The Bobcats are back!

Head coach Jamie Ruffner leads the Bowling Green varsity back into the Northwest Hockey Conference fray after a year away due to reduced participation numbers within the program.

While the program returns to action to great fanfare, now comes the hard part:  re-building a program in an even more competitive Red Division than the one they left.

As he looks to build the Bobcats anew, Ruffner sees some youth, speed and skill to work with – not a bad place to start when re-booting a varsity program.

Shane Cassin, Nick Powers, Brayden Clauson, Nolan Huess, Ethan Helvoigt and Luke Johnson are among the group of eager players who will be pulling the Bobcat jersey over their heads for the first time.

The Bobcats are not completely devoid of varsity experience or veteran leadership, however.  Juniors Dylan Cox and Lou Howick, and senior Jackson Bevins all gained varsity experience prior to BG’s year away.

Bowling Green jumped right in with both feet, facing Cleveland-area powers St. Edward and Gilmour Academy at the Cold Turkey Shootout.  The Bobcats took their lumps, but that is all part of the process.

Ruffner now looks to the Red Division regular season as an opportunity to learn more about what exactly he has to work with, see how his team stacks up within the expanded NHC, and continue the building process.

--- Scott Harrington for Ohio Hockey Digest