Close but no cigar ...

With the team now at full strength and the defense stabilized, the last three games have looked far more like what we expected from this group—competitive, hard-fought, close games.

While the Minutemen sit at 1–2 during this full-strength stretch, the record easily could be 3–0, as both losses were one-goal games that could have gone either way. The early-season struggles were driven by an obvious key player absence, but the most recent losses—particularly the Medford game—came down to a few costly lapses in focus in the defensive zone. More often than not, it isn’t the best team that wins, but the team that makes the fewest mistakes—and in this game, Lexington made one too many, most notably on Medford’s game-winning goal.

With 12 games remaining and a favorable stretch ahead—especially after the Travis Roy Jr. Beanpot tournament against teams with losing records—there is a real opportunity to build momentum and go on a run, without sounding like a wide-eyed optimist. That process has to start Monday night against Cambridge, a team currently 1–3–1, with its lone win coming against a Somerville squad that has scored just seven goals while surrendering 40 so far this season. That said, the Minutemen can’t afford to take any opponent lightly. As noted in our last article, the approach has to be game by game, period by period, and shift by shift.

Now let's review the Medford game. After watching the game film it was another game where for long stretches Lexington controlled the play however some poor d-zone coverage by an LHS forward led to Medford's game winning goal. While mistakes happen, this one was easily preventable but unfortunately its the same players making these coverage mistakes game after game.

While the game winning goal was a self inflicted mistake, the first goal stemmed from an awful call by the officials. After a shot on net, a scrum developed in front of goalie Timmy Rinaldi, who had the puck tied up. Despite Medford continuing to jab at the puck for a moment or two, the play should have been blown dead by the official. In fact, the referee positioned right next to the net initially waved the play off and correctly signaled no goal, as Rinaldi clearly had control.

In an odd and baffling twist, the referee stationed at the blue line—without a clear view of the puck—skated in and overruled the call, signaling that it was a good goal. A discussion followed, but somehow the official who was 64 feet away (the full distance from the goal line to the blue line) overruled the referee who was literally standing over the puck. How the official with the best vantage point allowed himself to be overruled by someone that far removed from the play is beyond explanation.

The second goal scored by Medford was the result of three Lexington players losing an in zone puck battle against two Medford players resulting on Medford getting a high quality scoring change about 7 feet from the net that beat Timmy Rinaldi.

With Medford up 2-0 now in the second period the first line of Ryan Jenness, Dylan Lane, and Brady Kingsbury struck as Jenness won a gritty puck battle behind the net and pushed the puck to Lane (also behind the net) who made a great centering pass to the slot to Kingsbury who buried it to cut the lead to 2-1.

Ryan Jenness in pursuit of the puck in a recent game, has been lighting the lamp this season.

The score remained 2–1 until just under six minutes left in the second period, when Lexington’s defense got caught puck-watching behind the net as a Medford forward slid unchecked into the slot. Compounding the breakdown, the weak-side winger—whose responsibility in that situation is to protect the slot—was out of position. The puck was worked from behind the net directly to the uncovered Medford player, who was left with a virtual open net and buried the goal to pad Medford's lead to 3-1. This goal was far more the result of a Lexington mistake than a strong Medford play, and it’s exactly the kind of breakdown that simply can’t happen. It comes down to basic HockeyIQ and positional responsibility.

Trailing 3–1 with just over two minutes remaining in the second period, the Lane–Jenness–Kingsbury line went back to work. With Lane applying pressure on the forecheck, a Medford defenseman rushed an errant pass up the boards that was intercepted by Jenness. Jenness then cut to the middle, drawing a defender with him before slipping the puck to Lane, who drove hard around the defenseman and attacked the net. Lane followed with a beautiful backhand feed back to Jenness, who finished to pull the Minutemen within one.

This line has been on a tear of late. Jenness has scored three goals in his last three games, Kingsbury has added two goals, and Lane has been the catalyst—stirring the drink with his playmaking skills piling up five primary assists over that same stretch.

The score held at 3–2 through the third period and remained unchanged until the final horn. Lexington had no shortage of chances, including multiple breakaway opportunities that were turned aside, a five-minute power play, and a last-gasp bid that rang off the post from Ryan Jenness in the final 30 seconds.

Here's to hoping the boys can pull it altogether tonight in Cambridge at 5:00 PM. Teighan Tassinari gets the start in net for the Minutemen!

#LexGo