by Team Reporter Nate Gordon ’16

Up by two goals to begin the third period against Berkshire (7-5-1) on Saturday, January 10, Williston Hockey (4-6-1) conceded two quick goals and the game ended in an overtime tie.

While this game felt like a missed opportunity for the team, it was a stride in the right direction for the WIldcats against a very solid Berkshire team. After a poor start, in which the Wildcats had a 1-5 record, the team is working to get back on track to be in playoff contention.

This upcoming weekend, the Wildcats will get the chance to avenge this tie when they take on Berkshire in their home rink on Saturday, January 17. To do so, the team will need to play without the occasional mistakes that proved costly in this past Saturday’s game. Williston Head Coach Derek Cunha says, “Starting tomorrow, we need to play fifty-four minutes, which means in the defensive zone, neutral zone, and offensive zone and that’s stuff we’ve been working on in practice.”

Before the game, though, the Willdcats will take on Worcester Academy tomorrow,  Wednesday, January 14, at 4:30 p.m., and Winchendon on Friday, January 16, both home games. These two teams have a combined 7-14-2 record. Williston has faced Winchendon once before this season. That game, a part of the St. Seb’s Holiday Tournament, was played on December 21st, a 4-3 win for the Wildcats, which broke the team’s five game losing  skid.

But Coach Cunha has stressed to his team this week that these opponents are not to be taken lightly. “Even though we’ve beaten Winchendon once, we know they’re a quality team and it was a tough game when we played them. We have to be just as ready for the number one team as we [are for] any other team. That’s been our mindset this week.”

Follow the team’s Twitter feed, @WillistonHockey, for news and in-game updates.