MARQUETTE — Special teams helped Marquette gain a lead against Houghton on Thursday night, but it was at even strength that the Redmen cashed in their game insurance in a 3-1 high school hockey victory over the Gremlins.

Dylan Baldwin netted the regular season’s final goal with 6:34 left with assists going to Evan Kroll and Jacob Garrow and was the only goal scored when the teams were skating 5-on-5.

MSHS ends its regular season at 21-4 with its MHSAA tournament opener set for 7 p.m. Thursday at Kingsford, a regional semifinal. A win in that game would put the Redmen in the regional championship at Negaunee or Escanaba on March 4.

Liam Beerman had a steady game in the MSHS net, stopping five or six shots each period for a total of 16. The Gremlins’ Jimmy Pietila was forced to make 31 stops, including 15 in the second period.

After Marquette scored single power-play goals in each of the first two periods, Houghton tightened up the score with its own power-play marker during a five-minute major penalty called on Ansel Frost for a hit to the head.

The Gremlins needed just 22 seconds into that long man advantage for Ty Halonen to score and make it 2-1. However, Beerman and his defenders kept Houghton from tying the score during the more than 4 1/2-minute balance of the power play.

Andrew Fedrizzi got the home team on the scoreboard with 5:31 left in the opening period with an assist going to Owen Riipi.

Teammate Ethan Phillips made it 2-0 just over six minutes into the second with its second straight power play marker.

Information compiled by Journal Sports Editor Steve Brownlee. His email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.