SAULT STE. MARIE, MI - The Alpena Hockey team surrendered three third period goals and fell to the Houghton Gremlins in the Division 3 Quarterfinals, 4-1, on Wednesday night at Big Bear Arena.  The Gremlins carried the play for most of the opening period as the Wildcats struggled to mount any type of offensive attack.  Houghton finally broke the scoreless tie with 9:56 to go in the first when Justin Norkol fired a point shot that somehow found its way through a crowd and past Cooper Black.  The Wildcats seemed to find their legs in the second period as they began to flip the ice in the direction of the Gremlins net.  The effort paid off late in the period when Charlie Halleck was able to get the puck past Gremlin netminder Jimmy Pietila off the goalmouth scramble.  The goal ignited the nearly 400 fans and students that made the trip from Alpena as the Wildcats seemed to take momentum.  The Gremlins quickly grabbed it back for good when Jett Heinonen broke the 1-1 tie just two and a half minutes into the third period.  Seth Francois would extend the lead to 3-1 and Narkol would add a second goal on the night to push the final tally to 4-1.  Alpena finishes the season 23-5-1, which ties the school record for wins in a season.  The Wildcats also won the Big North Conference and their first Regional Championship since 2012.

GAYLORD, MI - The Alpena Hockey team continued their State Tournament run with a 4-0 victory over Cheboygan to win the Regional Championship at the Ostego Sportsplex on Saturday afternoon.  Cheboygan came out and carried much of the play early as Cooper Black was forced to make several key stops.  Alpena thought they had taken the lead with under a minute to play in the 1st period when Owen Limback fired a shot from the right point that was deflected in the net.  After a brief conversation by the officials, it was ruled that the puck had been defected with a high stick and the goal was waved off.  After a scoreless opening period, the Wildcats would break the game open in the second stanza with three goals.  Just over three minutes into the period Charlie Halleck was able to corral a rebound from a Kyle VanDusen point shot and fired it past Scott Pavwoski to give the Wildcats the 1-0 lead.  The Wildcats would add to the lead when Owen Limback cycled the puck behind the goal line to Colby Plowman who returned the puck to a wide open Limback.  Limback fired the puck from the slot glove side to make it 2-0 with 9:29 left in the period.  Three minutes later the Wildcats would convert on the Power Play when Limback found Halleck open in front of the net.  Pavwoski stopped the initial shot but Colby Plowman was on the spot to redirect the rebound into the back of the net for the 3-0 lead.  Kyle VanDusen would add an insurance marker in the third period when he tipped home a loose puck in the goal crease to top off the 4-0 victory.  Alpena (23-4-1) tie the school record for wins in a season with the 1980-81, 1981-82, and 1983-84 Wildcat teams.  The Wildcats will take on the Houghton Gremlins on March 6 in the State Quarterfinals in Sault Ste. Marie.  The Gremlins defeated Calumet 3-2 to advance to the Quarterfinals.

GAYLORD, MI - The Alpena Hockey team advanced to the Regional Semi-Finals with a 4-0 victory over Sault Ste Marie on Tuesday night.  Cooper Black kept the game scoreless in the early going as the Blue Devils put pressure in the Alpena defensive zone off the opening face-off.  The Wildcats on the board midway through the period when Owen Limback forced a Blue Devil turnover that Kyle VanDusen converted into the eventual game-winning tally.  Colby Plowman extended the lead to two when he outraced and outmuscled the Blue Devils to a loose puck and cut in alone on Sault goalie Logan Raffaele, beating him short side.  VanDusen recorded his second of the game in the 2nd period on the Power Play thanks to crisp passing from Limback and Plowman.  Late in the 2nd period the Blue Devils had an opportunity to get back into the game when Charlie Halleck was assessed a major penalty for Boarding.  The Wildcats were able to kill the penalty off thanks to the strong play of Black and Limback.  Anthony Berg finished the scoring for Alpena in the third when he wiffed on a one-time shot but recovered to send a wrist shot on net that handcuffed Raffaele.  Cooper Black played all but the final 3:13 of the game, stopping all 27 shots he faced.  The Wildcats (21-4-1) will advance to face BNC rival Gaylord in the Regional Semi-Finals on Thursday night at 8pm.

