NAPANEE, Ontario - A man who David Frost is alleged to have sexually exploited as a teen told court Thursday that threesomes with the former hockey coach described by the man's ex-girlfriend never happened, but the Crown dismissed the assertion as patently false testimony by someone who once belonged to Frost's "cult."

The man, a former hockey player, is a witness for Frost's defence instead of the Crown, which is unusual for an alleged victim. He testified that he and his girlfriend at the time did have threesomes -- not with Frost, but with Mike Danton, who went on to play in the NHL.

Frost, the ex-coach of the junior A Quinte Hawks, has pleaded not guilty to four counts of sexual exploitation relating to two of his former players.

Danton, who played for the Hawks during Frost's tenure, later played for the St. Louis Blues and is currently in prison in the U.S. for a failed murder-for-hire plot that allegedly targeted Frost.

The alleged victim's former girlfriend told court earlier in the week that she and her boyfriend began having sex early in their relationship at a hotel in Deseronto, Ont., where Frost and several players lived. Not long after, she said she was persuaded by her boyfriend to have a threesome with Frost on two occasions, when they were 16 and Frost was 29.

But the man, now 28, said the threesomes his ex-girlfriend described never involved Frost, but instead happened on two occasions with Danton.

The man also denied needing Frost's permission to have sex or do anything -- contradicting several days of testimony from Crown witnesses.

The man told court that group sex is common in the hockey world and that he has had sexual encounters involving one girl and as many as five or six other males.

"It's like a bonding thing with your friends or teammates," he said.

The man conceded on cross-examination that it would be unusual for a coach to be involved.

The two players Frost is alleged to have sexually exploited cannot be named.

The Canadian Press is also not identifying the two women who have testified this week about having sex with players and Frost during the period of the alleged offences, when they were juveniles, though the women are not part of the same publication ban.

The Crown seized upon differences between the man's testimony Thursday and previous statements to police. For example, he told police in 2006 that he and his girlfriend never participated in three-way sex.

"I never had sex with another person with her," he told police. "It was only me and her."

The man said he made that statement because he had been trying to protect Danton, who was embroiled in his legal troubles at the time. In his cross-examination, Crown attorney Sandy Tse suggested the man didn't mention threesomes because they involved Frost, not Danton.

"The only threesome you were involved in was a threesome that was wrong," Tse said.

"I'm going to suggest to you, sir, yeah, two-on-ones happened, but they happened with you and Mr. Frost."

Tse suggested the man is denying that group sex with Frost occurred because he is trying to protect the man who took him under his wing at about age 11.

The other players in Frost's inner circle first met him at a young age, played on teams together and spent summers together at cottages through their late teens and 20s.

The bond between the players and Frost was strong, Tse said, suggesting it was so powerful that many people referred to the group as a "cult."

The witness didn't agree they were like a cult, but acknowledged "that's what was perceived of us."

Tse introduced a letter, which he said Frost had written to the group, giving advice such as remembering sacrifices that lead to success and reading more books. It also emphasized the need to stay close and support each other.

"Isn't that what you're doing today?" Tse asked the witness. "Standing together, keeping the bond and protecting Mr. Frost?"