Self-Inflicted errors costly ... boys fall 5-4

To borrow a few well-worn clichés: close, but no cigar—and this time, the third time was not the charm. Game three of the young season once again sent the boys in Navy, gold, and white away from Hayden (even though the Burlington matchup in Watertown was somehow labeled a “home” game for Lexington… how, we’ll never quite know). Unfortunately too many penalties and self-inflicted mistakes (common themes from the first two games) led to the boys losing a very winnable game 5-4.

After opening the season against two highly ranked opponents, the Minutemen headed to Wilmington in search of a breakthrough win. They wasted no time getting on the board, jumping out to an early lead with a power-play goal by Connor O'Leary just 2:33 into the game, quickly quieting the home crowd.

That lead, however, was short-lived. Roughly five minutes later, a low-percentage pinch left a Lexington defenseman caught deep in Wilmington’s zone. While this situation is typically manageable—provided a forward rotates back to cover—the nearest Lexington forward failed to recognize the need to fill the vacated spot. The result was a breakdown of Hockey 101 on multiple levels. The defenseman had little chance of keeping the puck in the offensive zone given the distance and positioning, and the lack of awareness by the forward to rotate back into the vacated defenseman's spot only compounded the mistake.

Wilmington capitalized as expected, beating the pinching defenseman and moving the puck up the boards to a wide-open teammate. With no defender on that side of the ice, the lone Lexington defender back—an inexperienced blueliner—was beaten cleanly as the Wilmington forward blew past him to score.

This was a clear case of the Lexington beating themselves rather than Wilmington making a great play—this was a goal that simply should not have happened. The defenseman needed to recognize the pinch as a low-percentage decision, however once that decision was made, the forward has to rotate back defensively to prevent a wide open lane for the opposition. Unfortunately, these self-inflicted mistakes have been a recurring theme early in the season and must be corrected for the team to get back on track.

The boys celebrate Brady Kingsbury's goal that pulled Lexington to within 1 goal late in the 3rd period

As damaging as the opening goal allowed by Lexington was, things quickly went from bad to worse. The Minutemen then handed Wilmington a power play when a seasoned Lexington player—who should know better—took a completely unnecessary penalty, cross-checking the Wilmington center from behind and knocking him down directly in front of the referee. It was a moment of undisciplined play that accomplished nothing other than putting the team shorthanded.

Wilmington capitalized, scoring on the ensuing power play to take a 2–1 lead with just 44 seconds remaining in the period. Once again, it was a self-inflicted wound. Undisciplined penalties, combined with earlier breakdowns caused by poor decision-making and missed positional responsibilities, proved costly and continue to undermine this team. Simply put, these are goals the Minutemen are giving away—beating themselves rather than being beaten by their opponent.

Staying in theme with the holiday spirit of giving, Lexington unfortunately handed Wilmington another first-period gift just 34 seconds later—and with only 10 seconds remaining in the period. Once again, poor defensive-zone positioning was the culprit. Lexington collapsed four players to one side of the ice—three already in pursuit—when a fourth, a defenseman, drifted over as well, leaving the front of the net completely unprotected.

The puck took an unfortunate bounce and, predictably, landed right on the stick of a Wilmington forward standing exactly where a Lexington defender should have been. At this level, these are fundamental defensive assignments that must be executed consistently. Breakdowns like this turn manageable situations into goals against and continue to cost the Minutemen at critical moments.

So, if you’re keeping score at home (pun intended), that’s three goals that never should have appeared on the scoreboard. This is exactly why coaches place such a premium on HockeyIQ. So much of the game is decided by the little things—details that often go unnoticed but make all the difference. Teams that play smart, stay positionally disciplined, and consistently do the basic work well don’t beat themselves—and, more often than not, they put themselves in a position to win. Hopefully, this can be corrected as it isn't systemic across the whole lineup but rather a smaller segment of habitual offenders.

The silver lining to the self-inflicted mistakes is the tremendous heart and resilience the the boys showed throughout the game. Gifting not one, but two goals in the final 44 seconds of the period would be enough for most teams to fold their tents. Instead, hats off to the boys for their never-say-die attitude. They battled back twice from two-goal deficits in the third period, cutting the lead to one and refusing to quit.

The road gets no easier on Saturday at Bentley against Melrose. Here’s hoping the the boys give themselves an early Christmas present by staying out of the penalty box, playing with discipline, and remaining positionally responsible for a full 45 minutes.

Goal scorers - Connor O'Leary, Ryan Li, Joey Dolci, Brady Kingsbury