Heritage’s hockey season ended in the Division 2 quarterfinals March 4 at Ferris State University. The 5-3 loss to Reeths-Puffer finished the Heritage season with a 21-5-1 record.
Kyle Kendra had four goals and an assist for Reeths-Puffer.
Heritage had built a 2-0 lead on goals by Jacob Mackie and London Bonenfant in the first period. Reeths-Puffer scored in the second, then Daniel Krauseneneck’s shorthanded goal, assisted by Devan Bayne, made it 3-1 Heritage. But Reeths-Puffer, led by Kendra, scored four unanswered goals.
“I thought we controlled the play, but they scored two goals in the last minute and a half of the second period to tie us, which gave them the momentum in the third period,” said Heritage coach J.J. Bamberger. “After they took the lead, we had a lot of chances, but we just didn’t capitalize on our opportunities.”
Bamberger said senior leadership paved the way for his team this season. “Tyler Angers had a great year, earning first team all-state honors. Kevin Cressey had a great year as a senior goalie, earning all-state second team honors. We tried to make sure we peaked at playoff time, which I think we did but came up a little short of our goal.”
It was a season Heritage fans will remember for a long time. “Although we came up short in our goal to reach The Frozen Four at Compuware, I still think we had a successful season,” Bamberger said. “We won the Traverse City Christmas Tournament for the first time in school history. As a coach, whenever you have a group that worked as hard as these kids did, you appreciate them as a group.”