News Photo by James Andersen Alpena High hockey coach Ben Henry, far left, directs his players during practice in January at Northern Lights Arena.

ALPENA — There’s quite the buzz around the Alpena High School hockey team these days.

In a town with a rich hockey history like Alpena, fans love supporting a winner, and the Wildcats have done a lot of winning this season.

Alpena (14-2) is currently in the middle of a 10-game winning streak that stretches back to Dec. 10. After opening the season with four wins, the Wildcats’ only two losses came during the first weekend in December.

They’ve been perfect ever since, and they’ll aim to push it to 11 wins when they host Petoskey on Friday.

“It’s been a blast, obviously,” Alpena coach Ben Henry said. “Winning is always fun, right? No one likes to lose, but (winning) has become like an addiction to these kids now.”

The Wildcats’ win streak has put them among the state’s best. As of Monday, the Wildcats were ranked second in Division 2 and fifth in the state’s Super 10 list.

Alpena has proven to be a tough matchup during its 10-game run, outscoring opponents 52-6 and posting five shutouts.

Along the way, the Wildcats have collected wins over four ranked teams, including a showcase last weekend when they defeated Flint Powers (No. 2 in Division 3) and Saginaw Heritage (No. 5 in Division 2).

“Now, they go into a game and they can’t do anything besides win,” Henry said. “They see red and they want to keep putting the puck in the net. They work so hard, and we’re not taking it slow, now.”

With a core of more than a dozen players returning from a regional championship team, expectations have been understandably high since the beginning of the season.

Alpena has coupled experience with balance on the ice during its run. Three players — Harrison Kaszubowski, Anden Marceau, and Reid Meinhardt — all have more than 30 points on the season and six different players have at least five goals. Alpena’s experienced defense — including veterans Jack Steinke, Brody Thompson, and Trent Fraser — has held opponents in check.

Goaltenders Aidan Schultz and Jon Rensberry have combined for five shutouts during the streak.

So far, the Wildcats have proven to be every bit as good as expected, with a seasoned group that’s ready to lead the program to its first Final Four appearance since 2007.

Alpena has gotten close in the last several years, making the quarterfinals in 2019 and 2021, in addition to last year.

The 2018-19 team that made the quarterfinals won 23 games before losing in the quarterfinals. This season’s Alpena team has a chance to better that mark and aims to advance further after getting a taste of playoff success in Henry’s first year at the helm last season.

“They know what’s expected … It takes a lot off my plate when I have leadership returning and all those guys in the locker room,” Henry said. “They know how hard it is to win in the playoffs and they want to go beyond the quarterfinal.”

Time will tell how successful the Wildcats are this season, but, for now, they’re enjoying the wins and the support that seems to be growing with each victory.

That’s especially true of younger hockey players. Henry said during Monday’s practice this week about a dozen younger players came to watch practice and he’s heard from many who hope to play for the Wildcats one day.

“The more the high school team wins, the more kids want to play hockey, which is great,” Henry said. “We’ve got a huge fanbase and we’re beating teams we haven’t beaten in a long time.

“It’s been fun working with these kids, and it’s been fun for the kids coming up,” he said. “Now, when I talk to them, all they say is, ‘I want to be a Wildcat.’ It’s cool to hear that and it’s cool that our kids are super kind to the young ones.”