote in an email.

The allegations involving the Mt. Ararat team come just two months after reports of hazing upended the Lisbon High School football team’s season. The Mt. Ararat hockey team is a co-op team that includes players from Lisbon High School and Morse High School in Bath.

Hazing is generally defined as the humiliating or degrading treatment of a junior member of a team or group, whether they are a willing participant or not.

It’s not clear if any players involved in the current investigation were connected to the investigation in Lisbon last fall, but the geographic proximity and timing have heightened interest in the case.

The Lisbon hazing allegations led to a criminal investigation by local police, but the district attorney opted not to pursue charges because there wasn’t enough evidence to suggest criminal activity occurred.

Topsham Police Chief Marc Hagan said Thursday that his department is not involved with the investigation at Mt. Ararat High School.

“It’s a non-criminal issue,” he said.

According to the audio of the interview between Wurgaft and a member of the team, the school investigation involves both an incident in the locker room at an opposing school in late December and another incident on the bus returning home from a game.

Early in the interview, the player says: “Am I allowed to ask who this is about?”

Wurgaft responds that it’s not about a specific person but “generally the culture of the hockey team.”

The boy later describes the culture as “for the most part good.” He says there are often “pranks” and “messing around” and that it “sometimes gets out of hand,” referencing the bullying of the freshman by the two seniors.

Wurgaft also mentions an incident on the bus but does not provide details, and the student being interviewed said he wasn’t on that ride and doesn’t know what happened.

At one point, the student was asked whether coaches are in the locker room at all times, to which he replied, “no.”

Maine is a one-party consent state when it comes to recording conversations, which means there is no legal requirement for one participant to disclose to others that they are being recorded. Wurgaft declined to answer a question about whether she was aware she was being recorded during any interviews with Mt. Ararat players.

School officials haven’t made any firm decisions about future competitions. Wednesday’s game against Gorham was postponed indefinitely and, as of Thursday, only the junior varsity hockey team had resumed practice, O’Leary said.

“We are reviewing our ability to resume other practices and games,” she said. “I have informed the parents of all team members of our program that while we complete an investigation that I will be assigning different coaching staff.

“I also was very clear to note to parents that this is not a negative reflection on the coaching staff, but a measure that I believe is prudent to allow us to move forward with a fair and thorough investigation.”

INTERIM COACH APPOINTED

The MSAD 75 school board voted unanimously to approve Erik Baker, superintendent O’Leary’s brother, as interim hockey coach at its regular meeting Thursday night.

Chair Amy Spelke said that the temporary appointment would allow the students to continue their hockey season, including at Friday’s junior varsity game.

“The use of substitute coaching staff at this time is not a negative reflection on our coaching staff, and no adverse conclusions should be drawn,” Spelke said, reading a prepared statement. “The decision to engage substitute coaching is to allow the investigation to move forward in a fair and thorough manner.”

Baker is a lifelong hockey player with experience coaching youth hockey, she said. Spelke added that the vote was made publicly to ensure transparency.

Heidi O’Leary repeated that the interim assignment is “not anything negative” toward the current coaches.

“He’s a real (sic) good role model, and he said that he can help out as long as needed,” O’Leary said. “He said, ‘Anything I can do to help the kids, I will be there.'”

Staff Writer Daniel Kool contributed reporting from Topsham.