Sophomore forward James Buttermore is away from the ISU hockey team “to sort through some personal things,” said ISU coach Al Murdoch.

Buttermore was charged with nuisance party regulations in December 2012 and was at home during last weekend’s home games against Ohio. According to Iowa Courts Online, Buttermore pleaded guilty to the charges on Monday.

“I think in situations like that you just give them a little time and space because he knows as well as all our players know, that in order to be successful at Iowa State you really have to focus on academics, and you have to focus on hockey,” Murdoch said. “There isn’t a lot of time here for anything else.”

Murdoch said Buttermore made the decision to be away from the team. There is no timetable for his return and Murdoch doesn’t know if he’ll return at all. Murdoch said that he thinks Buttermore intends to stay in school this semester and was on campus Monday meeting with his adviser.

The 6-foot-1 forward from Stillwater, Minn., ranks fourth on the team in scoring with 23 points (10 goals, 13 assists) in the 24 games he’s played; including three game-winning goals this season.

“It definitely brings kind of a negative aura to the boys that he didn’t come back,” said alternate captain Mark Huber.

This is not the first time Buttermore has been in trouble since starting his ISU career. In September 2011, he was charged with consumption/intoxication.

Even with forward Austin Parle’s consumption/intoxication charge earlier this season, Murdoch doesn’t think run-ins with the law are becoming a problem.

“A lot of our players have lived away from home three, four, five years. So, we consider them adults,” Murdoch said. “If they don’t use good judgment they pay the price. Our discipline is pretty firm and, you know, we like to see them correct it their ways.”