After winning back-to-back championships in 2020 and 2021, the Bobwhites completed the 2021-22 season with an impressive 17-4 record before falling to rivals Essex in the semi-finals.

Last year, the Bobwhites graduated a core group of 10 seniors, who composed the majority of the Bobwhite’s first two offensive lines and starting goaltender Michel Telfer. This season, there are many new faces, including many young players and a new head coach, Ben Roberts, who will lead this year’s hopeful squad.

The Bobwhites return a handful of upperclassmen to fill the shoes left by the class of ‘22, such as the senior captains Ethan Audy, Liam Wood and Camden Johnson. Going into the regular season after four scrimmages, the Bobwhites look to build to become a cohesive and winning team.

The Bobwhites face Canton, N.Y., on Friday, Dec. 16, at 7:30 and Spaulding on Saturday, Dec. 17, at 2 p.m. at the Collins Perley Complex

Q&A with Bobwhite coach Ben Roberts

What stands out to you about this year’s group on and off the ice? This year’s team is young and inexperienced at the high school level. With that being said, they have some nice skills, are working hard at practice, and are doing a good job grasping our team concepts and systems so far.

What are you looking forward to as you coach the opening weekend at home with the Doc Tulip Holiday Classic? I’m looking forward to starting our regular season games. We’ve played some scrimmages, but getting some real games under our belt will be nice. Canton is always well-coached and a strong team; I’m excited to see what we can do on Friday night.

Did the Doc Tulip Holiday Classic mean something to you as a player, and what does it mean to the program to have a tournament recognizing Doc’s commitment to BFA Hockey? Unfortunately, Doc wasn’t around when I played for BFA. I have heard some of Doc’s stories from past players and the coaching staff, and I wish I would have had the opportunity to play when he was around. The BFA hockey program is lucky to have had people like Doc Tulip, Jon Haynes, and many others give so much to the program and help make it what it is today. I’m honored to have the opportunity to lead this team and grateful to have a great coaching staff alongside me.

Here’s what Senior Captain Ethan Audy had to say about the upcoming season: