MUSKEGON – The Reeths-Puffer hockey team had one final opportunity to break out of a painful losing streak, get back on track and keep its season alive.
Sophomore forward Dom Switzer made sure that happened.
The Rockets were tied 1-1 with Grand Haven with just over two minutes left in their Division 1 regional semifinal game at Muskegon’s Trinity Health Arena on Wednesday.
With the season on the line, Switzer broke loose with the puck and headed toward the Grand Haven goal, leading a 2-on-1 breakaway.
Just after crossing the blue line, Switzer unleashed a shot that rocketed past the goalie and gave Reeths-Puffer a critical 2-1 lead.
R-P's Dom Switzer tries to get the puck past the goalie. Photo/Jeremy Clark
The Rockets added an empty-net goal not long after, and skated away with a huge 3-1 victory to earn a berth in next week’s regional championship game against rival Mona Shores.
“He let go of a freaking cannon,” R-P head coach Bill Zalba said about Switzer’s shot. “We told them all game to let it rip, and he had probably five or six (near miss) shots that we were like, ‘Come on, man,’ so he needed one more, apparently. He just fired and made it count.”
Switzer was thrilled to come through for his team in the big moment.
“It felt great,” he said. “Especially in these regional playoffs. It all comes down to these games and these moments. You only have so much time on the ice to make the most of it and make it count.”
The victory was almost as relieving as it was exciting for the Rockets.
R-P goalie Bear VanDyke makes a stop. Photo/Jeremy Clark
R-P was having a pretty good season until a few weeks ago, when it suddenly fell into a five-game losing streak that lasted until Wednesday’s game.
But the Rockets put that behind them by overcoming an early one-goal deficit and getting the job done against the Buccaneers.
Outside of an exuberant locker room after the game, Zalba said nights like Wednesday are exactly why you play sports.
“You never know what’s going to happen,” the coach said. “You can go on a four or five game losing streak and then snap it. We didn’t lose those games because we weren’t skilled enough. We just had a couple bumps in the road, and I couldn’t be prouder of my group.”
While the night ended in relief and excitement for the Rockets, things didn’t start out that way.
Grand Haven took a 1-0 lead with 4:39 left in the first period and held it until late in the second period.
R-P's Hayden Taylor tries to keep control of the puck. Photo/Jeremy Clark
That’s when R-P’s Tyler Cuti hammered home a rebound shot to tie the game with 4:37 left in the period, with assists from Eli Cuti and Hayden Taylor.
The game remained 1-1 until Switzer’s late goal, despite the fact that Reeths-Puffer controlled the puck for most of the third period.
Eli Cuti put the capper on the win with the empty-net goal with 24 seconds remaining.
“We were pushing the pace the entire period,“ said Eli Cuti, a big point producer for the Rockets who had missed the previous four games due to an injury. “We didn’t let up much. Then finally we buried the goal and I went crazy.
“It took so much off our shoulders and made us feel better. But we still had work left to do, and thankfully we got it done.”
R-P's Connor Anderson works his way around an opponent. Photo/Jeremy Clark
Reeths-Puffer outshot Grand Haven 22-15 on the night, including 7-2 in the third period.
The Rockets will now face Mona Shores in the regional championship game, scheduled for 7 p.m. next Wednesday at Trinity Health Arena. The winner will advance to the Division 1 state quarterfinals.
The Rockets and Sailors have split a pair of games against each other this season.
“There is nothing better,” Zalba said about the pending showdown between the two teams, with a regional title hanging in the balance. “I don’t know if it’s ever happened, and if it has, it’s probably been awhile. It’s two great programs and two great teams going at it. It’s going to be electric.”