The good news is that the Reeths-Puffer lacrosse team is coming around, with most of the season still to come.
After two tough losses to start the season, the Rockets broke into the victory column on Tuesday with an exciting 6-4 road victory over Grand Rapids Northview.
The week ended on a more difficult note, however, when R-P fell to Grand Haven on Friday.
The victory over Northview was refreshing. Unlike the first two games, when R-P fell behind early and dug itself deep holes, the Rockets grabbed the lead in the first quarter and never let go.
Zander Madole
Garrison Niklasch scored the first goal, then Rohan Moyer added two, and R-P led 3-2 headed into the second quarter.
Cohen Beck scored the only goal of the second quarter, giving the Rockets a 4-2 halftime lead.
Northview had the only goal of the third quarter, leaving Reeths-Puffer clinging to a 4-3 edge heading down the stretch.
Blake Kiel gave R-P some breathing room with a goal with 7:04 remaining in the game, then Braeden Monette added another with 4:03 left.
Northview scored again in the final minute, but it was too little, too late for the home team.
Rohan Moyer
Beck, Moyer and Hunter Adams all had assists for the Rockets.
Freshman goalie Zander Madole filled in for starter Jaxson Flora and made some key saves to preserve the win for R-P.
“As his first varsity performance in a high pressure situation, I thought he did great after calming some nerves,” said R-P head coach Josh Robidoux. “He has a ton of potential and we were happy with what we saw from him tonight.”
Robidoux credited Hunter Adams for very strong play in the transition game.
Hunter Adams
“I'm proud of our guys for getting their first win of the season in conference play,” Robidoux said. “It wasn't pretty at times, but what matters is that they continued to find a way to battle. Our defense communicated much better, and our offense found improved looks tonight, but we have to keep cleaning things up day by day.”
Things didn’t go quite so well for the Rockets on Thursday, when they traveled to Grand Haven and fell 13-5 to the Buccaneers.
The game was close after one quarter, with R-P trailing 3-2. Niklasch and Jax Sieplinga scored for the Rockets.
Grand Haven scored the only two goals of the second quarter and led 5-2 at halftime.
Cal Millis
The big trouble came in the third quarter when R-P was outscored 5-1. Cal Millis found the net for the Rockets.
Grand Haven had a 3-2 edge in the fourth quarter. Monette and Millis scored for R-P.
Coach Robidoux credited Millis, Nicklasch, Adams and Gabe Feirick for strong performances.
“Tonight was a tough one,” the coach said. “I'm proud of a lot of the progress we made offensively at times, and our defense stepped up a ton in the first half. All in all it was a much closer game than the score indicated.
“We know that if we want a shot at those top teams in the conference this year, we have to come up with the win in these games.”