Ex-Devils player accused of assaulting child he coached appears in court

WALL TOWNSHIP, N.J. (WABC) -- A former professional hockey player was in court Wednesday to face simple assault allegations brought against him in January.

Manasquan hockey coach Jim Dowd did not comment about the proceedings that lasted into the afternoon.

One by one, members of his team testified about the January 7th game, where a parent accuses Dowd of kicking one of sons in the back out of anger over a play that tied a game they were winning. The judge described some of the testimony.

"His brother confirms it was a hard kick that was violent, and caused his brother pain immediately and for three days after," said Judge Joseph DeFino, Wall Township Municipal Judge.

The player's parent filed a citizen's complaint. But a police investigation found no wrong doing, so Coach Dowd was allowed to continue his coaching job.

Dowd is a former New Jersey Devils player who helped the team win the Stanley Cup.

Wednesday, his attorney defended his actions with his young player in court where most admit, some kind of contact between the coach and the player was made.

"If this is a simple assault, then when a player comes off the ice and the coach says get down there, that's a simple assault," said Richard Lomurro, Dowd's attorney.

The prosecutor says it was more, from a coach angry at his player.

"Coach Dowd is not a player. This case is not about a tap on the shoulder. This is about an intentional kick in the lower back by someone standing in close proximity. It is conduct which should not have occurred under any circumstances," said Guy Ryan, the prosecutor.

After the testimony, parents and one player spoke up for Dowd.

"My son's played on his team a long time; I've never seen any behavior like that," said Kim Murray, a parent.

"Jim Dowd is a great guy, he's great for Manasquan," said Theresa Hulce, a teammate.

"It's sad to see these kids go through this. Think about the children, it's ruining the sport," said Jeanne Hulce, a parent.

Dowd had agreed to step down as coach of the varsity hockey team during the investigation, with Manasquan School Superintendent Frank Kasyan saying it was best to relieve Dowd of his coaching duties in the interim. Sources said Dowd took the allegations very hard and that he treats his players as if they were his own children.

The school district released the following statement at the time of the initial complaint:

"Jim Dowd is a member of the Manasquan School District, we support him as we would any staff member in an alleged act. Up until this point, he has done nothing but good for our school district. We are hoping for a speedy resolution to this unfortunate situation. We look forward to Coach Dowd being exonerated and returning to the 2015 hockey season."