Wildcats Close Christmas Showcase with a Loss to Utica Eisenhower

ALPENA, MI – The Alpena Wildcats took on the Utica Eisenhower Eagles in the finale of their annual Christmas Showcase on Thursday at Northern Lights Arena. Utica Eisenhower gave Alpena their third consecutive loss by a final score of 4-2.

Alpena strung together a strong first period with multiple scoring opportunities, but the Wildcats were unable to capitalize on their power play chances. Alpena did get rolling when Skylar Clark went for a shot on net and Clark Weir grabbed the rebound for a goal to give the Wildcats a 1-0 lead. Only a few minutes later, Utica Eisenhower tied the game at 1-1 with a score by Dominic Riggio to end the first period.

The Wildcats had a power play opportunity just over a minute into the second period. Michael Kreis found the back of the net with an assist from Preston Schuldt and Ethan Walker putting Alpena ahead 2-1. The Wildcats held onto the lead for most of the period, but Scott Kraski scored a goal tying the game at 2-2 for the Eagles.

Utica Eisenhower kept building on their momentum in the third period when Quinn Pfeifenberger redirected a shot from Julian Gojcaj into the back of the net giving the Eagles a 3-2 lead. Alpena was handed a 5-minute major and spent the rest of the period shorthanded. The Eagles capitalized on the power play chance when Jacob Scharret tallied their final goal.