MUSKEGON - It’s a good confidence builder to start the season with a victory, and the Reeths-Puffer hockey beam did that with an impressive win over Rockford on Friday.
Sometimes it’s also good to get beaten badly early in the season, to remind the players that they are not invincible, particularly if they put less than their full effort into a game.
R-P experienced that on Saturday, when Troy United, a team from the Detroit area, skated into Muskegon’s Trinity Health Arena and handed the Rockets a painful 9-2 loss.
The game was close after one period, then Troy took control by scoring three goals on its first three shots in the second period.
R-P's Rohan Moyer (15) gets off a shot. Photo/Jeremy Clark
The visiting team completed a successful trip to the west side of the state, beating Grand Haven and the Rockets on consecutive days and only giving up two goals in the process.
R-P head coach Bill Zalba stressed that it’s very early in the season, and the Rockets will have lots of chances to play better, but also said one important lesson needs to be learned from the experience:
You have to work hard every game, for the entire game, if you hope to pile up a lot of victories.
“We got beat in every aspect of the game,” the coach said. “They worked hard and we really didn’t. There were spurts of it, but not enough. Hard work outweighs talent all the time.
R-P's Kaeden Benner (10) tries to get the puck to Sheldon Frederick. Photo/Jeremy Clark
“We have to go out there and be the hardest working team on the ice, every game. We are not talented enough to just go out and beat every team out there. Some, but not all.”
When asked if the Rockets might have been tired after playing on Friday night, Zalba said “They played last night, too. The bottom line is that we just got outworked.”
The game was close and interesting for one period. Troy’s Joey Clark found the net about 7 ½ minutes into the game and the visitors went to the locker room with a 1-0 lead after the first 17 minutes.
The roof caved in in the Rockets early in the second period, when Troy collected quick goals from Ben Dumas, Breiden Blaeske and Kaiser Ascencio within one minute and one second, making the score 4-0.
Several Rockets end up in a pileup near the R-P goal. Photo/Jeremy Clark
Ascencio scored again a few minutes later, before the Rockets finally got on the board.
The first R-P goal came with 6:45 left in the second when Jordan Benkert scored from close range, with an assist fron Dominic Switzer, making the score 5-1.
R-P’s Hayden Taylor added a power play goal with 5:32 remaining, with an assist from Tyler Cuti, to make the score 5-2.
Troy’s Chris Gatto scored with less than a minute to go, and Troy ended the second period leading 6-2.
Moyer behind the goal, surrounded by opponents. Photo/Jeremy Clark
The victors collected three more goals in the third period, including one from Dumas and two more from Ascencio.
Troy outshot the Rockets 28-15, according to one unofficial tally.
Reeths-Puffer will return to action on Wednesday, hosting Grand Rapids Christian at Trinity Health Arena at 7:30 p.m.