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Prep Hockey: Gremlins top Bulldogs in regional semis

Third line shines in 8-1 win against rival Hancock

Houghton's Tucker Tapani (16) celebrates his goal with teammates during a Division 3 Region 17 semifinal against Hancock on Thursday, Feb. 27, 2020, in Houghton, Mich. (Adam Niemi/The Daily Mining Gazette)

HOUGHTON — With freshman center Camden Markham out of the lineup due to a broken arm, Houghton Gremlins hockey coach Corey Markham knew he would need someone to step in and try to make up for the offense that his son provided throughout the regular season.

Thursday night, junior winger Brandon Norkol and freshman center Sully Rajala did just that as their line scored three goals in the first period en route to a 8-1 semifinal win over the Hancock Bulldogs in the Division 3 Region 17 tournament at the MacInnes Student Ice Arena.

Norkol scored twice and assisted on a tally by freshman center Sully Rajala in a span of 7:07. Rajala added a goal and two assists before the night was over. Junior winger Tedd Halonen also chipped in with three assists.

“I thought our third line was our best line,” said Corey Markham. “They kept things simple. They kept getting pucks in deep like we’re looking for. They were making plays to the net. They were the shot in the arm that we needed.”

With his team down 1-0 after a goal from Hancock co-captain Colton Salani, Norkol’s line found the ice two shifts later and he found the net from the left circle at 7:40, a minute after Salani’s tally. Rajala assisted on the goal.

Looking to build off of that goal, the Gremlins found themselves on the power play about a minute and a half later, but despite lengthy shots from co-captain Ty Halonen and junior winger Nathan Erva, nothing got past Hancock goaltender Brandon Pietila.

The game remained 1-1 until Norkol’s line touched the ice during a faceoff to Brandon Pietila’s right. Rajala lost the draw, but junior winger Tedd Halonen jumped on the puck and skated it across the circle from the left hash mark. He passed it to Norkol, who had set up shop in front of Pietila and he wasted no time putting a backhand shot beyond Pietila’s left leg for a goal at 13:37.

The next time the Gremlins’ third line of Norkol, Rajala and Tedd Halonen touched the ice, they struck again. This time, Norkol crashed into the offensive zone, creating a turnover that squirted out in front of Brandon Pietila. Rajala raced to it and fired quickly, beating Pietila with a wrist shot at 15:15.

“Brandon, offensively, has that ability,” Houghton head coach Corey Markham said. “He’s good around the net. He has good hands. That was absolutely huge.

“if we can get him to continue to do that, obviously that’s going to be a huge shot in the arm. When you get third-line scoring, that’s gonna propel you in the playoffs.”

The Bulldogs (13-13) had taken a 1-0 lead 6:29 in when their top line of Colton Salani and junior wingers Austin Salani and Mason Mikesch kept the Gremlins’ senior-laden top line of assistant captain Carson Stevens, Tucker Tapani and Niko Rajala stuck in their own end for multiple faceoffs. Colton Salani crashed the net after winning a faceoff. After Mikesch fired a shot that Gremlins goaltender Jimmy Pietila could not hang on to, Salani poked the rebound underneath him and in.

Houghton (17-9-0 overall) started the second period in much the same way they finished the first, looking to score. It did not take them long to strike. Ty Halonen, who was stationed at the left point, got the puck after Niko Rajala won the draw. Halonen beat Brandon Pietila with a wrist shot just 21 seconds into the frame.

The two late goals of the first period followed by one so quickly in the second were a nightmare scenario for Bulldogs coach Dan Rouleau’s squad.

“They ended the period in their favor, obviously,” he said. “Then they get that early there. The one at the end of the first was the start of the dagger going in. (After) that one at the start the second, I was like, ‘oh boy.'”

The Gremlins then struck again 2:28 later while shorthanded when Niko Rajala snagged up a puck near his own blue line, skated it around a Hancock defender, and then beat Brandon Pietila with a wrist shot.

The Salani brothers each had scoring chances that Jimmy Pietila kicked fought off before Houghton extended the lead to five goals.

Niko Rajala drove down the left boards and cut to the net before feeding a backhand pass across the slot to Tapani, who beat Brandon Pietila with a one-timer at 11:49.

The Gremlins got another goal from an unexpected source late in the middle period as junior winger Trent Ledgerwood jumped on a rebound off a shot from Tedd Halonen and he lifted it up and over Brandon Pietila at 15:51.

To have another player, especially one like Ledgerwood, who does not see a lot of playing time, score, was another boost for the Gremlins.

“I’m, so happy for the kid,” Markham said. “I think he had about three or four shifts the entire game, but he got out there and he’s a tough kid around the net. We told him, ‘get to the net ‘

“When he did, he got to a rebound and put it in. The whole team was so excited, and the fans, to see him score one.”

The Bulldogs had two great looks about midway through the third period, but co-captain Petr Anderson took a pass from his brother, Todd, and immediately fell to the ice. Just shortly after he righted himself, he was hit in the back by a shot from the point. As Rouleau put it, it was an indication of the game after the early tally.

“That was a microcosm of the of the game,” said Rouleau. “It was like, ‘here we are, just ready to get a chance on it and we fall.’

“(Petr is) one of the hardest-working kids on our team, if not the hardest. (It was) frustrating for him, because he’s a competitor and he’s a great kid.”

Tapani added a second goal to his night with 2:16 left in the contest when he skated down the right boards and wired a wrist shot past Brandon Pietila.

For Rouleau, the loss marked the end of his storied run with the Bulldogs.

“I’ve been so lucky to be a part of so many great kids in this school,” he said. “You know, that’s what I’m going to miss the most. The hockey’s fun and everything, but being around these kids, these kids are awesome and I’m so proud to be a part of (their high school experience) for the last 25 years. I would do it all over again.”

With the win, the Gremlins move on to face Calumet next Wednesday night for the regional title and a chance to play in Marquette on Saturday.

Houghton 3 4 1 — 8

Hancock 1 0 0 — 1

First Period–1, HCH, C Salani (Mikesch, Lorezetti), 6:29. 2, HHS, Norkol (S. Rajala, Tedd Halonen), 7:40. 3, HHS, Norkol (Tedd Halonen), 13:37. 4, HHS, S Rajala (Norkol), 15:15.

Second Period–5, HHS, Ty Halonen (N. Rajala), 0:21. 6, HHS, N. Rajala, 2:49, sh. 7, HHS, Tapani (N. Rajala, Ty Halonen), 11:49. 8, HHS, Ledgerwood (Tedd Halonen, S. Rajala), 15:51.

Third Period–9, HHS, Tapani, 14:44.

Saves–HHS, Pietila 9-14-4–27. HCH, B. Pietila 13-10-4–27.

Power-play Opportunities–HHS 0 of 3. HCH 0 of 5.

Penalties-minutes–HHS 7-25. HCH 5-18.

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