MU8KEGON - On paper, the Reeths-Puffer hockey team has been loaded with offensive talent since the beginning of the season.
Now the Rockets are starting to actually show it on the ice.
After some inconsistent performances in a few early games, R-P is starting to score in bunches. That was certainly the case on Wednesday night when eight different Rockets found the net in a 9-5 victory over Caledonia at Muskegon’s Trinity Healthy Arena.
R-P kept offensive pressure on the Fighting Scots throughout the contest, outshooting the visitors 36-13. That followed a 56-shot performance last weekend, when the Rockets beat Fenton 7-0.
R-P's Jaxon Stone battles for a faceoff. Photo/Tyler Lirones
One of the leaders of the attack was junior forward Cole VanDyke, a first-year Rocket whose family lived in the area when he was younger, relocated, then moved back on time for the new school year.
VanDyke scored two goals – the first-multi-goal game of his varsity career – and added an assist.
He said it’s been a blast to be part of the resurgent R-P offense and expects the team to keep up the frantic scoring pace in the weeks ahead.
"It’s definitely exciting,” VanDyke said. “We are staring to mesh as a team and getting to know our lines. We are definitely like a different team (from a few weeks ago). If we keep playing like this, we will have a good shot this year.”
Other Rockets who had big nights were Avery Freeland (1 goal, 3 assists), Jaxon Stone (1 goal, 2 assists), Croix Klint (1 goal, 2 assists), Hayden Taylor (2 assists) and Eli Cuti (2 assists).
R-P's Connor Stawski lets a slapshot fly. Photo/Tyler Lirones
First-year R-P Coach Dustin Langlois was pleased, but not surprised, by the goal-scoring explosion.
He watched his team score only two goals in a loss to West Ottawa this season, and only one in a loss to Hudsonville, and knew it was capable of a whole lot more.
“I knew it was coming,” said Langlois, whose team is now 4-3 overall and 1-2 in conference play. “When we jump on teams early you see the results. It’s a totally different game.
“We’ve thrown a lot at these guys in the two months we’ve had them, and they are finally buying in and doing everything right together. That’s the big thing – once you start playing together, there’s really nothing stopping you.”
The coach was also happy to see the big number of Rockets with goals and assists, which demonstrated the depth of talent on the roster. Several players who made Wednesday's scoresheet are guys who don’t usually get a ton of ice time.
R-P's Ayden Hartzell tries to get a shot off. Photo/Tyler Lirones
“Those are the guys who are going to win us the hard-to-win games,” Langlois said. “I’m not surprised by our depth at all. We’ve seen flashes of it in other games, and now we’re kind of just stringing it together and making it all work as one.”
The Rockets came out hot in the first period, getting a power-play goal from Ayden Hartzell, the first of two goals from VanDyke, and a shorthanded tally by Freeland to take a 3-0 lead into the locker room.
They faced a dangerous situation in the opening period when they were handed a five-minute major penalty for boarding, but they handled it beautifully, not only killing off the long penalty with no damage, but collecting the goal from Freeland.
“It’s all about pressure,” Langlois said. “Even on a penalty kill, we don’t want to sit back and let them take shots and set up. We want to force them into situations and take advantage of opportunities.”
The Rockets celebrate a goal. Photo/Tyler Lirones
Caledonia fought back with two early goals in the second period to make the score 3-2, but R-P quickly answered with goals from Tyler Cuti and VanDyke to take a 5-2 advantage into the third.
Caledonia scored early in the final period, then the Rockets answered again to put the victory on ice.
Tindall scored a beautiful goal from the right faceoff circle after three quick passes between his teammates gave him the puck at close range.
Stone found the net less than two minutes later after beating two Caledonia defensemen to the puck and breaking in alone, making the score 7-3.
Klint followed with a power play goal, then Vincent Pollack added a tally to increase the R-P lead to 9-3.
Caledonia finished the scoring with two more goals, but it was too little and too late to make a difference.
R-P goalie Huck VanDyke, Cole’s brother, got the victory.
