A youth hockey team in Maryland says an opponent hurled racial slurs at them on the ice, prompting an investigation.
“I’m kind of feeling pretty disappointed and kind of, like, stressed out,” 14-year-old Buck Vongnaraj said.
Buck plays on the Frederick Freeze hockey team. He said players from an opposing team, the Ashburn Xtreme, called him and some of his teammates racist names.
“One of their players said, ‘Why the F-word are you here. Go back to the F-ing Philippines,” he said.
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The two teams played each other at the Ashburn Ice House Sunday.
“I feel bad for all my other teammates that this also happened to,” Buck said.
Another teammate allegedly was called an Asian slur on the ice.
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Another teammate, Brandon Bernard, said an Ashburn Xtreme player called him the N-word.
“It made me really furious,” he said.
The players reported what allegedly happened to the referees, but Frederick Freeze head coach Mike Gregorio says the refs said they didn’t hear it.
“This stuff can’t be swept under the rug,” he said.
News4 emailed and called the Ashburn Xtreme head coach, but he has not replied.
The Chesapeake Bay Hockey League is investigating the allegations.
“Racism, including incidents of communicating racial and other derogatory slurs, has absolutely no place in our game,” the league posted on Facebook. “Upon hearing allegations about inappropriate comments made during a 14U game that took place on Sunday, CBHL officials immediately reached out to our on-ice officials' organization, our area's USA Hockey SafeSport coordinator, and others, to include the leadership of both clubs involved. An investigation is currently ongoing.”
