The Reeths-Puffer hockey team seemed poised to get back on track and break a three-game losing streak on Saturday, building a two-goal lead over West Ottawa on two different occasions.
But both leads slipped away and the game went to sudden death overtime, then R-P gave up a shorthanded goal and lost a 5-4 heartbreaker in the final game of the O-K Conference Tournament in Hudsonville.
The first part of the game went great for R-P.
Jordan Benkert
Hayden Taylor and Jordan Benkert scored the first two goals of the game in the first period, giving the Rockets a nice advantage.
West Ottawa’s Krue Anderson scored late in the first period and R-P led 2-1 heading into the second.
Benkert scored again about midway through the second period, giving the Rockets a 3-1 lead. Anderson scored again with 2:30 left in the second, and R-P led 3-2 heading into the third.
West Ottawa’s Eli Bean started what would become his lethal damage with a goal less a minute into the third period, tying the game at 3-3.
Hayden Taylor
Taylor scored again for the Rockets with 6:42 left in regulation, putting R-P up 4-3. Bean struck with his second goal with just 2:36 left, tying the score again and sending the game to overtime.
The Rockets had a power play in OT, but it was Bean who had the last laugh, completing his late hat trick with a shorthanded goal to give West Ottawa the sudden victory.
The Panthers had a 45-34 advantage in shots on goal.
Reeths-Puffer, now 12-11-1 on the season, will play its last regular season game on Wednesday against Forest Hills Central before diving into the MSHAA state tournament the following week.