Lynn Jets coach likes team’s competitiveness, calls for more unity

Take out a dollar bill (if you still have one after all that holiday shopping) and look at the motto on the Great Seal: “E Pluribus Unum,” which, translated from the Latin, means “Out of Many, One.”Lynn Jets hockey coach Al Melanson’s focus this season is somewhat similar to this motto: “Out of Two, One” – namely, the two schools, Lynn Classical and Lynn English, that merged to create a new program.After the Jets’ first four games, the team is 2-2. Melanson likes his squad’s competitiveness, but wants to see more unity within his system.”It’s difficult for everybody involved to really forget that it’s English or that it’s Classical,” Melanson said. “Every single day, every single practice, we’re coming together as just the Jets. That’s the goal. That’s what we have to do.”There are difficulties, though.”It’s easy to say, but when you’re at Classical, at English, and the basketball team is playing or it’s the football team in the Thanksgiving Day game, sometimes it’s easy to say it,” Melanson said. “We’ve just got to keep it all in perspective.”The Jets have created some memorable moments in their brief team history. They recorded their first-ever win, against Peabody, and added one against Winthrop, 6-3.”It was every exciting,” Melanson said of the Peabody win. “The mere fact that it’s a new program, you can’t win a second game or make the tournament till you win a first game. I think everyone felt really, really good after that.”The team also played competitively in losses to Beverly (season opener) and Saugus.”We lost to Saugus on Saturday, 5 to 1,” Melanson said, but added, “That was actually a 1-1 game going into the third period, so basically they’ve all been tight, very well-played games.”After the New York Yankees won the 1951 World Championship, their manager, Casey Stengel, said, “I couldn’t have done it without my players.” Melanson also saluted several of his players for their contributions thus far.”There’s a work ethic is very good, very strong, a lot of character,” he said. “And I think there’s some very good players.” He cited senior captains Billy McDaniel and Liam Bransfield (“The two captains certainly have led the way”), as well as alternate captains Alex Bannikov and Steve Leighton; Leighton’s fellow defenseman David Stevens; and Ty Slepoy in goal.And, perhaps, bringing together players from the same city on the same program might help foster a team ethic.”You’re talking about two rivalries when you’re talking about English and Classical,” Melanson said. “I think the kids have played together their whole lives, youth hockey, they all know each other. In high school, they’re supposed to be archrivals.”When that doesn’t happen in hockey, as opposed to the case in other sports, the coach continued, “all of a sudden they’re brothers. We’re all learning same thing together. The longer we’re together, I think the more successful we’re going to be.”A motto that might have the same resonance as the one on the non-George Washington side of a crisply-minted United States Treasury dollar bill.