Season review and look ahead ...

Every season has its own story, and within that story are unique chapters. This one began with a talented returning core of juniors and seniors, strong senior captains Caleb Fehm and Dylan Lane, and a veteran goaltender anchoring the group. With that foundation, the team entered the season expecting to compete for a playoff spot.

Chapter One - Preseason - The Vineyard

The preseason began with the team’s annual tournament on Martha's Vineyard, featuring the host school along with Oyster River High School (NH) and Arlington Catholic. The three-game tourney gives coaches a chance to experiment with line combinations, move players into different roles, and evaluate how the roster might take shape heading into the regular season. While preseason tournaments don’t always reflect regular-season ice time or finalized lineups, every team still competes with its core group of players.

The Minutemen performed well in the Vineyard, reinforcing their preseason expectations of competing for a tournament berth. Even more notable was that they did so without their top defenseman and senior captain, Caleb Fehm.

Beyond the games, the trip also served as a three-day team-building experience. Traditions include Ugly Christmas sweaters, the annual Vineyard lighthouse team photo, group dinners, and wrapping up the trip with a few hours of bowling and another team meal.

Chapter 2 - Early Season Struggles

The early part of the season brought immediate challenges, as the team opened against a demanding three-game stretch: Shawsheen Tech (17-2-1), Burlington (14-5-1), and Waltham (13-7-0). That slate would test any roster at full strength. But this group faced it (and 2 additional games without its three-year defensive starter and captain, Caleb Fehm, while asking several players with no prior varsity experience on defense to step into major roles on the back end. Adding to the challenge, a talented freshman defenseman — impressive beyond his years — but asked with battling seasoned 17- and 18-year-old opponents right out of the gate was a tall order, especially at the beginning of the season.

Making that difficult stretch even tougher was the reality that none of the first five games were played at Lexington’s home rink, Hayden Ice Arena. Home ice provides a real advantage — familiar boards, friendly crowd, no bus travel — and opening the season with five straight games away from home only added another layer of adversity.

2025-26 LHS Boys Varsity Hockey Team

The team went 0–5 during the stretch without Fehm, but the record didn’t tell the full story. Two of those losses — a hard-fought 3–1 road game against Shawsheen and a tight 5–4 battle at Wilmington — were competitive and could have swung either way. Unbeknownst to the players, coaches, or fans at the time, those narrow defeats foreshadowed both the frustratingly close losses and the resilience and competitiveness that would ultimately define the season.

Chapter 2 - Battle Road Classic, Home Ice, and a Captain's Return

Finally, in game six of the regular season, the boys returned to the friendly confines of Hayden Arena to host the annual Battle Road Classic. The tournament featured LHS alongside Bedford, Concord-Carlisle, and Acton-Boxborough, marking a long-awaited homecoming.

Lexington drew Bedford in the opening round and took care of its crosstown rival with a convincing 3–0 victory. The night also marked the long-awaited return of Caleb Fehm. With their captain back anchoring the blue line, a defense that had been surrendering 4.8 goals per game in his absence delivered a statement performance, pitching a shutout.

Lexington advanced to the Battle Road Classic Championship to face Concord-Carlisle (CC) in a rematch of last year’s title game. It was a tightly contested battle that ultimately ended in a 2–1 win for CC. Lexington controlled much of the play and owned the majority of the zone time, but couldn’t find the equalizer. This game became the poster child for the string of one-goal losses that followed — contests in which the boys delivered strong, complete performances, and deserved to win but ultimately came up just short.

After that brief two-game stint at Hayden, the boys were back on the road, traveling to Medford — where, you guessed it, they would fall by a single goal yet again, 3–2.

Chapter 3 - Travis Roy Jr. Beanpot Tourney, Middlesex Play, and Late Season Momentum

This chapter began with the boys competing in the annual Travis Roy Jr. Beanpot Tournament, alongside Brookline, Newton North, and Cambridge Rindge & Latin. The opening-round games were held at the storied and recently renovated Walter Brown Arena on the Boston University campus — the former home of the BU men’s program and now home to the BU Division I women’s team.

It’s always a special experience to play in a historic college rink like Walter Brown or at Bentley Arena’s more modern rink, which hosts the boys several times a year for games and serves as their regular practice home.

The boys opened the tournament against Brookline in a low-scoring, tightly contested game and carried a 1–0 lead into the third period. As the period wore on, Brookline capitalized on a defensive-zone breakdown to tie the game, then took a 2–1 lead late. Lexington pulled its goalie in a final push to equalize but surrendered an empty-net goal that made the final score 3–1. It was another game that had been in their hands — and one that ultimately slipped away.

Next up was Newton North in the consolation game, and Lexington wasted no time setting the tone. The Minutemen scored on their first shift and never looked back, cruising to a 3–0 victory over the Tigers.

It’s worth noting that at this point in the season — after a slow start and several games that felt like they should have been wins but turned into heartbreaking losses — many teams might have folded. But that was never this group. All year long, they refused to let injuries or excuses dampen their spirit. Time and again, they found themselves chasing games, yet they continued to scrap and claw their way back into contention. That resilience was a testament to the team’s leadership and the character of the players in the locker room.

