TRENTON – When they found themselves tied 1-1 after two long periods of play on Saturday, the Riverview Gabriel Richard hockey team turned to some humor to loosen things up a little bit.
And it worked.After listening to a joke from coach Tim Sassak before the final stanza, the Pioneers came out and exploded in the third period to fuel an eventual 5-2 win over Northville.
“Tim went in there and told a really long joke,” Richard coach Ricky DeSana said. “We thought we were playing really tight and we had to loosen them up. Maybe sometimes you get so stressed out about winning and messing up, and this, and that, so I think it kind of loosened them up and they came out smiling and laughing.”
DeSana said the only thing he asked his team was to rate the joke, which they gave a 9.5 out of 10.
It was about that rating for the third period for Richard who added four goals, including an empty-netter, en route to victory on the third and final day of the MIHL Prep Hockey Showcase at the Kennedy Recreation Center.
“Our schedule is so tough that you’ve got to have some victories throughout,” DeSana said after the win put his team back at .500 for the season. “You get those tough teams and they’re hard to score against and then you run into a couple of losses in a row.
“This was a good victory,” DeSana added. “The boys needed a victory to keep their spirits up.”
The game-winner came almost midway through the third period when Santino Venturini found the back of the net with 10:42 to go, making it a 3-1 game at the time.
After going to the net all night, senior captain Connor Forster finally tallied one four minutes after the Venturini goal. Then Tommy Hughes capped the night with an empty net goal in the final minute of regulation.
Earlier in the game, it was senior Matthew Hillock with two birthday goals to help Richard overcome and early deficit.
With just 5.3 seconds left in the middle stanza, Hillock netted a game-tying power play goal in the Pioneers’ third attempt at a man-advantage goal in the period. Then just 42 seconds into the final period, the senior scored again, this time unassisted to give the locals their first and only lead of the night, one they never gave up.
“That was a big one,” DeSana said. “We haven’t played with a lead in a while. (On Friday) we were mostly playing from behind and getting a lead does wonders for momentum in sports.”
Although their first year officially in the MIHL, Richard is no strangers to MIHL Showcase action and have been participants since 2017. The Division 3 No. 6-ranked Pioneers in their first showcase game of the weekend on Friday suffered a tough 4-1 loss to D3 No. 5-ranked Marquette.
“We’re really proud of that and we’re also battling for a big title,” DeSana said as his team prepares to head into the final weeks of the season. “We’ve got some big games and we’re really proud to be battling for being first in the league.”
UP NEXT
It doesn’t get easy for DeSana and Richard, who hit the road for a quick three-game stretch before returning home for the final outing of the regular season.
The Pioneers will head to Orchard Lake St Mary’s and Port Huron Northern on February 3 and 5, respectively, before capping the road trip at Howell on February 7. Their regular campaign then wraps up by hosting Livonia Stevenson on Feb 12.
As they inch closer to the one-and-done season, the Pioneers are looking to focus on details on offense.
“Details when it comes to scoring goals and shooting for rebounds,” DeSana said. “If you’re going to do anything in the playoffs, you’re going to have to beat good goalies.”
Photo gallery of Riverview Gabriel Richard vs Northville at the MIHL Prep Hockey Showcase
