Houghton's Connor Arko (19) celebrates after his second goal of the day during a 4-0 victory over Bay Reps Carter Denoyer in the MHSAA division 3 semifinals Friday at USA Hockey Arena in Plymouth. (A.M. Arrick/For the Gazette)

PLYMOUTH — Connor Arko wears the captain’s “C” for the Houghton Gremlins hockey team for a reason. Arko, the Gremlins’ top performer in the regular season, scored twice Friday morning to help drive his team to a 4-0 win in the Division 3 state semifinals over Bay Reps at USA Hockey Arena.

Arko’s first goal was a highlight-reel tally with him getting a pass from freshman defenseman Jake Mattson. The senior winger drove through the neutral zone, then pushed the puck through a Reps’ defender’s legs, and then made a quick move in close to score 15:31 into the game.

The goal helped Houghton set a tone for the rest of the contest.

His second goal came 4:47 into the third period at a time where the Gremlins needed a boost. Alternate captain Jack Sayen had a scoring chance that Reps goaltender Tyler Boynton-Fisher stopped. However, the puck bounced to Boynton-Fisher’s left, and Arko poked it into the net.

Houghton coach Micah Stipech, who has led the Gremlins to their second trip to the state semifinals in three seasons, praised the play of his team’s leader.

Houghton coach Micah Stipech, who has led the Gremlins to their second trip to the state semifinals in three seasons, praised the play of his team’s leader.

“He just kind of took it on his back on that play and said, ‘I’m doing this,'” said Stipech. “Then the second goal, he made an on-ice faceoff adjustment. We had a plan based on what they’re doing, and they had adjusted between periods. He noticed it. The play that they ran off the faceoff was based on that. So, he’s like a coach on the ice. Not only did he make the play, but he basically was a quarterback with an audible. He’s invaluable.”

The Gremlins needed Arko’s first goal, especially after their quarterfinal game against Marquette went into the third period before either team broke through. Houghton had a glorious opportunity prior to Arko’s goal, but could not finish the play off.

“You’re pretty tight until that happens,” Stipech said. “We just went through a game where there were two periods of us having great opportunities and not getting one. Gunner (Gullstrand) misses that breakaway, and then, as time goes on, you start to get that feeling.

“As soon as we got that one, I felt like then we could play, and we loosened up. We got some momentum.”

Gunner Gullstrand did feature in the scoring for the Gremlins with a wrist shot over Boynton-Fisher’s glove in the second period 4:52 in. Sophomore forward Braden Kari picked up the assist by feeding the puck to Gullstrand, who drove into the left circle before unleashing the wrist shot.

“Gunner’s the kind of player where if he can get one earlier in a game, it also helps him go,” said Stipech. “He’s a goal scorer, and he wants to score. It got our team going. It gave us a little cushion where, ‘Hey, OK, if we get a bad bounce or they get one, we still have a little bit of a cushion.'”

In the second half of the third period, Mattson found himself with the puck in the high slot and he wristed a shot that beat Boynton-Fisher at 9:12. Senior forward Gage Gullstrand made the pass to Mattson on the play.

“Man, so happy for him,” Stipech said about Mattson’s goal. “That was his first career goal. He sure have picked the right time to do it. He had a beautiful look. He does it all the time in practice, and I think it’s the first of many for him in his career. But, what a great time to get your first goal. He’ll remember that forever.”

In net, senior Cooper Flachs stopped all 16 shots sent his way, including nine in the third period, to preserve the win and the shutout.

For Houghton, who started the season 4-5-1, getting to this point was not an easy experience, but Stipech mentioned how proud he is of the senior class for sticking with things as the team found its footing to finish the regular season 20-6-1.

“They wanted to get back here so much, and, at the beginning of the season, it didn’t look great,” he said. “We’re 4-5-1, and they stuck with it and believed and stayed positive, and they’ve brought us to this moment where we get another chance at it.”

The Gremlins’ last loss came to the Hancock Bulldogs on Friday, Feb. 6, during Wing Ding, 6-5. Since that game, Houghton has surrendered just four goals over five games.

“You learn more from a loss than you do from a win, and that’s, unfortunately, the way it goes,” Stipech said. “For us, we had been scoring our way out of trouble. The previous game, we won 10-5. We give up five, but that kind of over gets overshadowed by the scoring. It caught up to us, and we needed to learn that lesson.

“We took it to heart. Since then, we haven’t given up much. We’ve been much better. It was probably one of the most important moments of the year.”

Up next

The Gremlins will play Saturday at 3 p.m. for the second state championship against Orchard Lake-St. Mary’s at USA Hockey Arena in Plymouth.