HOUGHTON - Houghton got off to a fast start in its game with Jeffers on Monday night.
But despite scoring three times in the opening period, the Gremlins were never able to break the game open and defeated the Jets just 6-3.
Marshall Kemppainen opened the scoring for Houghton in the first. His power-play tally at the 7:05 mark put the Gremlins in front 1-0.
Drake Anderson and Jed Kallio followed with goals late in the period to put Houghton up by three heading to the second. The goal by Anderson was his first of two on the night.
"We were really trying to emphasize getting out of the gate fast and playing hard," Houghton coach Corey Markham said. "I thought we did a nice job of that.
"Our feet were moving. We controlled play, got pucks to the net, and got the 3-0 lead which was real nice."
Houghton's lead could have been bigger after one if not for the play of Jeffers' goalie Richard Yeshe. Yeshe stopped 14 other shots in the frame to keep his team in the game.
"I haven't been shy about pulling a goalie that isn't performing," Jeffers coach David Bekkala said of Yeshe. "I thought Richard did a nice job.
"He had asked for the opportunity to play against Houghton tonight. It wasn't Richard's fault that we lost."
But Houghton (10-12-1, 6-3 Lake Superior Conference) did beat Yeshe two more times in the second. Kemppainen's second of the game near the five-minute mark made it 4-0.
Austin Erva's goal just under six minutes later kept the lead at four (5-1) after two. The goal by Erva came just 20 seconds after the Jets' Chase Daavettila had scored to trim the lead to three.
"It was huge," Markham said of Erva's tally. "They scored a goal and you always get a little life after you score a goal.
"We answered right back and any time you can do that it really takes the life out of a team."
Markham decided to switch goalies in the third period to get backup Damion Johnson some playing time. The move nearly backfired when Jeffers (10-12, 3-7 LSC) scored twice in the first 2:25 of the third to pull within two.
Jeff Aho and Travis Therrian had the goals that made it 5-3. But Johnson settled down after that and Anderson scored again late in the game to lock up the victory.
"Goals will give you momentum every time," Bekkala said of the third. "Everyone loves to get them. It's contagious.
"Sometimes we're going to have to create our own momentum even if it's not going our way. A bounce doesn't go our way we've got to create our own and rely on the things we've been practicing."
