By Dave Tomczak
LocalSportsJournal.com

MUSKEGON – The Mona Shores and Reeths-Puffer hockey teams both stepped onto the ice at the L.C. Walker Arena Wednesday looking for their first win of the season.

Now both teams will have the holiday break to figure out how to get that done the next time.

Erick Hannahs fights to the get the puck out of the Mona Shores zone while No. 8 Rylee Bonjernoor looks to attack. Photo/Mitchell Dixon MSD Photography

The Sailors built an early lead and the Rockets battled back late, and the teams skated to a 4-4 O-K Conference Tier 1 tie.

Mona Shores moved to 0-7-1 overall on the season and 0-1-1 in conference play. The Rockets are now 0-6-2 and 0-2-1.

Nolan Convertini started the scoring 6:47 into the first period, giving Reeths-Puffer an early 1-0 lead.

The Sailors’ Spencer Anderson answered, scoring on a wrist shot just a second after the Rockets had killed off a Shores power play, and the first period ended with a 1-1 tie.

Mona Shores took a 2-1 lead a minute into the second period on Mark Mills’ power play goal, but just 2:23 minutes later, the Rockets answered.

Caden Brainard picked off a Sailor pass, walked in on goal, and went to the backhand for a short-handed goal that tied the game at 2-2.

Mona Shores went back on the power play two minutes later. Once again, the Rockets killed it off, but once again Shores scored a second after the power play expired on Justin Winegar’s goal, giving the Sailors a 3-2 lead.

Reeths-Puffer goalie Derek Antol posts the save. Photo/Mitchell Dixon MSD Photography

“We’re trying to learn how to win,” Rockets coach Bill Zalba said. “We’re doing a lot of good things, but we’d kill off a penalty and they’d score right after. It shows you, we have to play to the final buzzer.”

Erick Hannahs gave Mona Shores a 4-2 lead heading into the third period with a goal with just 0.2 seconds left in the second period.

Despite the deficit, Reeths-Puffer bounced right back in the third period, pulling within 4-3 on Convertini’s second goal of the game just 1:24 into the third.

With 6:18 left in the game, Puffer tied it when Reid Sayles scored a power play goal off a loose puck in front of the net.

The Rockets controlled the action in the third, outshooting Mona Shores 13-2 in the period.

Mona Shores, which had a 5-2 power play advantage, had one last chance with a man advantage with 1:27 left in regulation, but came up empty to end the period.

Both teams finished with three shots in overtime, but nobody could break the deadlock.

“We worked the puck really well and we did a good job of getting shots,” Shores coach Dan Quaine said. “I thought for the first two periods we played really well. We had a couple of mistakes they took advantage of, but we skated hard.”

Reeths-Puffer finished the game with a 39-27 shot advantage. Rylee Bonjernoor and Reid Sayleseach  had two assists for Reeths-Puffer.