Team members tell of inappropriate behavior.
BALDWINSVILLE --
A Baldwinsville man faces prison and fines for endangering the welfare of teen girls on a Lysander hockey team he'd just started coaching.
State Police arrested 50 year old James Stocker, of Pasture Gate Lane, after talking to members of the Lysander Lady Lightnings Under-16 team.
Investigator Arthur Broccoli says they got the first complaints of inappropriate behavior last November, and the assistant coach was pressured to resign in December. Investigators talked to most of the 18 members of the team, and 4 agreed to provide depositions, so Stocker now faces four counts of endangering. He is due in court next week on the charges.
As for the team, this is only the latest issue in a tough year: teammate Miranda Merola died, unexpectedly, earlier this year.
Despite the stress, the Lady Lightnings won the State Championship, and made it to the quarter finals of the National Championships in their division last weekend in Michigan.
A major concern, how this will affect their--and their parents'-- trust in coaches, and their hockey futures. Investigator Broccoli says the girls, many of them with many years in the league, told their parents of concerns, and parents did the right think coming to police with it.
Lysander Youth Hockey is holding tryouts for next year this week, and says enough of the Under-16 team has come in that they'll have an Under-19 team next year.
