Battle Road Classic round up ...

Lexington secured a 1-0 victory over Acton-Boxborough (AB) in the opening round, earning a spot in the Battle Road Classic Championship game for the first time in several years. Throughout the AB game, Lexington dominated play, controlling the offensive zone with a relentless forecheck. Despite spending the majority of the game in AB's end, the Minutemen managed to score just one goal.

While Lexington's speed and aggressive forecheck have been consistent strengths this season, they have not translated into a high number of goals. To be fair, the early schedule

Pat Semanchick scores the game winner vs. AB

has featured some of the tougher opponents notably Burlington, Concord-Carlisle (CC), and Waltham, that the Minutemen are likely to face, but finding the back of the net more often will be critical moving forward.

In the championship game, Lexington faced an undefeated Concord-Carlisle team, ranked between #2 and #4 in the state Division 2 Boys rankings, depending on the poll. Concord-Carlisle’s offense has been driven by their dominant first line, which accounted for the majority of their scoring this season. That trend continued in the final, as CC's top line tallied all three goals in the first period, leading to a 3-0 victory.

Despite the early setback, credit goes to the Minutemen coaching staff and the players for their resilience. A couple of miscues in the first period directly contributed to two of CC's goals, but Lexington regrouped and played with determination. Over the final two periods, the Minutemen went toe-to-toe with Concord-Carlisle, matching them shot for shot and shift for shift, holding the Patriots scoreless in a 0-0 deadlock.

Ultimately, spotting CC an early three-goal lead, combined with Lexington’s ongoing struggles to finish, proved too much to overcome. However, the Minutemen’s strong response showed that when they play responsible, disciplined hockey, they can compete with top-tier teams—an encouraging sign for the rest of the season.

Next up the boys travel to Somerville to play the Highlanders on Monday, January 6th at 5:30 PM at Veteran's Memorial Rink in Somerville.