Sophomore Harrison Kaszubowski scored on a shorthanded breakaway with just under eight minutes left and the Wildcats hung on for a 3-2 victory over Traverse City Central on Friday at Northern Lights Arena.

The win makes Alpena (22-3, 10-0 Big North Conference) the outright Big North Conference champion and marks the first time since the 2004-05 season the Wildcats have gone undefeated in conference play.

The title is Alpena’s first conference crown since the 2018-19 season.

Sophomore Reid Meinhardt and senior Cam Young added single tallies for the Wildcats, who held a 3-1 lead with just under eight minutes left, but had to kill off several penalties in the game’s waning minutes.

News Photo by James Andersen Alpena senior Jaden Marchlewski, right, pursues Central’s Elliot Vander Roest during the opening period.

Central made it 3-2 on a goal from Koen Burkholder — his second of the night — with 7:04 to go, but Alpena held on for its fourth straight win.

Meinhardt got Alpena on the board first, scoring on the power play with 0.1 seconds left in the first period during an offensive flurry in front of Central’s net.

The Trojans took a pair of penalties late in the opening frame, allowing Alpena to cash in. Anden Marceau assisted on Meinhardt’s goal.

Burkholder tied the game early in the second period, skating past a pair of Alpena defenders to beat Alpena goaltender Aidan Schultz over the shoulder.

Young scored with 6:28 left in the second period during another offensive flurry in front of Central goaltender Brady Faille that saw the puck eventually poke through for the eventual game-winner.

Before the game, Alpena honored 10 seniors — Aidan Schultz, Marceau, Young, Jack Steinke, Ian Lightfoot, Trent Fraser, Easton Schultz, Jaden Marchlewski, Brody Thompson, and James Kuhl.

Alpena plays Central again next week in a Division 2 regional semifinal in Alpena.

With Friday’s win, the Wildcats are just one victory from matching the program record for single-season wins. Alpena won 23 games during the 1980-81, 1981-82, 1983-84 and 2018-19 seasons.