Mt. Ararat High School, photographed on Tuesday, has canceled two boys hockey practices in the wake of a school investigation into an alleged bullying incident. Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Portland Press Herald

FALMOUTH — The Mt. Ararat varsity boys hockey team is set to resume its season Saturday as an investigation into allegations of hazing continues.

On Friday night, the school’s junior varsity team returned to the ice for a game against Windham/Westbrook/Bonny Eagle at Casco Bay Arena.

Some parents of JV players at the game said they were taken aback when Heidi O’Leary, the superintendent for the Mt. Ararat school district that’s based in Topsham, advised parents in a letter Monday that practices for the three-school co-operative team would be canceled on Monday and Tuesday to address a report “of a potential bullying/harassment issue.”

“I was very surprised, very surprised,” said Tina Taylor, the mother of a Mt. Ararat JV player. “This is his first year playing and everybody has been so amazing to him — the players, the coaches — so it was shocking.”

Christine Goth, another parent of a first-year Mt. Ararat JV hockey player, said she tried not to rush to judgment after reading the letter.

“I mean, it’s one of those things until you know the facts, you don’t judge,” she said. “And it’s, figure out what’s going on and keep going. Keep the kids positive and interested in playing the game and safe and smart.”

Lisbon and Morse (Bath) high schools are part of the Mt. Ararat co-op.

School officials have not offered any details about the allegations, but they were described in a conversation between an attorney for the school district and a player on the team who saw the incident. The interview was recorded by a parent and shared with the Portland Press Herald on the condition that neither the parent nor the child would be identified.

In it, the player described an incident in which two senior players held down a freshman and assaulted him with pickles in the locker room at an opposing school late last month. The senior players also allegedly tried to remove the younger boy’s pants as he screamed in protest.

“I really enjoy being part of this hockey team,” Goth said. “I go to practices and watch them interact with the coaches, and everybody’s been amazing. Boys will be boys, and I don’t think that it is what everyone is saying that it is. You know, do people need to watch their behavior? Yes, but I think that we need to give everybody a little bit of grace.”

O’Leary, who was at the game Friday, announced Wednesday that she would allow the JV hockey team to play Friday’s game under the supervision of a different coaching staff.

“This decision reflects my confidence in the progress of our ongoing investigation,” O’Leary wrote in a letter. “That said… This should not be interpreted negatively against the coaching staff, but is done as part of our responsibility to conduct a thorough and fair investigation.”

Molly Perry and Ron Hutchins coached from the Mt. Ararat bench Friday night. Mt. Ararat Athletic Director Geoff Godo stood nearby.

Erik Baker, O’Leary’s brother, will serve as the varsity team’s interim coach Saturday in Biddeford.

Goth and Taylor said they were pleased that their sons could resume their season, as it provided a morale boost during what Taylor added was “a long week.”