Nobody would have bet on the Reeths-Puffer lacrosse team getting a victory on Wednesday in the final game of the regular season.
The Rockets came in with a 5-12 record and had been struggling pretty consistently all season. To complicate matters, both of their goalkeepers had broken thumbs and were unavailable, leaving R-P with a last minute fill-in who had very limited experience.
But that last minute fill-in rose up and got the job done.
Brennan Dietz, the hero fill-in goalie
Sophomore Brennan Dietz, an attacker on the junior varsity squad, stepped into the goalkeeper shoes and performed brilliantly, helping R-P stun Grand Rapids Christian 12-9 on the road.
“He’s not even a goalie,” said R-P head coach Josh Robidoux about Dietz. “He’s a JV guy who plays attack. When he was younger he used to play some goalie. He stepped in the last five minutes of the Jenison game (last week) and did pretty well, then he started this game and must have had 15-plus saves.
“He’s an offensive player. That’s where his mind is. But he was willing to do this, and it’s not an easy job. He was definitely our player of the game.”
Dietz was not the only standout in the big win.
R-P's Garrison Niklasch. Photo/Tyler Lirones
Jax Sieplinga had three goals, all in the first half, to help the Rockets gain a halftime lead. Senior Cohen Beck, one of the more prolific scorers in recent years, scored four goals in the second half, nailing down the victory.
Garrison Niklasch and Braedon Monette each added two goals for the Rockets. Beck, Nicklasch and Sieplinga each had two assists.
“They were fired up,” Robidoux said about his players. “They knew this team beat us last time. They played like they could all season, like we’ve talked about all season. Lots of energy, lots of positive support from the bench, guys just taking care of the ball on offense, and our defense just killed it.”
R-P's Braeden Monette, right. Photo/Tyler Lirones
“Everything came together in this game, with a backup goalie, at that!”
First quarters have been a headache for the Rockets all season, and it started out that way on Wednesday, with Grand Rapids Christian taking an early 3-1 lead.
But the Rockets woke up before things got out of hand. Sieplinga scored early to make the score 1-1, then added another to make it 3-2. Monette added a goal with a minute left and the score was tied 3-3 headed into the second quarter.
GR Christian scored first in the second, but then the Rockets exploded with five straight goals, from Blake Kiel, two straight from Niklasch, then single tallies from Monette and Sieplinga to take an 8-4 halftime lead.
The Rockets celebrate a goal. Photo/Tyler Lirones
GR Christian again scored first in the third quarter, then Beck scored back-to-back goals to make the score 10-5. GR Christian added tow more and it was 10-7 heading in the fourth.
Beck and GR Christian each had two goals down the stretch, and the Rockets secured the fun victory.
It was yet another big performance for Beck, who recently surpassed the 100-goal mark for his varsity career.
R-P's Gabe Fierick, right, battles for a faceoff. Photo/Tyler Lirones
“He's got a tenacity going at the net that you need in lacrosse,” Robidoux said about Beck. “He’s not afraid to shoot. What really worked for him in this game is that he was distributing the ball well in the first half, which turned their defenders’ eyes away from him, and that opened up the floodgates for him in the second half.
“Gabe Fierick also had an awesome game for us on faceoffs. I think he won 60 to 65 percent of them, and they had a very good faceoff man. Sieplinga and Niklasch also played great. We had a lot of guys who played really well.”
The Rockets will visit East Grand Rapids on Monday for a first-round regional game, and will need a victory to keep their season alive.