Rinaldi shines in 2-1 win over Wilmington ...

Sophomore goalie Timmy Rinaldi delivered his strongest performance of the season, with Lexington playing short-handed for long stretches due to nearly 20 minutes in penalties—many of which were avoidable and the results of undisciplined play.

Lexington started strong, dominating the first five minutes and keeping Wilmington pinned in their zone. However, just as the Minutemen gained control at even strength, a series of

Timmy Rinaldi was stellar in net

undisciplined penalties disrupted their momentum. After a 5-on-4 penalty, Lexington quickly took another penalty, putting Wilmington on a 5-on-3 power play for nearly 1:40. Wilmington capitalized on the Minutemen’s mistakes, taking a 1-0 lead into the second period.

The score held at 1-0 for a while before Lexington found the equalizer with a stroke of puck luck. Ryan Jenness sent a back-post pass intended for Brady Kingschury, but it deflected off a Wilmington defender's skate and found its way into the net. Despite continuing to take penalties, Lexington's penalty-killing units stepped up along with Rinaldi, consistently keeping Wilmington from capitalizing on their power plays.

Eventually, Lexington got back to playing 5-on-5 hockey and Sophomore Connor O'Leary put the Minutemen ahead for good with a nifty tuck of the puck by the goalie's pad from behind the net, scoring the first varsity goal of his career.

Late in the third period, Lexington faced another 5-on-3 penalty, but Adam O'Shaughnessy was exceptional on the kill, almost single-handedly shutting down Wilmington’s power play

Adam O'Shaughnessy's kills were key

with several crucial clears.

With about two minutes remaining, Lexington found themselves on a 5-on-4 penalty kill for the remainder of the game. Wilmington pulled their goalie to create a 6-on-4 advantage, but Lexington’s defense held firm, with Timmy Rinaldi making several key saves to preserve the victory.

The Minutemen return to action on Monday at 1:00 PM at Bentley Arena, where they’ll face Waltham.

To secure the win, they’ll need to cut down on penalties.