The Wildcats showed both offensive punch and defensive grit, opening the tournament with a statement win before grinding out a narrow victory to secure their place in the final.

Alpena began the tournament with a dominant 5-0 win over Tawas. Owen Kaiser put the Wildcats on the board with 7:04 left in the first half, sending Alpena into the break with a 1-0 lead. Kaiser wasted no time in the second half, scoring again to double the advantage. From there, the Wildcats’ attack rolled. With 13:43 left, Jackson Birmingham added a goal off a pass from Kaiser, and less than three minutes later the two linked up again–this time with Kaiser finishing on a pass from Birmingham to complete his hat trick. Reece Dragiewicz closed out the scoring with 9:19 remaining, securing a commanding shutout victory.

The Wildcats’ second match against Armada proved to be a much tighter contest, but Alpena held on for a 2-1 win. Late in the first half, Parker Kaiser buried a penalty kick to break the scoreless tie, and with just over two minutes remaining in regulation, Joe LaCross extended the lead to 2-0. Armada clawed one back in the final minute, but Alpena’s defense held strong to seal the win. The game featured plenty of drama, as Owen Kaiser saw a penalty kick stopped at the 10:53 mark before receiving a yellow card for sliding into the Armada goalkeeper.

With two wins behind them, Alpena advanced to the championship match against Saginaw Heritage, a team that proved to be the class of the tournament. Heritage struck late in the first half to take a 1-0 lead into halftime, then doubled their advantage midway through the second on a penalty kick. Another goal with just under 20 minutes remaining put the game out of reach, and Alpena fell 3-0 in the title match.

Saginaw Heritage claimed first place, while Alpena’s runner-up finish came ahead of Freeland, Armada, Tawas, and Sault Ste. Marie. Other tournament highlights included Freeland’s 8-0 win over Sault Ste. Marie, Heritage’s 4-0 victory against Armada, and Tawas’ 3-1 triumph over Sault.

Though the Wildcats fell just short of the trophy, their second-place finish underscored a promising start to their tournament play. The connection between Owen Kaiser and Jackson Birmingham fueled a high-powered offense, while timely goals from Parker Kaiser, Joe LaCross, and Reecd Dragiewicz showed Alpena’s depth.

Alpena will return to the pitch on Tuesday when they host Sault Ste. Marie at 6:30 p.m. in Alpena.