TRAVERSE CITY, MI - The Alpena Hockey team ended the regular season the way it started it, which a shut-out, as the Wildcats defeated Traverse City West 3-0 on Wednesday night at Howe Arena.  The opening period saw the Wildcats have over nine minutes of Power Play time but could not solve Titan netminder Tyler Herzberg.  After a scoreless opening period, the Wildcats got on the board early in the 2nd when Colby Plowman found the back of the net for his 18th goal of the season.  Alpena took a two goal lead later in the period when Kyle VanDusen converted a pretty tick-tack-toe play from Plowman and Brett Ciupka.  Kyle VanDusen ended the scoring late in the 3rd period when he flicked the puck the length of the ice into the open Titan net to put the game away.  Alpena (20-4-1, 9-1-0 BNC) open up postseason play on February 25 when they take on Sault Ste. Marie in Gaylord at 6pm.

ALPENA, MI - The Alpena Hockey team wrapped up its first Conference Championship since 2005 with a 5-0 victory over Traverse City Central on Saturday afternoon.  Alpena took the lead with under six minutes left in the 1st Period when Colby Plowman went in alone and beat Grant Neuhardt high for the shorthanded goal.  The 2nd period would be the difference as Alpena got scored four times to take a commanding lead into the final period.  While on the Power Play, Owen Limback fired a point shot that bounced off of Neuhardt's mask and trickled into the net just twenty-seven seconds into the period.  A few minutes later, the Wildcats were back on the Power Play when Plowman skated the puck out the corner and fired a perfect pass to a wide-open Kyle VanDusen who buried the puck for a 3-0 lead.  Keegan Mathews was at the right place when a Alex Cosbitt shot landed right at his feet and Mathews tipped it home for the third goal of the period.  VanDusen finished the scoring when he scored another shorthanded goal with 5:05 left to play.  Alpena (19-4-1, 8-1-0 BNC) wrap-up the regular season at Traverse City West on Wednesday night.

ALPENA, MI - The Alpena Hockey team finally finished a suspended game with Gaylord due to ice conditions from January 18 on Monday night at Northern Lights Arena.  The game picked back up with Alpena leading 3-1 with 8:30 left to play in the 2nd Period.  When the game was started, the Wildcats got a goal from Keegan Mathews and two Kyle VanDusen before the game was suspended due to melting ice.  The Wildcats added to their lead late in the period when Alex Cosbitt broke in alone on Caleb Pettis and poked home his own rebound after the intial save to give Alpena the 4-1 lead. Gaylord cut into the lead early in the 3rd when Sean Jardine beat Cooper Black with a wrist shot from the slot area with 14:24 to play.  With the Wildcats leading 4-2 late in the game, the Blue Devils pulled Pettis after taking a timeout with the face-off deep in Alpena's defensive zone.  Colby Plowman skated the puck out of the zone, flipped the puck down the ice to a streaking VanDusen, who caught the pass, dropped the puck, and slide it into the empty net to seal the victory.  Alpena (17-4-1, 6-1-0 BNC) now have a three-point lead in the Big North Conference with three games left to play.  The Wildcats host Cadillac on February 15 at 7pm and Traverse City Central on February 16 at 1pm, and then travel to Traverse City West on February 22 to wrap-up the regular season.

ALPENA, MI - The Alpena Hockey team took a big step towards their first conference championship in school history with a 5-2 victory over Traverse City West on Saturday night.  The Wildcats got a huge night from Senior Colby Plowman as he scored four goals and had an assist in the key Big North Victory.  The game was also the annual Purple Game for Alpena as Deana Stevens, mother of assistant coach Ian and Wildcat Sean, dropped the ceremonial puck in honor of her heroic battle with cancer.  The Wildcats took advantage of an early Power Play opportunity when just ten seconds into the man advantage Plowman skated the puck out of the corner uncontested to the net and beat Max Grisby five-hole to give Alpena the 1-0 lead.  The Wildcats would make it 2-0 when Plowman poked a loose puck through a goalmouth scrum for his second goal of the game.  The majority of the 2nd Period belonged to the Titans as Andrew Rickenberg would get West on the board with about 2-minutes left in the period.  With 28 seconds left in the period, Caleb Barsheff tipped a point shot past Cooper Black to tie the game at two.  Plowman made sure that the tie didn't last long as he took the face-off into the Titans zone and beat Grisby glove side just seven seconds after the tying goal to give the Wildcats a 3-2 lead after two.  Alpena would reclaim a two-goal lead when Plowman poked a loose puck past a Titan defender to a wide-open Brett Ciupka who cut across the crease and put the puck home on the backhand.  Plowman scored his fourth of the night as he outraced the Titans to slide the puck into the empty net to finish the game off.  Alpena (16-4-1, 5-1-0 BNC) sit alone in 1st place in the Big North Conference by one point over Petoskey and will finish their January 18 game with Gaylord on Monday night.

