Alpena thought it had struck first just seconds into the match when Owen Kaiser found the back of the net with 39:26 left in the first half. However, the goal was waved off due to an offsides call.

The Wildcats regrouped and officially broke through when Joe LaCross scored with 15:25 left in the first half, giving Alpena a 1-0 lead. Gaylord answered back with 7:23 remaining in the half, sending both teams into the break tied 1-1.

LaCross wasn’t finished. Just minutes into the second half, he scored again with 33:47 remaining, putting Alpena back on top, 2-1. But Gaylord responded quickly, tying the game at 2-2 with 31:17 left on the clock.

With just over 11 minutes to play, the game was paused for an official timeout after an injury on the field. Alpena’s Mason Burns was helped off the field for what appeared to be a torso injury. Once play resumed, Gaylord capitalized, scoring the go-ahead goal with 10 minutes left. Alpena pushed for an equalizer but couldn’t find the net again, falling 3-2.

News Photo by Leslianne Johns The Alpena Wildcats huddle up before Thursday's game against Gaylord at Wildcat Stadium.

LaCross led Alpena with both goals, while Kaiser created offensive pressure early. Despite the loss, the Wildcats showed grit in the back-and-forth contest.

The Wildcats will look to bounce back on Monday when they travel to face Cadillac at 6:30 p.m.