MIHL Showcase: After losing 3-0 lead, Brighton beats Houghton on late goal

The hockey game was slipping away from Brighton, but sophomore Cam Duffany wouldn’t allow the Bulldogs to lose.

Duffany’s goal with 1:04 remaining in the game gave Brighton a 4-3 victory over Houghton in the Michigan Interscholastic Hockey League Showcase Friday night at Kennedy Ice Arena in Trenton.

Brighton, ranked No. 2 in Division 1, got out to a 3-0 lead on first-period goals by Nick Baker and Dylan Hunt and a goal by Mattix McMullen early in the second.

Houghton, the No. 4 team in Division 3, rallied to tie the game by the midway point of the third.

Duffany scored his ninth goal in 19 games on a feed from Lane Petit.

“Houghton had just been peppering us the whole third period,” Brighton coach Kurt Kivisto said. “They controlled the whole third period. They were all over in our zone. We were able to finally get a little bit of offensive zone time. Lane Petit got the puck in the slot, slid it back door to Cam. He came across the front, got real good position and scored on a backhander.”

Levi Pennala made 33 saves for Brighton, which was outshot 36-19.

“It’s an unbelievable experience for high school hockey,” Kivisto said of the annual event in Trenton. “The top 25 teams are all represented down here. A couple of out-of-state schools are here. It’s a tremendous group of teams. To be able to be down there and watch other games and see other players from across the state is pretty neat. To play a Houghton team we see every other year when we go up north was great. They’re a really, really good team.”

Brighton’s second game in the showcase is against Grandville at 2:35 p.m. Saturday.

Hartland 4, Riverview Gabriel Richard 1

After falling behind 1-0 early in the second period, Hartland (18-4) scored three goals before the end of the period to gain control of the game against the No. 6 team in Division 3.

Jorden Haydu tied the game at 5:47 of the second, Lucas Henry put No. 1-ranked (Division 2) Hartland ahead at 9:30 and Brendan Pietila had a shorthanded goal at 14:20.

Henry scored his second goal with 5:19 left in the game.

Gabriel Richard fell to 16-4-1.

Hartland will face Cleveland St. Ignatius at 7:15 p.m. Saturday in its final game of the event.