HOUGHTON - On paper, Tuesday night's Lake Superior Hockey Conference match-up between 16-2 Houghton and 3-13 Kingsford had minimal intrigue. But games have never been decided on paper.
And Kingsford didn't just stay close with the host Gremlins - they stunned them 4-3 in overtime in one of the biggest upsets of the high school hockey season.
The Gremlins at one point this season had won 11 games in a row, and they beat the Flivvers 5-2 on Jan. 26 in Kingsford. The Flivvers had lost 10 in a row before an 8-2 win over Negaunee last Thursday.
Ted Pietila tied the game at 3-3 with just six seconds left in regulation, and capped off the dramatic win with 36 seconds left in the extra frame.
If it wasn't for the Flivvers' jubilant on-ice celebration, and cheers from an impressive road fan base, a pin dropping could have been heard in Dee Stadium.
"That's such a huge win, especially toward the end of the season, and it proves that we can do it," Kingsford coach Jim Peterson said. "We hustled. ... We picked it up, forced the play, and that's the thing, beating them to the puck and winning those one-on-one battles. We played a good game."
But the game stayed true to initial expectations early.
The Gremlins jumped out to a 3-0 first-period lead thanks to several fortunate bounces. Connor Hannon fired an innocent-looking shot along the ice that deflected just enough to squirt five-hole through Kingsford goaltender Wes Paupore just 2:55 into the game. About five minutes later, Griffin Hietala fired a similarly innocent point shot in the general direction of the Kingsford net and the puck bounced in off the skate of a Flivver defender.
"We've just had bounces like that all year, and I thought, 'Oh no, not another one,'" Peterson said.
And Hannon added his second of the game and the Gremlins' third at the 14:27 mark, this time a nice bang-bang passing play with Ray Brice and Hietala assisting.
"We played all right, and you feel pretty good coming in with a 3-0 lead," Houghton coach Corey Markham said. "We just had a really bad second period where we took way too many penalties and gave them life."
Kingsford took advantage of half of its four second-period power plays. Brock Francis fired a top-shelf wrister past Houghton goalie Tony Peltier just seven seconds into Austin Erva's slashing penalty. And Cody Crockford, who assisted on Francis's goal, tallied one of his own 48 seconds before second intermission.
The Flivvers outshot Houghton 12-6 in the middle stanza, but the Gremlins responded with a 13-8 third-period shot advantage, doing everything but slamming the door.
"We had good chances, hitting the pipe a few times. I thought we controlled most of the play, but couldn't bury them," Markham said.
But with a 3-2 lead, it looked like the Gremlins had done enough to win anyway. Ted Pietila had other ideas.
The Kingsford junior, who had been out a month with mononucleosis and was playing in his third game back, took advantage of poor Houghton defensive coverage, pounding home a loose puck with just six seconds left in regulation.
"The goalie was out of position and we had guys crashing the net, and we were able to put it in," Pietila said. "It's exciting. We only have two lines, so I was out there quite a bit, and it feels good to score."
A nearly identical defensive breakdown again left Pietila wide open in front of net with 36 seconds left in overtime, and he easily applied the dagger.
"To give up a lead with six seconds left in a game is demoralizing," Markham said. "It's a completely disappointing loss ... a tough pill to swallow, but hopefully we can learn from it."
The Gremlins (16-3, 7-1 LSHC), still playing without Heath Johnson, Mike McLean and Hunter Rajala due to injury, have a critical three-game stretch ahead, starting with a Wing Ding rivalry game against Hancock Friday, and games at Calumet and home to Marquette the following week. Kingsford (4-13, 3-4 LSHC) will head downstate for a showcase series in Trenton Friday and Saturday.
