Houghton (11-7) rebounded from a loss to Division 2 No. 1 Birmingham Brother Rice on Friday, scoring two goals in the first against Bay Port en route to the win.

“We had a lot of chances. I would’ve liked to score a few more goals with some of the quality chances we had,” Houghton head coach Corey Markham said. “Those are going to come if you keep getting those chances.

“I really liked our third period. We had a 4-1 lead going into the third and you get worried if they score an early goal,” Markham added. “They did score a goal to make it 4-2, but I thought our guys positionally were very strong. We didn’t give up a lot of great chances in the third at all. We were able to close them out, so a good win for us.”

Gremlins goalie Matthew Ryynanen made 28 saves for the win.

Houghton's Sully Rajala (18) bodychecks a Bay Port player into the boards on Saturday, Jan. 18, 2020, in Houghton, Mich. (Adam Niemi/The Daily Mining Gazette)

Houghton had a commanding 4-0 lead before Bay Port finally got on the board 11 minutes into the second. It was all Houghton up to that point, and mostly Houghton after, although Bay Port made it interesting in the end.

Brandon Norkol scored just 46 seconds into the game, with an assist from Niko Rajala. Four minutes later, Ty Halonen scored on the power play. Tucker Tapani and Milo Schaefer assisted.

Tapani scored three minutes into the second, and assisted on the Gremlins’ next two goals, including an empty-netter with 53 seconds left in the game by Halonen.

Carson Stevens scored five minutes after Tapani in the second period.

Bay Port cut Houghton’s lead to 4-2 with a goal seven minutes into the third. Bay Port pulled the goalie with a minute and a half to go. A stoppage in play set up a Bay Port timeout with 1:03 remaining in the game and a face-off to Ryynanen’s right. The puck bounced off the draw into open ice and Halonen finished the play with the empty-net goal from neutral ice to seal the win.

Houghton's Nathan Erva (14) tries to control a rebound in front of Bay Port goaltender Marcus Niemi (31) on Saturday, Jan. 18, 2020, in Houghton, Mich. (Adam Niemi/The Daily Mining Gazette)

Halonen’s goal also sealed Bay Port’s fate and fourth straight loss.

“It’s one of those games where we’ve actually played well,” Bay Port head coach Mike Buchan said. “It’s a group that we’re getting to the end of the season and we’re going to have to start figuring stuff out awfully quickly. The second season is coming and we definitely want to be ready for it.”

Houghton hosts Escanaba on Friday.

Bay Port 0 2 1 — 2

Houghton 2 2 1 — 5

Bay Port's Krystof Voska (88) shoots at Houghton goaltender Matthew Ryynanen (33) while Jiseung Choi (5) and Ty Halonen (10) defend on Saturday, Jan. 18, 2020, in Houghton, Mich. (Adam Niemi/The Daily Mining Gazette)

First Period–1, HHS, Norkol (N. Rajala), 0:46. 2, Ty Halonen (Tapani, Schaefer), 4:47, pp. Penalites–BP, Messerschmidt (cross-checking), 2:49. BP, Voss (slashing), 6:44.

Second Period–3, Tapani, 3:08. 4, Stevens (Tapani, Trudeau), 8:01. 5, BP, Lyons (Strand), 11:02. Penalties–HHS, Carlson (hooking), 4:29.

Third Period–6, BP, Hyska (Voska, LaRonge), 7:15. 7, HHS, Ty Halonen (Tapani, N. Rajala), 16:07.

Shots on Goal–BP 8-11-11–30. HHS 12-12-15–39.

Power-play Opportunities–BP 0 of 1. HHS 1 of 2.

Houghton's Gaborik Carlson carries the puck against Bay Port on Saturday, Jan. 18, 2020, in Houghton, Mich. (Adam Niemi/The Daily Mining Gazette)

Goalies–BP, Niemi 10-10-14–34 saves. HHS, Ryynanen 8-10-10–28.

Penalites-minutes–BP 2-4. HHS 1-2.

Houghton's Nathan Erva (14) dumps the puck into Bay Port's zone on Saturday, Jan. 18, 2020, in Houghton, Mich. (Adam Niemi/The Daily Mining Gazette)

Houghton's Nathan Erva (14) clears the puck in front of Bay Port's Samuel Lyons (71) on Saturday, Jan. 18, 2020, in Houghton, Mich. (Adam Niemi/The Daily Mining Gazette)

Houghton goaltender Matthew Ryynanen makes a save against Bay Port's Krystof Voska (88) on Saturday, Jan. 18, 2020, in Houghton, Mich. Jseung Choi (5) defends. (Adam Niemi/The Daily Mining Gazette)