Nick Roberto, BU hockey’s forgotten leader, turns page on dark junior campaign

Nick Roberto doesn’t quite open up when asked about his junior season. It’s a sensitive topic, so he instead credits support from his teammates, his coaches and his family. He says he brushed the year off — it obviously wasn’t the best press.

But when head coach David Quinn reflects on Roberto’s 2015-16 season — or rather lack thereof — a different tone emerges.

“Initially I was getting angry, because the stuff that was being said was just so far-fetched and so preposterous,” Quinn said. “And you get aggravated because you know the truth. You hear the things that are said, but it’s the world we live in now.”

Meanwhile, Tommy Kelley, Roberto’s roommate and fellow senior forward on the No. 4 Boston University men’s hockey team, strikes a similar chord.

“There were a couple weeks where stuff kept pouring out, pouring out, and everyone’s making their own assumptions and trying to accuse him of doing different things,” Kelley said. “We’d sit in the room at night and read through the stuff and laugh with how crazy people can be with social media, putting anything and everything out there.”

And Doyle Somerby, BU’s captain and Roberto’s close friend, addresses the topic with sympathy.

“When everything came out on Twitter all my friends were texting me,” Somerby said. “My mom works at a restaurant in town and people were asking her questions. Just to see how magnified it was and the microscope he was under, I was just trying to tell people you don’t really know what happened. You can’t judge a book by its cover.”

So what exactly happened? Roberto, a native of nearby Wakefield, was the subject of constant, intense scrutiny. As each game rolled around in the fall of 2015, Roberto was a healthy scratch; he was given no playing time and was not injured, but no specific reason was given as to why. Those outside the walls of Agganis Arena had no clue why.

Then in late December, the bombshell dropped: Roberto was at the heart of a gambling probe, and then rumors started flying left and right. He ultimately sat out the entirety of his junior season, losing a year of eligibility in the process.

As Roberto looks back, he speaks matter-of-factly.

“I met with the school about it, I told my side of the story,” Roberto said. “Then the school had to report it to the NCAA, and then the NCAA took it from there. It was a long process that kept dragging along. It was September till November when I really found out. Definitely a stressful time.”

Even today — nearly a year removed from Roberto’s suspension — the details are still somewhat murky. Quinn calls it all an “extreme, excessive punishment,” and is quick to say Roberto made a mistake, just like many college students do. But the fourth-year head coach also said it’s a matter that’s handled in-house.

“It’s not that I’m being secretive or private, but it’s nobody’s business,” Quinn said.

Kelley, meanwhile, described the environment as “don’t ask, don’t tell,” because talk wasn’t going to change the fact Roberto couldn’t play.

Despite all that, it wasn’t as though Roberto vanished into thin air last season; in fact it was quite the opposite.

He was still working out with the team, practicing, shooting pucks and working on his stick handling. The worst part was he couldn’t travel with BU for road trips, so he’d drive to the local rinks and watch far-off games on TV or online. He’d wait around for his teammates to return to campus late on Saturday nights, and spent time with friends who were not hockey players.

Life was, in Roberto’s words, different, and the days felt longer. So as the months passed, Somerby, who went to Kimball Union Academy with Roberto, came to view the 22-year-old in a different light.

“Nick showing up every time last year there was a practice and lift and bringing energy knowing no matter what he did during the week he couldn’t play — I thought I knew a lot about him, but that gave me more respect than I ever could have imagined,” Somerby said. “I learned a lot about his character, the effort he puts forth and I just wanted him to know I was there whenever he needed it.”

Kelley echoed much of the same support, noting Roberto came to the rink every day with high energy, and always with a smile on his face.

“Nick never really tried to show he was affected by it in all honestly,” Kelley said. “I don’t know, he just stuck it out. I have a ton of respect for him doing that. I’d hang out with him in the room, be there for him. He’s such a strong kid.”

As for Roberto, he couldn’t imagine tackling 2015-16 season’s hurdle any differently. He tried to stay positive, thankful that he made his mistake while he was young. He emphasizes that widespread support was what got him through, and jokes that he’s in the best shape of his life now.

With the 2016-17 season still in its early days, Roberto seems on pace for possibly his best season yet as a Terrier. He has two goals and two assists in five games, including a shorthanded tally in the season-opening win over Colgate University and an insurance score in a recent 7-0 blowout of Sacred Heart University.

Roberto, however, is quick to retort that points aren’t his bread and butter. Instead, he has his sights set on leading what is college hockey’s second youngest team, especially as its oldest player.

“Last year we had Mike Moran who was 24, the year before Anthony Moccia, so it’s pretty weird,” Roberto said. “I feel like the grandfather of the group. Everyone’s coming to me for questions. It’s good; it keeps me young.”

Still, it’s hard not to reflect: this time last year, nobody knew for certain if Roberto would be a part of BU’s program. Questions lingered, people made up their own theories and answers were few and far between.

But today, Roberto brings a workman-like mentality, a sense of maturity to a locker room teeming with teenagers. He defines himself as someone who plays fast and physical, has some grit towards his battles, thrives on the penalty kill and just likes “getting the boys going” on the bench.

As for Somerby and Kelley? They stress Roberto as likable a guy with a smile on his face, even after the toughest of practices — all in spite of last year’s dark blemish.

“You look at that stuff people say, but as long as my family was by my side and the school was supportive of me, I could brush it off,” Roberto said. “Everyone was there for me the whole time. I just stayed around that.”

So with last year officially in the past, Quinn now beams of the “great kid” who’s “as big a recruit” as BU got this year. With a freshman class that features five NHL draft picks, that’s not too shabby at all.