ALPENA – The Alpena Wildcat hockey team is off to another solid start this season and hopes are high that the team can make another long playoff run when the regular season ends.

The Wildcats fell to 12-5 overall after a tough loss against number one ranked Howell 5-4 on Friday, but head coach Ben Henry said he is confident the team can bounce back and continue to pile up wins.

Henry said the schedule so far has been challenging, which makes the good start even more impressive. He said the team and coaching staff will continue to work to improve so the balance of the season can be as successful as the season is so far.

“We are off to a great start, playing a lot of top teams. I don’t have a lot of surprises,” Henry said. ” I know my team pretty well. I will say we work very hard and no matter the score we keep working. There is no letting up or giving up with these Wildcats.”

Henry said more focus needs to be placed on improving on the team’s power play execution and to play a more complete game every time they hit the ice.

“We need to get our power play working. We have a lot of high-end talent and just can’t get the power play working. We need to score more goals when we are a man up,” he said. “We have been fast and all over the ice in a good way, but we just need to find a way to play the whole game that way. It is a hard thing to do, but to play with all these top teams, it’s what we have to do.”

The Wildcats have been able to put up points in a hurry this season and. Henry said he has a good blend of experience and youth contributing.

“Gavin Winterstein has been a great, big, strong, fast kid that carries the play well. Clark Weir, Trevor Worth, Owen VanDusen, this line has been huge for us too,” he said. “They score goals, keep pucks out of our net, work very hard, and work very well together. Beckham Winterstein is our only freshman and has been a great young player stepping into this team and putting up points has been great to see. Our starting goalie, Parker Schult, has been amazing keeping us in games, battling, and always with a mindset to win games.”

Alpena has a reputation for good hockey and long playoff runs are not uncommon. Henry said there is pressure on the team and coaches, but he believes that makes everyone work harder and be more committed to achieving success.

“I always want to play high-end teams and make it as far as we can. Going to the final four last year for the first time since 2006 was a step in the right direction,” Henry said. ” We have won four regionals in a row and now we are looking for five. Our goal each year is close to the same. Work hard on and off the ice, win games, make a run in the playoffs, and to move players on to juniors or college. It’s always pressure with Alpena hockey. We have been good over the years, but the goal is to be better than good. We want to be great.”