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Gremlins score in bunches, beat Grandville, Salem

Houghton defenseman Hudson Markham plays the puck near his team’s bench during a game against Grandville Friday at Dee Stadium in Houghton. (Daver Karnosky/Daily Mining Gazette)

HOUGHTON — Looking to extend their season-opening winning streak, the Houghton Gremlins did just that again this weekend, defeating both the Grandville Bulldogs, 8-2, on Friday and the Salem Rocks, 9-4, Saturday at Dee Stadium.

Stevens lifts Gremlins to win on Friday

Friday night, alternate captain Landon Stevens, who already had 12 games this season where he scored two goals, potted his first hat trick of the season to help the Gremlins turn a 1-1 game in the first period into an 8-2 victory over the Bulldogs.

Stevens scored his first goal 11:51 into the game on a play that he and his linemates, co-captain Camden Markham and Gaborik Carlson are becoming accustomed to creating. Stevens got the puck in the neutral zone and fed it ahead to Carlson, who drove hard into the offensive zone. Carlson tried to move the puck to Markham, but the puck bounced back to him. Carlson then fed it to Stevens, who was crashing the net, and he quickly fired the puck home.

Gremlins coach Corey Markham has been extremely impressed with how well all three players on his top line work together to create scoring opportunities.

“It is fun to watch them,” he said. “They really do a good job of trying to move the puck. They don’t try to skate through the team by themselves. They’re looking to make plays, and they’re looking back door a lot. They’ve just had such a tremendous season, and they’re playing at a high level. They are fun to watch.”

Stevens’ second goal came with 17 seconds left in the second period. After goaltender Andrew Lampinen made a save for the Gremlins, they quickly pushed the puck back up the ice. Stevens went hard to the net and buried a feed from Markham for the goal.

Markham and Stevens combined again for the latter’s third tally 8:09 into the third. Markham found Stevens crashing the net, and Stevens backhanded one into the net.

“To finally get the hat trick is pretty funny,” Corey Markham said. “He’s had an unbelievable year, and it’s nice to see him finally get the hat trick.”

While Stevens and the Gremlins scored eight goals and earned the win, Bulldogs coach Joel Breazeale felt that his team worked extremely hard throughout the contest. With 13 freshmen and sophomores in the lineup, including starting goaltender Ayden Karas, the Bulldogs made things difficult for Houghton, especially in the first period.

“They’re so impressive,” he said. “We’re super young this year, but I was thrilled with the way our kids played. I mean, that’s a state contender.”

After that, they struggled to keep up with the Gremlins, who forecheck relentlessly.

“When they capitalize, there were bad angles taken,” Breazeale said. “We weren’t checking our heads, so players seeped through on the weak side. But for us, those are all fixable things.”

Corey Markham was impressed with how hard the Bulldogs worked.

“I still thought that they did a tremendous job,” he said. “I thought they competed really hard. They are super-well coached. They’re young right now, and they had a super strong team last year. That goes in cycles like we do.

Sophomore defenseman Oscar Petersen got things going for Houghton in the contest with a shot from the left point off a draw 7:38 into the contest.

Corey Markham was excited to see Petersen score his first of the season.

“I love to see kids finally get their first goal for the year,” said Corey Markham. “Oscar’s had quite a few shots from the point, and there’s always traffic and stuff. He finally got one to go in, so (I am) really happy for him.”

Camden Markham scored the Gremlins’ third goal of the game off a feed from Stevens at 14:01 of the opening frame. Markham scored his second of the game 3:55 into the second period off a pass from Carlson. Stevens also assisted on the goal.

Alternate captain Sully Rajala buried a rebound off a shot from senior defenseman Connor Raffaelli at 14:10 of the second period to put the Gremlins up 5-1.

Raffaelli was whistled for a penalty just 25 seconds into the third period, but the penalty did not cost the Gremlins because junior winger Michael Maillette poked a puck out to center ice, skated up to it, grabbed it and skated it to the Bulldogs’ net, where he made a quick move to his backhand to beat Karas 1:01 into the power play.

Corey Markham feels that Maillette has been playing some of his best hockey of late.

“Mikey’s had a tremendous year,” he said. “He really has. (He) doesn’t get as much publicity as our top line, but he’s had a great year. He hounds pucks harder than anyone.”

Lampinen made 11 saves to earn the win.

Rajala, Carlson score twice in win over Salem

The Gremlins scored twice in the first and third periods and added five more in the second en route to a 9-4 win over Salem Saturday.

Carlson led the Gremlins offensively with two goals and two assists in the contest. Camden Markham, Stevens, and freshman winger Connor Arko all had a goal and an assist as well.

Rajala scored twice. Maillette added a goal and an assist.

Junior goaltender Bryant Lee made 23 saves to earn the win.

Up next

Houghton is off until Friday, when they host Bay Port from Ashwaubenon, Wisconsin. Opening faceoff for the matchup, which features the No. 2 team in each team’s respective state, is set for 7 p.m. at Dee Stadium.

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