SOMERVILLE — Sometimes it’s best to a learn a lesson earlier in the season in hopes that you don’t repeat the same mistakes later in the year.
The Lynn Jets learned how important it is to play a complete game Saturday night in their season opener at Somerville.
All signs pointed to the Jets coasting to a win when they led by three goals with six minutes remaining.
Not so fast, said the Highlanders.
Somerville fired three goals into the back of the net over those final six minutes, salvaging a 7-7 tie at Veterans Memorial Rink and stunning Lynn in the process.
“Honestly I don’t even know what happened in those last few minutes,” Jets coach Mike Roberts said. “Turnovers defensively in our zone, failures to get pucks out to center and deep with under two minutes to go. Even after they scored to make it 7-5, they pulled the goalie with 1:30 remaining. You don’t win hockey games by letting two goals with the goalie pulled up 7-5 with 1:30 to go.
“We have a lot to work on,” Roberts continued. “It was a very disappointing way to end our opener. We have a lot of bright spots but also a lot of bad spots at the same time. There’s definitely a lot to clean up.”
The positive takeaway, Roberts hopes, is the Jets can learn from the experience and put forth better efforts in finishing games as the season progresses.
“A lot of learning points,” Roberts said. “We talked a lot in the preseason about failure to get pucks out of your own zone on the breakout. That will result in goals. It happened two or three times (Saturday). At the end, failure to get pucks out- they turns into goals. We were running around, heads down instead of being composed. It’s a good lesson the learn early in the season. Hopefully we don’t repeat that again.”
Jets senior Brian Clougherty picked up where he left off after a tremendous junior campaign last winter, scoring four goals. John DiFilippo added two goals and Paul Papageorgiu scored one. Owen Downey distributed four assists, DiFilippo dished three and Andrew Patrie logged two.
Papageorgiu scored Lynn’s first goal of the season in the opening period and Cloughterty followed suit with back-to-back tallies to give Lynn a 3-0 lead out of the gate. Somerville answered with a pair of goals, the second scored with 40 seconds left in the period. The Jets led 3-2 at the end of the first period.
Clougherty added two more goals in the second period and DiFilippo joined in on the fun with 1:50 remaining. Lynn carried a three-goal advantage, 6-3, into the second intermission.
In the third period, Somerville’s Jeremy Proctor slimmed Lynn’s lead to 6-4 with 14:10 to play. DiFilippo provided a quick answered when he found the back of the net at the 12:57 mark, boosting the Jets edge to 7-4.
That’s how it stayed through the next seven minutes before the Highlanders mounted an unforeseen comeback. Somerville goals with 5:54 and 1:04 on the clock set the stage for Chris DeSousa’s equalizer with 40 seconds remaining, ending the game in a 7-7 tie.
“There were six minutes left and we were up three goals,” Roberts said. “Our offense is going to carry us this year. That’s something we knew would happen. Defensively we have to clean it up or it’s going to be a long season. That’s for sure.”
The Jets (0-0-1) host Gloucester Wednesday (6) at William P. Connery Rink.
