It was the first time the Gremlins had won back-to-back titles since winning three in a row from 2013-15.

At the end of the night, the important thing, according to coach Micah Stipech, was that the Gremlins did it without getting a goal from their top line of alternate captain Michael Maillette and junior wingers Jace DeForge and Grant Schaible, whom Houghton had been relying on for offense in recent games.

“Secondary scoring is something that we’ve been looking for,” Stipech said. “I don’t know if our white line with Mikey on it got a goal tonight? No, I don’t think so.

“We won a game. We have four goals that didn’t come from them. That’s huge, because if you look at our stats, they’ve kind of been carrying the mail.”

Houghton forward Connor Arko celebrates after scoring against Hancock goaltender Saku Cunard in the championship game of the 48th Annual John MacInnes Holiday Hockey Classic Thursday at the MacInnes Student Ice Arena. Also pictured are Hancock forwards Brady Axford (9) and Bennett Sturos (16) and defenseman Max Heinonen. (David Archambeau/For the Gazette)

Thursday night, it was the line of sophomore winger Noah Maillette, sophomore center Jack Sayen and junior winger Teegan Tapani that accounted for the first two goals Houghton scored.

The first came 14:30 into the first period, as Maillette found some space in front of the Hancock net. Tapani tracked down a loose puck to goaltender Saku Cunard’s left and below the goal line. He quickly moved it out to Maillette, who fired a shot that Cunard stopped. The rebound bounced back to Maillette, and he quickly fired a second shot that found its way to the back of the net.

The goal proved to be a confidence booster for Noah, which made his coach happy.

The younger Maillette then helped with the odd-man rush that led to the Gremlins’ second goal 5:21 into the middle frame. He carried the puck into the zone on a 2-on-1 rush with sophomore winger Connor Arko. As junior defenseman Oscar Petersen joined the rush, Arko fired a shot that Cunard stopped. The puck trickled through him and sat in front of an empty net. Petersen stormed the crease and knocked the puck in.

The goal from an unlikely scorer was something Houghton (12-0 overall) has desperately needed early this season.

“That was a big goal for him,” said Stipech. “Our defense is part of us solving the scoring problem. They’re learning how to pick their spots, and it can be messy at times, but that’s part of how we want to play.

“We want to play where it’s a five-man unit, and our (defense) is a part of it. I’m really happy for him, in particular, because it was a boost for a kid that needed a boost.”

Alternate captain Michael Maillette, a senior, crashed the net hard and was whistled for a penalty at 12:13, giving the Bulldogs a chance to claw back into the game. Just 24 seconds later, co-captain Luke Mikkola did just that by burying a rebound at 12:37. Freshman center Tevin Stukel took the initial shot that created the scoring chance for Mikkola.

Sophomore defenseman Todd Kilpela also earned an assist on the goal.

Houghton later had a chance to regain their two-goal lead when they were awarded 1:18 of a two-man advantage. Senior winger Tanner Flachs had a golden opportunity to bury one in an almost empty net when a shot from senior defenseman Noah Kriepke rebounded to him and he quickly fired a shot that somehow Cunard got a piece of.

Flachs then got a second chance on another rebound off a shot from Kriepke, and this time, he buried it at 14:23.

The Gremlins then added one more before the second period came to a close, this time while shorthanded. Arko, who was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player, scored a wraparound shortly after a faceoff at 15:57.

“It’s nice to win it, but there’s so many guys on my team that could have won at this tournament,” he said. “I’m just lucky.”

Arko said that he felt that the size of the MacInnes Student Ice Arena really helped him find time and space in which to work.

“Bigger ice helps, and playing hard, just getting everything to the net is like the best thing you can do,” he said. “Just get pucks to the net, and get lucky sometimes.”

Arko finished the tournament with two goals and two assists. While Stipech admitted that he was surprised when Arko’s name was called as MVP, he was very happy to see the second-year winger get rewarded for his efforts throughout the two games.

“That was unexpected,” Stipech said. “I thought, for sure, it was going to be Bryant Lee, and so I’m pumped for him. He’s a sophomore, and what a confidence boost for him to really like, ‘Hey, I can be the man.’ I’m really happy for him.”

Houghton came out hard to start the third period and they kept throwing pucks at Cunard, who stood his ground. Cunard made 17 saves on 17 shots in the period, but his teammates could not find a way to help him out with anything at the other end of the rink.

Lee made 35 saves to earn the win for the Gremlins.

ALL-TOURNAMENT HONORS

The Bulldogs’ Kilpela and Stukel were both named to the All-Tournament Team.

Houghton’s Michael Maillette and defenseman Connor Raffaelli were both named to the All-Tournament Team.