TRENTON, MI - The #9 Alpena Hockey team got a late third-period goal to knock-off #14 Grand Rapids Catholic Central, 2-1, to complete a perfect weekend at the MIHL Showcase.  The Cougars got off to a quick start as they had the first nine shots on goal in the opening period and carried the play to the Wildcats.  Alpena would make their first shot on goal count as Charlie Halleck dug the puck out of the corner and found a wide-open Blaise Keller for his first goal of the season.  The Cougars would get the first five extra-man opportunities of the game to carry most of the play in the 2nd period.  Midway through the period Case Balk re-directed a Hogan Wierda point shot past Cooper Black on the Power Play to tie the game at 1-1.  The two teams would battle a tie checking game into the third period as both goaltenders kept the game deadlocked.  Seven minutes into the third period, Colby Plowman broke loose on the penalty kill and would be awarded a penalty shot after being hooked to the ice.  Plowman skated the puck to the top of the face-off circle to take the Cougar goaltender to his right but the backhander went wide of the net to keep the game at 1-1.  With a little over 4:00 to play in the game the Wildcats took the lead on a Kyle VanDusen goal after he stole the puck from the skates of a Cougar defender and buried the puck for his 4th goal of the weekend.  In the closing seconds of the game and with their goalie pulled the Cougars would put tremendous pressure on the Wildcats as Black had to make several key stops, including two in the final three seconds to secure the victory.  Cooper Black made 30 stops for his 14th win of the season.  Black now has a 0.82 GAA and a save percentage of .967.  Alpena (15-4-1, 4-1-1 BNC) will host Traverse City West on Friday night in their annual Purple Game at Northern Lights Arena.

TRENTON, MI - The Alpena Hockey team used timely goal scoring and stellar goaltending to knock-off #8 Flint Powers, 3-1, at the MIHL Showcase on Friday morning.  Flint Powers jumped out early when Tyler Lawrence tucked home a rebound just 2:35 into the game.  Alpena responded when Kyle VanDusen buried a wrist shot from the slot for his 16th goal of the season.  VanDusen scored his second of the game when he took the face-off and beat Brent Zloto five-hole with 7:55 in the 2nd.  Four minutes later, VanDusen completed the natural hat trick off a feed from Evan Kraenzlein.  Cooper Black made the lead stick as he made 31 saves for his 12th win of the season.  Alpena (14-4-1) will take on #14 Grand Rapids Catholic Central (11-7-1) on Saturday afternoon.

ALPENA, MI - The Alpena Hockey team got two third period goals to earn a critical Big North Conference victory over Petoskey, 2-0, on Saturday afternoon.  The Wildcats entered Saturday's contest looking up at Petoskey in the BNC standings by three points.  The two teams played a defensive, tight checking game through the first two periods.  Controversy was the theme for the early part of the game as Alpena appeared to score the go-ahead goal with 6:50 remaining in the opening period.  The goal was waved off and we continued to play a scoreless duel.  The Wildcats finally got on the board just 0:12 into the third period when Charlie Halleck tipped home an Owen Limback point shot to take a 1-0 lead on the Power Play goal.  The Northmen carried most of the play late in the period as Cooper Black kept Petoskey off the score sheet.  The biggest play of the night came when Anthony Berg cleared away a Northmen shot that was heading towards the goal line late in the third period as Petoskey had pulled their goalie for the extra attacker.  Colby Plowman put the game away a few moments later with an empty-net goal for his 12th goal of the season.  Black made 24 saves to record his 7th shutout of the season, which sets a new school record for shutouts in a season.  Black leads the state with a .964 save percentage and is third in the state with a 0.86 Goals Against Average,  Alpena has now won 9 straight over the Northmen dating back to the 2014-2015 season.  Alpena (13-4-1, 4-1-0 BNC) will travel to the MIHL Showcase in Trenton where they will play #7 Flint Powers on Friday at 9:30am and #13 Grand Rapids Catholic Central on Saturday at 10:40am.

