Heading into Saturday’s, Feb. 6 showdown against Fenton, the Varsity hockey team needed to win in order to keep their Flint Metro League championship hopes alive. They trailed the Tigers by two points in the standings at the beginning of the night.
By the time the final horn sounded, the Wildcats found themselves four points back with two FML games left after losing 4-2 to Fenton.
The Tigers jumped out to an early 1-0 lead, but the Wildcats responded when Nick Hocker scored late in the first period, tying the score at 1. Will Buday assisted on the goal. But the Tigers wouldn’t back down, scoring again right before the period ended, taking a 2-1 lead into the locker room.
However, the Wildcats stormed right back when Alex Kaks scored a power play goal 35 seconds into the second period, tying the score at two.
Fenton then took over and created constant pressure in the Wildcat zone, retaking the lead one minute later. After that, they kept getting the puck deep and creating traffic in front of senior goalie Corey Hrischuk, who finished the game with 42 saves for the Wildcats.
The Tigers added an insurance goal early in the fourth, breaking the backs of the Wildcats. Oxford then started taking penalties, which kept the puck in Oxford’s zone.
Head Coach Dave Hague was not pleased with the third period performance. ‘We took too many penalties down the stretch when trying to tie it up.?
‘Give them credit,? Hague said. ‘Fenton is a good, fast team and were very aggressive on the puck in our end. We played very well offensively with shots nearly even and puck possession, but struggled defensively in our own zone.?
A victory for the Wildcats would have given them a share of the FML title, and one couldn’t help notice the disappointment in Hague’s tone after the game. ‘This was a big game and certainly a disappointing loss. Our team is strong and we’ll bounce back,? he said.
On Wednesday, Feb. 2, the Wildcats stepped out of league play to take on Detroit Country Day. Kaks lead the Wildcats with three goals in their 6-3 victory.
‘This was one of our most complete efforts of the season,? said Hague. ‘I really liked our competitive level and all 18 guys contributed.
The Wildcats take on New Boston Huron and Linden to begin a three game home stretch over the next week and a half.