ITEM PHOTO BY KATIE MORRISON
Lynn’s Ryan Clark celebrates his third-period goal in Thursday’s win.
By KATIE MORRISON
BILLERICA — Going into the third period with a one-goal lead over Shawsheen, Lynn Jets hockey coach Joe Conlon knew that the next goal would change the complexion of the game.
“We knew going in the next goal would be the difference, whether they tied it up and we go from there or we go up two and kind of change things up to lock it up,” Conlon said.
Lynn turned on the jets in the third period as Ryan Clark scored a power play goal with 4:10 to play en route to a 4-0 win over Shawsheen at Hallenborg Rink Thursday night.
“That second goal, we took a deep breath,” Conlon said. “That’s a tough team, and this is a tough place to play, so this is a real quality road win for us.”
Although the score indicates a lopsided game, this one was anything but, at least through the first two and a half periods. Though the Rams had the edge on possession in the first period, Lynn got on the board early. Mike Clougherty backhanded a pass to Travis Ryan out in front of the net, and Ryan knocked one past Shawsheen goaltender Nick Sciortino.
That was all the offense Lynn would need, but it sure didn’t feel that way. The Rams kept the Lynn defense and goaltender Jack Stafford busy until the Jets got the offense going late in the period. Steve Patrie had a good chance with a slap shot from the blue line, but it was turned away. Patrie was able to keep the play alive by knocking the puck off the stick of a Shawsheen defender to send the puck back into the attacking zone. But again, Lynn wasn’t able to capitalize.
The Rams came out firing in the second, forcing Stafford to make several big saves in the first few minutes. Stafford had 14 saves in the period.
“It was Jack’s best game of the year,” Conlon said. “It was good to see him play like that, and defensively we had some players really step up as well.”
A Shawsheen penalty gave the Jets a chance to make something happen. Clark and Patrie both threatened with slap shots from the point, but Sciortino held firm.
In the third, the Rams were desperate to score and gave the Jets trouble in the early going. But another Shawsheen penalty, resulting in Lynn’s fourth power play of the night, shifted the momentum. After the puck got tied up on the boards, Lynn earned a faceoff in Shawsheen’s defensive zone. Clark settled a pass from Nick Kosmas at the point, and this time, he knocked it home from the blue line.
That opened the floodgates, and Lynn took over. Brian Clougherty scored on an assist from Jon Kosmas a minute and a half later, and John DiFilippo knocked in an empty-netter with 52 seconds left to wrap up the scoring.
“We knew coming in, it was going to be kind of a game of chances and runs,” Conlon said. “And they were on us and we held the floor well. I thought we made it tough to play against us in our zone, and that’s what we’ve got to continue.”
The Jets will get some time off, next taking on Marblehead on Jan. 10.
Katie Morrison can be reached at [email protected].