ALPENA, MI - The Alpena hockey team got four third period goals to bust open a close game in a 5-1 win over the Sault Ste Marie Blue Devils on Saturday afternoon.  Alpena got on the board first when Colby Plowman found Kyle VanDusen wide open at the top of the face-off circle and VanDusen buried a wrist shot glove side high to make it 1-0.  The Blue Devils tied the game about three minutes into the 2nd period when Keldon Casey beat Cooper Black low glove side.  Alpena used special teams play to grab momentum in the final period but scoring two power play goals and two shorthanded goals.  With the Wildcats down a man, Owen Limback skated the puck into the Blue Devil zone down the right wing side and blasted a wrist shot that deflected off the glove hand off Blue Devil goaltender Logan Raffaele into the net.  Later in the period, Alpena converted a Power Play opportunity when Alex Cosbitt as able to poke a loose puck home during a goalmouth scramble to take a 3-1 lead.  The lead expanded to three when Cosbitt netted his second of the night when he blasted a shot into the Blue Devil zone from just outside the blue line while shorthanded that somehow beat Raffaele.  About two minutes later, while on another Power Play Evan Kraenzlein tipped home an Owen Limback point blast to give the Wildcats the 5-1 lead.  Cooper Black made 34 saves to earn his 11th victory of the season, while VanDusen scored his 17th goal of the season (counting the two from Friday's suspended game).  The Wildcats (12-4-1, 3-1-0 BNC) travel to TC West next Friday night and host Petoskey next Saturday.

TRAVERSE CITY, MI - The Alpena Hockey team had numerous offensive chances but could not find the back of the net in a 1-0 loss to Division II #11 Marquette in the North/South Showcase in Traverse City on Friday.  After a scoreless first period, the Redmen scored the only goal of the game when Sean O’Connor was able to slide a rebound past Cooper Black.  Marquette's Brennan Hakkola would make the lead stand as he made several key stops late in the game, including one through a crowd on Owen Limback as Alpena had the extra attacker.  The Wildcats (11-4-1, 3-1-0 BNC) return home next weekend as they host Gaylord on Friday night and Sault Ste. Marie on Saturday afternoon.  Gaylord defeated Alpena, 4-1, back on December 29.

ALPENA, MI - The Alpena hockey team got three goals in the second period and two more in the third period to pull away from the Grand Rapids Christian Eagles, 5-2, on Thursday night at the Rick Deneweth Memorial North/South Showcase in Traverse City.  The Eagles jumped out to an early lead when Kavanaugh Kane knocked home a rebound past Cooper Black to give them a 1-0 lead.  Alpena pulled even when Colby Plowman tipped an Owen Limback point shot into the Eagle's net just 28 seconds into the second period.  The Wildcats took the lead for good a few minutes later when Plowman found a wide-open Kyle VanDusen for the one-timer to give Alpena the 2-1 lead.  Alpena extended their lead late in the period when Charlie Halleck scored his first goal of the season off another assist from Plowman.  Grand Rapids Christian got back into the game when Jordan Koetje got loose in the slot and buried a perfect pass past Black to draw the Eagles to within a goal.  The game changed when the Eagles were assessed a five-minute major penalty after Colby Plowman was slammed into the boards.  Alpena took advantage of the Power Play when VanDusen scored his team-leading 15th goal of the season just ten seconds into the major penalty.  Grand Rapids Christian was assessed another five-minute major later in the period to give the Wildcats a two-man advantage.  Owen Limback, who had missed six games earlier in the season due to injury, scored his first goal of the season with 1:29 left in the game.  Alpena (11-2-1) will take on #13 Marquette in day two of the Rick Deneweth Memorial North/South Showcase on Friday at 11:30 am.