Chapter 4 - End of the Season Stretch Run

With everything starting to click and the younger players settling into the speed and physicality of the varsity game, the final 10 contests saw the Minutemen begin to resemble the team many envisioned from the outset. They went 4–5–1 down the stretch, with three of the five losses again (much like earlier in the season) decided by a single goal. In reality, this group could just as easily have finished 7–2–1 during this stretch if a few bounces had gone their way.

In those four wins (Newton South, Newton North, Cambridge, and Oliver Ames), Lexington poured in 22 goals while allowing just 4— a dominant stretch that showed what this team was capable of when firing on all cylinders.

While the story didn’t end the way everyone had hoped, what we witnessed was a team that battled, refused to quit, and grew together. The season brought its share of frustration, but it also delivered resilience, pride, and many good memories on and off the ice.

In closing, thank you to our captains, our seniors, every player, and our coaches for the commitment, leadership, and effort you gave all season.

Looking Ahead to Next Season ...

While the team will miss its seniors — especially Captains Dylan Lane and Caleb Fehm — a strong and experienced core returns. The group will be led by Connor O’Leary, Brady Kingsbury, and Ryan Jenness, along with Aaron Yu, Hunter Xu, Aiden Neale, and Timmy Rinaldi in net.

They’ll be joined by returning players Nick Piantedosi, Kyle Li, Andrew Pechinsky, Sam Xi, Andrew Najarian, Joey Dolci, and Will Pjura. After gaining valuable experience this season, this group will be better positioned to take a big step forward next year.

On the defensive side, freshman Will Pjura and sophomore Andrew Pechinsky — who made the difficult transition to the blue line — both took meaningful steps forward in the second half of the season. They earned more ice time, were trusted in all situations, and gained the confidence of the coaching staff, positioning themselves as important pieces for next season and beyond. Additionally, Sophomore teammate Sam Xi made strong strides down the stretch and will also look to be a key cog on the blue line next year.

Up front, freshman Joey Dolci developed into a steady presence on the third line alongside sophomore Nick Piantedosi. Like several of their teammates, both players gained valuable experience down the stretch and should be competing for second-line opportunities next year.

Finally, there was sophomore Kyle Li, who caught fire late in the season, scoring five goals in his final seven games while riding shotgun with Dylan Lane and his brother Ryan.

The arrow is pointing up for the Minutemen as they head into the offseason. The focus now is on closing out tight games and improving their team defense in their own zone. Most losses this year weren’t due to a lack of talent, but rather breakdowns in defensive structure and awareness. Too often, players were out of position, which led to open chances and easy opportunities around the net.

Offseason Expectations

For both younger players and veterans, the path to being more effective next season starts in the offseason. That means committing to the weight room this spring, summer, and fall to get stronger, and continuing to invest time in skating, puck handling, and shooting improvement.

Playing a varsity sport — and being a good teammate — means working on your individual skills to help the team be better. It requires putting in the work to improve, even for multi-sport athletes. Players who train consistently, both on and off the ice, can come back significantly better if they take the offseason seriously.

That doesn’t mean skipping the beach, baseball games, lacrosse tournaments, or a round of golf. There’s plenty of time to train and still enjoy the offseason — it’s about balance, not living at the rink.

A Few Interesting Stats ...

• Three of the team's five wins were shutouts (Newton North, Bedford, and Cambridge)

• The team had more shorthanded goals than power play goals

• The team had 6 one-goal losses and two more on empty-net goals

• The team went 0-6 against Middlesex League teams (vs. 2-2-1 in 2024-25)

• Goals against in the first 10 games were 3.9 vs. only 2.7 over the last 10 games

• Goals for the first 10 games were 1.9 vs 3.1 over the final 10 games

2025-26 Season Awards (these are the author's awards, not the team or anyone else)

Sniper Award

Brady Kingsbury. Lived up to his name, “bury,” scoring 12 goals to lead the team in 2025–26.

Celly Award (Tie)

Connor O’Leary & Brady Kingsbury. No plexiglass is safe from the guy's celly leaps — both bring unmatched energy and hype after every goal.

Mr. Shutdown

Caleb Fehm. The impact speaks for itself: 4.8 goals against per game in the five he missed, just 2.8 in the 15 he played. His size, physicality, and skating elevated the entire team.

Swiss Army Knife

Dylan Lane. Did it all — scored goals, racked up a ton of assists setting up teammates' goals, played top power-play minutes, was the team's number-one penalty killer, and the team’s best faceoff man.

Mr. Silky

Ryan Jenness. Smooth in every phase — skating, puckhandling, and finishing. Made the games look effortless.

Mr. Shifty

Connor O'Leary. One of the few players who could drive his own offense with his rare blend of speed and exceptional lateral agility. Drove opposing defenses nuts with his ability to break them down one-on-one.

Most Improved (Tie)

Andrew Pechinsky & Will Pjura. Both first-year varsity defensemen took major strides. Pechinsky made the hard but successful transition from forward to defense and became a reliable regular fixture on the defense down the stretch. Pjura also stepped into larger minutes, earning his coaches’ trust with consistent play and showing poise beyond his years by midseason. Both project as foundational pieces moving forward.

Breakout Player

Kyle Li. After adjusting to varsity speed, he caught fire late with five goals in eight games — including both goals on Senior Night vs. Auburn. Poised to build on that momentum next season.

LexGo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!