BERWICK - The Valley Major Midget Wildcats are holding their own as the hockey season gets underway and hope to build on the positive momentum created by their latest win.

The Wildcats hosted the Cole Harbour Wolfpack at the Kings Mutual Century Centre “Apple Dome” in Berwick Sept. 25. The first period ended with the score tied two-all. Cole Harbour drew first blood in the second but the Wildcats quickly tied it at three before taking the lead with a fourth goal. With neither team scoring in the third, the Wildcats took the game 4 to 3.

Further demonstrating how evenly matched the two teams were offensively, the Wildcats had 32 shots on goal, compared to Cole Harbour’s 31.

One of the Wildcats’ returning players is #9 Josh Foster of Grafton. When asked what went right for the team, he said it was definitely the fore-checking and having “all the little details going right” for them. He said the team is gelling well.

“We’ve got a lot of older guys back and it’s going great so far,” Foster said. “We’re just looking to keep things going ahead.”

He said Cole Harbour is a good team but they have a lot of younger players. The Wildcats have bigger bodies, were able to beat them around the ice, tire them out and take home the win.

When it comes to his own skills development, the 17-year-old right-winger said he’s been concentrating on honing his shot.

“I’ve got a decent shot, I just need to get it off and get it on net,” Foster said.

He said he hopes to put up some good numbers this season and he hopes the team goes far in the playoffs.

Head coach Jeff O’Flaherty said the game against Cole Harbour was their fifth of the season. They have two wins and three loses, one loss coming in overtime. They now hope to capitalize on the momentum coming out of the Sept. 25 victory. O’Flaherty said they’re working on staying positive on the ice and in the dressing room.

“If we have a good environment off the ice that always translates into good hockey on the ice,” he said.

O’Flaherty said there aren’t just a few guys he can pick out that are excelling so far this season and he views this as a great thing. The players are making a true team effort.

The last few years they’ve had players leading the stats columns, scoring the most goals or assists in the league. While that was great for those players, the team didn’t end up as high in the standings as everyone would have liked. This year everyone is playing and contributing.

“We’ve got all the guys playing the same system. They’re all buying in and all playing as a five-man unit on the ice and that’s the biggest thing,” O’Flaherty said. “Everyone knows what each other is doing out there and they’re supporting each other all over the ice and everyone’s on the same page.”