SAULT STE. MARIE, MI - The Alpena Hockey team gave up three second period goals in a 6-1 loss to Number 12 Midland Dow in the Lions Club Cup Championship Game in Sault Ste. Marie on Saturday.  The Wildcats started the game strong by taking a 1-0 lead early in the 1st Period when Colby Plowman converted a 5-on-3 Power Play.  The Chargers then took over the game, tying the game when John Wagner tipped home a point shot past Jimmy Bolanowski.  Midland Dow scored three goals in the second period when Lucas Churchfield, Joey Johnson, and Alec Newton all found the back of the net to give the Chargers a 4-1 lead.  Midland Dow netted two more goals in the final period with Luke Blasey scoring twice.  The Chargers outshot the Wildcats 30-12 in the game, with Bolanowski making 24 stops.  Alpena (10-3-1, 3-1-0 BNC) will play in the Traverse City Showcase this weekend against Grand Rapids Christian on Friday (7:30pm) and Marquette on Saturday (11:30am).

SAULT STE. MARIE, MI - The Alpena hockey team got outstanding goaltending and timely scoring in a 2-0 victory over Division 2 #5 ranked Plymouth at the Sault Big Bear Arena on Friday night.  The Wildcats, coming off a 4-1 upset last weekend at Gaylord, saw two key players return to the lineup from injuries in a big-time bounce-back defensive performance.  After a scoreless opening period, the Wildcats found themselves down two men midway through the 2nd period.  Cooper Black made several key stops and the Alpena penalty killers avoided giving up a goal.  Alpena got on the board first early in the 3rd period when Alex Cosbitt and Kyle VanDusen set-up Colby Plowman perfectly to find the back of the net.  A few minutes later, VanDusen made a Gretzky like move on the Plymouth defender and buried the puck to give the Wildcats a commanding 2-0 lead.  The win was Black's sixth shutout of the season and his ninth win.  Alpena (10-2-1, 3-1-0 BNC) will take on #12 Midland Dow at 1pm on Saturday.

GAYLORD, MI - The Alpena Hockey team struggled to get going offensively and could not dig out of an early hole in a 4-1 loss to Gaylord on Saturday night at the Ostego Sportsplex.  Gaylord quickly jumped on the Wildcats with early 1st period goals from Jon Allen and Peter Pawlanta.  Kyle VanDusen drew the Wildcats close late in the opening period after converting a Blue Devil turnover.  After a scoreless second period, Gaylord regained a two-goal lead just 1:04 into the third when Colton Hurst beat Cooper Black.  Jon Allen would add an empty-netter late to complete the upset.  Alpena (9-2-1, 3-1-0 BNC) will head to Sault Ste. Marie next weekend with a pair of Showcase games with Division 2 #5 ranked Plymouth (9-3-0) on Friday night at 6pm and Division 3 #12 ranked Midland Dow (6-3-0) on Saturday afternoon at 1pm.

ALPENA, MI - The Alpena Hockey team remained perfect in the Big North Conference with three 3rd Period goals in route to the 4-1 win over Traverse City Central at Howe Arena on Friday night.  Alpena jumped out front first when Kyle VanDusen slid a nifty backhander five-hole to give the Wildcats the 1-0 lead.  Ethan VanderRoest tied the game in the 2nd when he fired a power-play goal past Cooper Black.  The final period belonged to the Wildcats as VanDusen and Alex Cosbitt scored within forty-five seconds of each other to give Alpena a 3-1 lead.  VanDusen would score his third of the night late in the 3rd Period to bury the Trojans.  Black stopped 29 of 30 Trojan shots for his 8th win of the season.  This is the first victory for the Wildcats in Traverse City since a 2-1 win over West in December of 2013.  Alpena (9-1-1, 3-0-0 BNC) will travel to Gaylord on December 29.

GAYLORD, MI - The Alpena Hockey team got two goals within 40-seconds in the 2nd Period and skated past the FNV Griffins, 5-2, on Saturday afternoon at the Division 3 Showcase in Gaylord.  Alpena got on the board midway through the 1st when Keegan Matthews tipped home a Blaise Keller shot to score his first goal of the year.  The Griffins tied the game late in the first period to force a 1-1 tie into the 1st intermission.  The Wildcats would score two goals in forty seconds late in the second period as Kyle VanDusen and Alex Cosbitt would both find the back of the net.  Early in the 3rd Period, the Griffins would close the gap to 3-2 with 13:28 left in the game.  Alpena got goals from Colby Plowman and Austin Ritter in the 3rd Period to close out the Griffins.  Collin Lightfoot made his first career start for the Wildcats in Goal and would earn his first win of the season.  Alpena (8-1-1, 2-0-0 BNC) will return to BNC play at Traverse City Central on December 21.

