Home Cooking and a Captain's Return ...

After spending the entire season on the road, the LHS Boys Varsity team was energized by finally returning to Hayden for its first home games of the year in the Battle Road Classic. The boost was even greater with the return of captain and defensive anchor Caleb Fehm.

Facing a demanding early-season schedule that included Burlington, Waltham, and Shawsheen—teams that had combined for a 14–1 record at the time of this writing—made

The Captain was back patrolling the blue line

the challenge even greater, particularly without one of the team’s leaders and top defensemen in the lineup. Compounding the difficulty was the task of integrating numerous new varsity players, especially on defense, following graduation losses and departures to prep school and juniors, which proved too much to overcome in the early going. While the team did not lose any elite players or major goal scorers, the departures were nonetheless significant. The players lost were solid, experienced MIAA varsity contributors with multiple years at the level—experience that is difficult to replace, especially with younger, less-seasoned players. For most newcomers, it often takes half a season to fully adjust to the pace and physicality of varsity hockey, making an early-season “trial by fire” challenging for both the players and the team. The encouraging news is that many of those younger players are now beginning to make those adjustments which will bode well for the team over the final 13 games.

A big hat tip to Connor O’Leary, who shifted back to defense just prior to Caleb Fehm’s return and provided the first signs of defensive stabilization. However, moving O’Leary to the blue line also came at a cost, as it took a quick, dynamic playmaker out of the offensive lineup. The theme of shoring up the defense and better defensive play has been trending in the right direction the last three games up to and including the Battle Road Classic tourney

Battle Road Classic

The opening game of the Battle Road Classic matched the Minutemen against neighboring rival Bedford. Like Lexington, the Buccaneers entered the season facing significant roster turnover, having lost 15 players to graduation. With Caleb Fehm returning to the blue line, a more settled and shortened defensive rotation, and the energetic backdrop of a raucous Hayden Arena, the outcome was never truly in doubt.

Credit to Bedford for competing hard and hanging around early, as the Minutemen came out somewhat lethargic in the first period, perhaps guilty of taking their less-experienced opponent lightly. The top line of Ryan Jenness (2 goals), Dylan Lane (2 assists) and Brady Kingsbury (1 goal - empty-netter) led the way and sealed Lexington's 3–0 victory.

What was most encouraging, however, was the Minutemen’s defensive performance. Lexington consistently steered Bedford’s forwards to the outside, protected the crease, and limited the Buccaneers to low-percentage shots from the perimeter, keeping the game firmly under control and notching the Minutemen's first win of the year.

The Battle Road Classic championship game was a rematch of last year’s final, with Lexington and Concord-Carlisle (CC) meeting once again. It was the Minutemen’s most complete performance of the season, highlighted by strong defensive play, solid goaltending, effective forechecking, and sustained puck possession.

In the first period Lexington and Concord-Carlisle traded scoring chances but neither team was able to find the back of the net. It was a spirited period but ultimately yielded little in terms of determining the outcome. After the first period stalemate, the second period finally produced goals—unfortunately for Lexington, two poorly timed penalties led directly to two Concord-Carlisle power-play tallies.

Facing yet another short-handed situation in the final minute of the second period, senior captain Dylan Lane made a clutch play by stealing the puck in the defensive zone and racing

up ice. He was joined by an alert Hunter Xu, who jumped into the short-handed rush. At the Concord-Carlisle blue line, Lane split two defenders and slid a perfectly timed pass to Xu. Despite pressure from a back checker and being hit as he released the shot, Xu buried it for a short-handed goal, giving Lexington—and the crowd—a surge of energy.

Ryan Jenness has been heating up

Lexington nearly tied the game with 17 seconds left in the period when Connor O’Leary picked off the puck while Lexington was still short-handed. His end-to-end rush saw him beat a Concord-Carlisle defenseman and cut in on goal, but the CC goalie came up with the save.

The third period was dominated by Lexington as they pushed hard in search of the equalizer. The boys in navy, gold, and white applied relentless forecheck pressure throughout the period and seemed to live in the Concord-Carlisle zone. As time wound down, Lexington pulled Timmy Rinaldi and continued to press, but the tying goal just wouldn’t come. In this writer’s opinion, the boys truly deserved a better result in this game.

It was a strong team performance with contributions from many players, but several stood out: Hunter Xu, Caleb Fehm, Dylan Lane, Timmy Rinaldi, Connor O’Leary, and Karl Gude. Gude played the best game of his LHS varsity career, combining creative offensive flair with solid in-zone defensive play. Additionally, Andrew Pechinsky—who recently converted to defense—continues to adjust well to the position, showing improved play in just his third game back on defense at the high school level.

Looking Ahead

Looking at the season to this point, it can almost be divided into BC (Before Caleb) and AC (After Caleb). The return of the team’s top defenseman—big, strong, mobile, and experienced—has been a clear difference-maker. Alongside Hunter Xu, his presence has given the coaching staff far greater flexibility in configuring defensive pairings, allowing Lexington to consistently keep one of its top defensemen on the ice at all times.

Offensively, the top two lines have driven play over the early part of the season but even more so in the last few games with increased grit, speed, and a more effective forecheck. The recent emergence of Gude has also helped solidify a reliable third line—something that had not materialized earlier in the season.

With the team playing with greater structure and confidence in the AC (after Caleb) era, there is reason to believe Lexington can make up ground with several very winnable games remaining on the schedule. At a minimum, the upgraded lineup and renewed confidence should make the Minutemen far more competitive than they were just a few weeks ago.

While the clock can’t be turned back, the team that took the ice against Concord-Carlisle in the Battle Road Classic certainly looked capable of having won a few of those early-season games!

LEX GO!!!!!!!!!!