The Reeths-Puffer hockey team once again showed off its deep and balanced scoring attack on Saturday, with six players finding the net in a 6-2 victory over Kingsford in the final game of the Bay City Showcase at the Bay City Civic Center.
Kingsford took an early 1-0 lead in the first period, then R-P’s Ayden Hartzell (with assists by Trenton Hanks and Cole VanDyke) and Connor Anderson (assist by Connor Stawski) scored to give the Rockets a 2-1 lead heading into the second.
Tyler Cuti (assist Stawski) and Avery Freeland added goals in the middle period for the Rockets. Croix Klint (assisted by Anderson and Jaxon Stone) and Tyler Tindall (assist by Eli Cuti) finished off the R-P scoring in the third.
Huck VanDyke was the winning goalie for the Rockets.
R-P's Connor Anderson
"We put together an almost perfect game with only two penalties,” said R-P Coach Dustin Langlois. “We are playing tough, disciplined hockey. The boys are really coming together, they are talking to each other and reiterating our coaching points before we can even get a word in on the bench. It’s really cool how they are leaning on each other."
The Rockets weren’t as fortunate on Friday night in the first game of the Bay City event, falling to the Bay City Wolves 3-2 in an overtime shootout.
The first period was scoreless, then R-P’s Ricky Wiggins (unassisted) and Jaxon Stone (assists by Tyler Cuti and Eli Cuti) both scored in the second to give their team a 2-0 lead.
The game took a bad turn in the third period when the Rockets gave up two shorthanded goals, sending the contest to overtime.
R-P's Connor Stawski
In the three-round shootout, featuring one skater at a time against the opposing goalie, Bay City outscored the Rockets 1-0 to claim the victory.
The Rockets lost despite outshooting the hosts 34-19.
Reeths-Puffer, now 5-4 on the season, will host Grand Haven on Wednesday night at Muskegon’s Trinity Health Arena.
