Bill Zalba is back in the head coach's seat for Reeths-Puffer, and he said he's doing it because he's committed to the players he's been around going back to their youth hockey days.
Zalba had a successful run at R-P from 2018-21, piloting the Rockets to two regional championships. He stepped down in part due to time management reasons, and after a brief interregnum, his assistant Dustin Langlois took over the position in 2023, with Zalba as assistant.
Langlois intended to move from the Spring Lake area closer to R-P, Zalba said, but it fell through, and Langlois instead accepted the Grand Haven coaching job this offseason (Spring Lake co-ops with the Buccaneers). That put Zalba back into the decision-maker's chair, and he couldn't have it any other way.
"There's a lot of families and players I have coached a very long time here, and I couldn't think to have anyone else come in and lead this group," Zalba said. "This is a team I'm excited to be part of because of their will to compete and their want to be better."
The hope is that Zalba stepping into the head coach job will continue the momentum the Rockets have built the past couple of years. In 2023-24, the team made a final four appearance for only the second time in program history, and last year brought another strong season with a 16-7-2 record.
"Bill brings both stability and continuity to our successful program and is committed to building upon the proud legacy of Rocket hockey," R-P athletic director Cliff Sandee said in a statement to program stakeholders announcing Zalba's hire.
The team graduated two of its top three goal scorers from last season - Ayden Hartzell and Tyler Tindall, who combined for 45 goals - and lost veteran senior goaltender Huck VanDyke, who chose to play on the HoneyBaked club team on the east side of the state. However, many other top players are back, like Hayden Taylor, who led the team in points last year, as well as Eli Cuti and Connor Anderson as point-scorers and defensive aces Kaeden Benner, Thomas Grassman and Jordan Benkert.
More so than the returning talent, though, Zalba has been impressed with the team's desire in early practices.
"I've been part of a lot of really talented teams, but I haven't seen a team that's this enthusiastic to want to get better every day," Zalba said. "We have a great group of upperclassmen, but we also have a group of sophomores and freshmen that want to be better, and it's so refreshing to see. This is the first year I can say everyone is truly competing with each other to be better, and it's been fun to watch the last few weeks."
R-P has also brought in two players who were previously on club teams in the state - Dom Switzer and Rohan Moyer, the latter of whom Zalba said he's been trying to get to R-P "for a couple years now." The Rockets are also tapping the VanDyke tree once again for their goaltender, because although Huck is gone, his younger brother Bear, a freshman, is slated to be the starter at that spot, just as Huck was at that age. The VanDykes' older brother Cole also played for the Rockets.
"Growing up with those guys as older brothers, he'll be ready to go," Zalba said of Bear.
Internal expectations are high, especially for the later parts of the season, as the new talent jells with the returning players and Bear VanDyke acclimates to varsity hockey between the posts.
"I've told the guys, this isn't a sprint," Zalba said. "We'll be ready to go by February. When you have half a team turn over, you have to get everyone on the same page, and it doesn't happen right away...We have a great group that will lead this team. I think we'll be right there competing like we have been."
There will be ample tests for the Rockets along the way, including two matchups with rival Mona Shores. The two teams' only meeting last year was a physically played 5-5 tie. R-P will also face off with Grandville, a Division 2 semifinalist in 2025. Byron Center is a consistent power as well.
Zalba said he senses more parity among the area hockey teams than in the recent past, which means his Rockets need to be ready to play night after night.
"It's one of those things where if you don't show up to play any given day, you could go home (with a loss)," Zalba said. "High school (tournament) hockey is one and done, and you just have to be ready every day.
"This team is a young, enthusiastic group led by a core group of upperclassmen. People are kind of writing us off because we lost some kids, but I think we'll turn some heads. I'm excited to get started."
