The game, which ended in the second period due to the mercy rule, was marked by a series of early goals and strong offensive play from the Wildcats.

Alpena wasted no time setting the tone.

Just two minutes into the game, Brody Misiak opened the scoring with an assist from Ethan Walker. Less than two minutes later, Clark Weir added another for Alpena, assisted by Trey Adrian.

Coach Ben Henry said, “Just playing fast, moving the puck fast and going to the net, going to those hard areas, and getting shots through with a lot of traffic in front” was key to the team’s early success.

News Photo by Leslianne Johns Alpena hockey captain Garrett Hamp moves the puck up the ice before scoring his second goal of the game on Wednesday in Alpena. The Wildcats defeated the Gaylord Blue Devils 9-0 in the second period.

The fast-paced offense continued, with Trevor Worth scoring at the five-minute mark, assisted by Garrett Hamp. Shortly after, Weir scored once again, bringing the score to 4-0.

Henry noted that after the early goals, his team stuck to the plan.

“Just keep it simple in our defensive zone,” he said. “Moving pucks quickly and cleanly, supporting the puck well in all zones. Offensively, just keep doing what we’re doing, keep going to the net, and keep throwing pucks on that with high traffic there.”

The second period started with a roughing penalty on Misiak, followed by a tripping penalty on Joe Lacross.

Despite these setbacks, the Wildcats’ offense remained relentless.

News Photo by Leslianne Johns Gavin Winterstein chases after the puck moments before scoring the sixth goal of the gam ein the second period on Wednesday. Alpena defeated Gaylord at home 9-0.

Garrett Hamp scored just four minutes into the period, assisted by Adrian.

“We try not to worry about the scoreboard,” Henry said. “Just keep playing every shift as a new one and keep that mentality. We try not to look at the scoreboard too much.”

Seconds later, Gavin Winterstein added a goal with help from Walker, pushing the score to 6-0.

Weir completed his hat trick with nine minutes left in the period, while Hamp scored his second goal shortly after, assisted by Winterstein.

The final goal of the game came from Trey Adrian, who scored with four minutes remaining, assisted by Misiak.

As the game concluded with the mercy rule, Henry emphasized what the team could take away from such a dominant performance.

“That we can score goals,” he said. “Nine goals in the first game is nice. And then also our pace of play; We’re a fast team. We’re not the biggest, but we’ve got a lot of speed up front. Defensively, as long as we play simple and keep teams on the outside, we’ll be just fine.”

The Wildcats will look to carry this momentum into their upcoming games against Saginaw Heritage and Romeo this weekend.