Tyler Tindall didn’t intend to play high school hockey in 2022-23.
The R-P sophomore had been playing for several years in the Fox Motors junior hockey program out of Grand Rapids and planned to continue down that path.
But high school buddies can be pretty persuasive, and the guys from the R-P hockey team kept bugging Tindall until he gave in and agreed to join them.
Now, looking back, Tindall says it “was a good decision.”
That was obvious once again last Wednesday night, when Tindall erupted for four goals, including three in a wild third period, leading the Rockets to a crazy 7-5 comeback victory over Kenowa Hills.
Tindall (7) and his teammates react to their huge comeback win over Kenowa Hills last week. Photo/Joe Lane
The Rockets trailed 5-2 headed into the third period. Tindall, who had already scored one goal in the first period, started the comeback with a goal that was assisted by Connor Stawski. A few minutes later Jaxon Stone scored on the rebound of a Tindall shot, making the score 5-4.
Tindall completed his hat trick and tied the game when he deflected a Stawski shot into the net on a power play, then he delivered the game-winning goal with an assist by Gavin Pastotnik.
The Rockets’ final goal came when Stone intercepted a Kenowa Hills pass and scored on a breakaway.
“It was impressive, that’s for sure,” R-P head coach Ryan Martin said about Tindall’s third-period performance. “We were all fired up. It was quite an environment to be in.”
Tindall now has nine goals on the season and two hat-trick games. There’s no telling what he might accomplish over the rest of the season or the next 2 ½ years.
Tindall (7) now has two hat-trick games in his first season of high school hockey. Photo/Joe Lane
But after practice last Thursday, Tindall did not seem overly impressed with his accomplishments the night before.
When asked if the four-goal performance was his best game ever, the quiet 16-year-old just shrugged and said, “Probably, yeah.”
When pressed for more of an answer, Tindall said, “It was pretty exciting. We were down going into the third period, then we stepped it up and won. It was definitely a first for me.”
Several of Tindall’s big goals on Thursday came from close range, which continued a trend that has surprised and pleased the R-P coaches.
“We knew he had skill, but we didn’t realize how good he was close to the net,” Coach Martin said. “We knew he was a talented finesse player, but he’s also been showing a lot of grit down low, and he’s been getting a lot of rebound goals. He’s not a big kid, but he knows how to be in the right place at the right time.
Tindall stretches to go after the puck near the Kenowa Hills net. Photo/Joe Lane
“Of those four goals, I think on three of them he ended up on his back, but the puck ended up in the net.”
At 5-foot-10, 150 pounds, Tindall is definitely at a size disadvantage playing varsity hockey, where he competes against some much bigger guys, including some who are two or three years older.
After years of playing with his own age group in juniors, the size difference has presented an extra challenge for Tindall, but he’s handling it very well.
“I just try and go around them and find an open space,” he said about finding room to operate near the opponents’ net. “I wish I was taller. It would probably be easier.”
Tindall admits that playing hockey much closer to home, with friends from school and in front of Reeths-Puffer fans, has been a lot of fun.
Tindall, right, and his teammates skate away after scoring a goal against Kenowa Hills. Photo/Joe Lane
He’s glad he finally listened to his pals from school, joined the R-P program, and followed in the footsteps of his father Tim Tindall, a 1999 Reeths-Puffer grad who was also a hockey standout.
“The guys at school talked me into it,” Tindall said. “It took like six months. I kept saying no, no, no, then I finally said yes.
“I go to school with my teammates now, and when I played travel hockey I didn’t go to school with those guys. Plus (playing juniors) was an hour drive away.”
There will probably be many more big games for Tindall over the next 2 ½ seasons, but he will undoubtedly remember his first four-goal varsity game. And if it ever fades from his memory a bit, he has a keepsake to remind him of his special night – a game puck with a fun logo that he received after the excitement was all over.
“It’s a Kenowa Hills puck,” Tindall said. “Our team manager got it for me.”