MUSKEGON - A cynic would say that the Reeths-Puffer hockey team just completed its worst week of the season so far, punctuated by a disappointing 5-5 tie with rival Mona Shores on Saturday afternoon at Trinity Health Arena.
But in truth, it could have been far worse. The Rockets battled hard and overcame a lot of adversity to avoid what could have easily been a loss.
They had to come from behind three times, kill off a ton of penalties, play without one of their top scorers for most of one period, and stop a potentially disastrous penalty shot in the waning moments of regulation.
That last part was really big.
The Rockets had just tied the score 5-5 late in the third period, then got a power play opportunity with 1:45 left on the clock.
R-P's Tyler Tindall gets ready for a faceoff. Photo/Tyler Lirones
But Mona Shores’ Eli Habetler stole the puck during the power play and broke in alone on Reeths-Puffer goalie Huck VanDyke.
VanDyke made a nice save, but the referee ruled that an R-P player hooked Habetler on his way to the net, and awarded a penalty shot with 30 seconds remaining.
That might have settled the issue in favor of the Sailors, but VanDyke came up with another huge save on the penalty shot, and the game went to overtime.
Neither team scored in the eight-minute OT period, so VanDyke’s efforts kept the Rockets from losing.
“Unreal,” R-P Coach Dustin Langlois said about his goalie’s heroics. “Huck is always lights out.”
R-P has now gone two straight games without a victory for the first time this season. The Rockets were frustrated on Wednesday when their four-game winning streak was broken in a 3-2 loss to Kenowa Hills, then had to settle for the tie on Saturday.
R-P's Ayden Hartzell tries to get past a defender. Photo/Tyler Lirones
It was the second straight season that the Rockets were frustrated by Mona Shores. Last year R-P was very good while Mona Shores was below .500, but the Sailors still managed to beat the Rockets.
Despite all of that, Langlois said his team played well in both games this week, and will use the outcomes as motivation going forward.
R-P is now 5-2-1 this season.
‘It is what is is,” Langlois said. “I would not look at this week as a loss at all. We grew a lot, learned a lot, and moved the puck around well. You could call it a bump in the road, but there were a lot of things we did right and I think it was a good week.
“Sometimes a loss and a tie can give you a little kick in the butt, and we will use it as fuel.”
R-P's Hunter Fritz (9) tries to get a shot off. Photo/Tyler Lirones
The game, played in front of a big downtown Muskegon crowd, was fast and physical with a lot of drama.
Mona Shores opened the scoring with a goal by Connor Osterhart at 8:10 of the first period.
The Rockets answered with a goal by Ayden Hartzell with 2:12 left in the period, and the score was tied 1-1 at the first break.
Hartzell, who has been scoring a lot lately, took a very hard hit early in the second period, was down on the ice for several minutes, then had to be helped to the locker room. He returned for the third period, but the Rockets had to play without him for almost all of the second.
Despite that, R-P’s Eli Cuti scored almost three minutes into the second period, giving the Rockets a 2-1 lead.
R-P had back-to-back penalties about seven minutes into the period, giving Mona Shores a 5-on-3 skater advantage. But VanDyke and the penalty-kill unit rose to the challenge, keeping the Sailors from cashing in on the opportunity.
R-P's Kaidyn Hill (13) eyes a pass to Trenton Hanks (8). Photo/Tyler Lirones
Mona Shores hit paydirt after the power play, however, scoring twice in just over a minute to take a 3-2 lead heading into the third period. Habetler and Jones McDowell got the goals for the Sailors.
The Rockets got the momentum back at the start of a wild third period, and seemed to be on the verge of winning.
Hayden Taylor scored with a wrist shot from the top of the right circle, less than a minute into the third, tying the score at 3-3.
R-P pulled ahead 4-3 with a goal by freshman Sheldon Frederick at the 8:26 mark, and seemed to be in good shape.
But the Sailors would not go away.
R-P's Tyler Cuti (middle) tries to steal the puck. Photo/Tyler Lirones
They tied the game with 5:36 remaining on Cullen Conrad's long, high shot from the blue line that somehow got past VanDyke.
Mona Shores pulled ahead 5-4 with a goal by Brady Tilton almost two minutes later.
The Rockets counterpunched one more time, tying the game at 5-5 on a goal by sophomore Jordan Benkert with 2:20 left in regulation.
That led to VanDyke’s two big saves that kept the game tied, and the scoreless overtime period.
R-P’s penalty-killing unit played a huge part in the outcome, keeping Mona Shores from scoring on seven power play chances.
“When you take as many penalties as we have the last year and a half, you gotta tighten that up,” Langlois said. “We changed (the penalty kill) up a bit this year. We’re not being as aggressive and we’re clogging up the middle more, which has definitely helped keep the puck out of the net.”
The Rockets will return to action on Jan. 3 on the road against Caledonia.