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ALPENA – Sam Bastow scored twice and Alpena rolled to a 5-0 homecoming victory over Sault Ste. Marie on Thursday, completing the shutout before halftime.
Bastow opened the scoring with a header off a pass from Joe LaCross, then converted a penalty kick. Jackson Birmingham followed with another penalty-kick goal. Parker Kaiser and LaCross added first-half scores to make it 5-0 at the break.
Alpena generated more chances after halftime, but Sault Ste. Marie tightened its defense and kept the Wildcats off the scoreboard the rest of the way.
"I thought we played well in the first half," Alpena coach Ken Dragiewicz said. "We started quickly with good passing and finishing."
LaCross finished with a goal and two assists. Mason Burns had one assist. Goalkeepers Jayden Crandall and Josh LaCross combined for the shutout.
Dragiewicz said the visitors deserved credit for the second-half adjustment.
"Give credit to The Sault," he said. "They made some defensive halftime adjustments, and it was a competitive game."
Alpena's back line allowed no shots on goal.
"I thought our defensive line played well maintaining possession and keeping the ball in our offensive zone," Dragiewicz said. "Our defense is anchored by senior Reed Leeck, and the rest of the defensive rotation of Reece Dragiewicz, Bryson Collegnon, Marqus Parker, Brady Kadrich, Sam Bastow and Preston Barthal all played a great game."