GAYLORD, MI - The Alpena Hockey team got a last-second goal to force a 1-1 tie with the Detroit Country Day Jackets at the Division 3 Showcase in Gaylord.  Trailing 1-0 in the final seconds, Anthony Berg spun and threw a loose puck into the slot area where Kyle VanDusen fired a one-timer past Sam Evola with 0:00.7 left to tie the game.  Evola, the defending Mr. Hockey, had no chance to stop the blast from VanDusen as he beat him high glove side.  The two teams played the first two periods to a scoreless draw as Evola and Cooper Black dueled in one of the premier goalie battles in the state.  With 7:21 left in the game Country Day's Joshua Rice tipped a Max Schilling shot past Black to give the Jackets the 1-0 lead.  The tie snapped a 27-game winning streak for Country Day that had won the 2018 Division 3 State Championship.  Black made 23 saves in the game as he went toe-to-toe with the best hockey player in the state of Michigan from last season.  Alpena (7-1-1, 2-0-0 BNC) will take on the FNV Griffins on Saturday afternoon in day two of the Division 3 Showcase.

ALPENA, MI - The Alpena Hockey team gave up three goals during a five minute major late in the 2nd Period and lost their first game of the season, 6-0, to Macomb Dakota on Saturday afternoon at Northern Lights Arena.  Alpena and the Cougars played a tight-checking, defensive game throughout the first half of the game.  Matt Thompson was assessed a five minute major for Boarding, allowing the powerful Cougar offense to go to work.  Ryan Bookout, Kyle LeDuc, and Nick Bumbalough all scored for the Cougars in the 2nd Period.  Macomb Dakota continued to pour it on in the third when they added three more goals.  Alpena struggled to get anything offensively, managing only 11 shots on goal to Macomb's 29.  Jimmy Bolanowski made 23 saves before being replaced by Collin LIghtfoot in the 3rd.  Alpena (7-1-0, 2-0-0 BNC) are at the Division 3 Showcase next weekend in Gaylord.

ALPENA, MI - The Alpena Hockey Team scored with 1:16 left in overtime to defeat #10 Macomb Dakota 2-1 on Friday night at Northern Lights Arena. Alpena took the lead when an Alex Cosbitt shot trickled through the Cougar netminder five-hole with 5:53 left in the 2nd Period. The assists went to Anthony Berg and Colby Plowman. The Cougars dominated the third period but could not find the back of the net as the seconds ticked down. Colby Plowman attempted to put the game away with an empty netter but his backhand attempt was knocked away by a diving Cougar defender. A few moments later Macomb Dakota tied the game on bad angle shot with 0:56 to play. In the overtime, Alex Cosbitt tipped an Anthony Berg shot past the Cougar goaltender to ignite a capacity crowd with the game winner with 1:16 left. Cooper Black won his 7th game of the year with 21 saves. Alpena (7-0-0, 2-0-0 BNC) hosts the Cougars on Saturday at 1pm. 

PETOSKEY, MI - The Alpena Wildcats Hockey team won their sixth straight game to open the season with a 4-2 win over Petoskey on Saturday afternoon at the Griffin Arena.  Petoskey got on the board first when Derek Hibner beat Cooper Black for the first goal allowed by the Wildcats all season.  Hibner's goal broke a scoreless streak of 258:25 by Black to start the season.  The Wildcats rallied late in the period when they scored two goals in the final minute of play.  Alex Cosbitt scored on the power play with 1:22 left in the period to tie the game.  Colby Plowman scored a few seconds later off of a perfect pass from Kyle VanDusen to give the Wildcats a 2-1 lead.  That lead stayed the same until late in the 2nd Period when Plowman got his second of the game on a shorthanded breakaway that he beat the Northmen goaltender five-hole to extend the lead to 3-1.  Early into the 3rd, the Northmen got back into the game when Andrew VanAntwerp beat Black to cut the lead to 3-2.  The Northmen had several quality chances to tie the game until the Wildcats put the game away with Plowman's third goal of the afternoon on an empty net goal.  Alpena (6-0-0, 2-0-0 BNC) host #10 Macomb Dakota on Friday night (7:00pm) and Saturday afternoon (1:00pm) at Northern Lights Arena.  Alpena defeated Macomb Dakota 4-1 last season.

CADILLAC, MI - The Alpena Hockey team continued it dominating defensive effort with a Big North Conference opening shutout over Cadillac, 4-0, at the Wexford County Ice Arena on Friday night.  The Wildcats struck quickly when Colby Plowman buried a rebound off of a Sean Stevens shot just 26 seconds into the game.  Alpena controlled the play for most of the opening period but was unable to add to their lead.  In the second period, Alpena found themselves killing off a five-minute major when Kyle VanDusen was assessed the major penalty.  The Wildcats killed off the power play, thanks to a strong defensive effort led by Owen Limback who spent the entire five-minutes on the ice.  The Wildcats added to their lead when Plowman found Kyle VanDusen with a perfect pass for a 2-0 Wildcat lead.  The goal was VanDusen's team-leading 5th on the season.  Freshman Matt Thompson added to the Wildcat lead in the 3rd Period when he was set up by VanDusen to give Alpena a commanding 3-0 lead.  Alex Cosbitt put the finishing touch on the game with an empty-netter with 1:56 left to play.  Cooper Black recorded his 5th straight shutout on the season.  Alpena (5-0-0, 1-0-0 BNC) travel to Petoskey on Saturday afternoon.

ALPENA, MI - The Alpena Hockey team continued their dominating defensive play in a 2-0 shutout victory over the Gabriel Richard Pioneers on Saturday morning at Northern Lights Arena.  After a scoreless 1st Period, the Wildcats got on the board when Kyle VanDusen picked the top corner from the right faceoff corner off a feed from Kolby Plowman.  The third period saw an increase in physical play from both teams that culminated in a scrum to the right of Cooper Black.  Both teams had a player ejected for fighting and a game disqualification.  The one goal lead held until a tough shift for the Wildcats paid off when Brett Ciupka was credited with a goal that bounced off of a Pioneer player and into the net.  Cooper Black recorded his fourth straight shutout in making 17 saves for the Wildcats.  Alpena (4-0-0) open up Big North Conference play next Friday night when the Wildcats travel to Cadillac.

ALPENA, MI - The Alpena Wildcat Hockey Team opened up the home portion of their season with a 2-0 victory over Grosse Pointe North on Friday night at Northern Lights Arena.  The Wildcats broke a scoreless tie in the 2nd Period when Kolby Plowman recorded his 3rd goal of the year with just over 2-minutes left.  Just a few minutes later, the Wildcats added an insurance goal when Kyle VanDusen scored a shorthanded goal to give Alpena a 2-0 lead.  Cooper Black had 11 saves in recording his third straight shutout.  Blaise Keller, Alex Cosbitt, and VanDusen each had an assist for the Wildcats.  Alpena (3-0-0) will host Gabriel Richard at 11:00am on Saturday at Northern Lights Arena.

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BLOOMFIELD HILLS, MI - The Alpena Hockey team capped off a successful opening weekend by blanking the Lake Orion Dragons, 4-0, on Saturday afternoon at the Detroit Skating Club.  The two teams played the majority of the opening period to a scoreless draw until Colby Plowman and Matt Thompson scored in the final 90 seconds.  Cooper Black made several key stops to keep the Alpena lead at 2-0 entering the final period.  In the third period, the Wildcats got a pair of goals from Kyle VanDussen and Sean Stevens to finish off the Dragons.  Alpena (2-0-0) host the Huron Shores Invitational next weekend with games against Gabriel Richard (7:00pm Friday) and Grosse Pointe North (2:00pm Saturday).

ROCHESTER HILLS, MI - The Alpena Wildcats Hockey team opened the 2018-2019 season with a 2-0 win over Rochester Stoney Creek on Friday night at the Onyx Arena.  Kyle VanDussen got the Wildcats on the board in the 1st Period on the Power Play, with an assist to Colby Plowman.  Cooper Black made several key saves in the early moments of the game to keep Alpena in the lead.  The one goal lead stuck until Matt Thompson won a puck battle and found Colby Plowman who put the puck past Ben Rupprecht with under 13-minutes to play.  Black and the Wildcat defense held off the Cougar rally to preserve the 2-0 shutout.  The Wildcats (1-0-0) wrap-up the season-opening road trip on Saturday against Lake Orion.