LYNN — Jets senior John DiFilippo and his teammates still remember the way last season ended. Lynn clawed its way to another Division 3 North state tournament appearance after an 11-5-4 regular season. Back-to-back last-minute wins over Latin Academy and Shawsheen put the Jets in the quarterfinal round with a clash against rival Swampscott. In a wire-to-wire game highlighted by an electric audience, Lynn fell just short in a 3-2 loss. Swampscott went on to win the sectional title.
Now the Jets have to turn the page on last season as they revamp for another tournament run.
A first-year team captain, DiFilippo’s role on the team has progressed each year since he joined the varsity squad three seasons ago as a freshman. He scored 25 goals and distributed 17 assists last winter, and added four goals with four assists in the postseason. He’s 20 points away from reaching the 100-point mark for his career.
“I’ve been coaching Johnny since he was in sixth grade, when he was on the middle school team,” Jets coach Mike Roberts said. “He was a captain as an eighth-grader. He’s a player that has progressed very well, year after year. You can see that in his stats. He’s someone that’s just reliable. If I give him direction as to what I expect, he relays that to the locker room. He’s a kid that works hard, loves to succeed and loves the game of hockey.
“Overall he’s definitely one of my go-to guys for sure,” Roberts continued. “He’s somebody I can rely on and depend on heavily.”
DiFilippo understands the responsibilities that come with serving as a team captain.
“Ever since I was a freshman, I never thought I’d be a captain,” DiFilippo, a Classical student, said. “It’s pretty good to wear that ‘C’ and try to lead the team to a good season with the rest of my co-captains.”
In addition to adjusting to his new role as team captain, DiFilippo’s also learning the ropes of a new position this year. He moved from right wing to center this year, filling in the vacancy left by 2018 graduate Mike Clougherty.
DiFilippo teams up with Andrew Patrie and fellow captain Brian Clougherty to form one of the more potent first lines in the Northeastern Conference. He pointed to chemistry as the key to the success for the trio.
“We’ve been playing well together,” DiFilippo said. “We worked together in the summer. We all like being around each other. If we can put pucks in the net, that’s even better. I really like playing with those guys.
“We trust together, we work well together and that’s a good thing.”
Puck movement’s another key to the first line’s success. Roberts has stressed the importance of sharing the puck and allowing multiple player to contribute instead of relying on one player to get the job done.
“We try to instill that to our guys and not have a one-man show,” Roberts said. “That’s the opposite of what we preach here. We’re trying to move the puck. Johnny’s ability and his speed allow us to do that. His vision is exceptional and he knows what we’re trying to do. Andrew has moved up to the first line and those three are clicking.
“If Johnny doesn’t go, we don’t go,” Roberts said. “Brian had an unbelievable year last year with 70 points. With his brother having graduated, we shifted Johnny to center on the first line. That’s crucial to the success of the first line.”
This season hasn’t started the way Lynn (0-1-1) hoped it would. The Jets stormed out to a 7-4 lead two periods into their season opener at Somerville, only to watch it slip away in the final six minutes and settled for a 7-7 tie. In their home opener last week, they gave Gloucester two tough periods of hockey but the Fishermen pulled away in the third period for a 9-3 win.
“We have to play all 45 minutes,” DiFilippo said. “We played good the first two periods and we didn’t finish those games. We have to make sure we play all three periods.”
DiFilippo feels the effort and talent are both there. Now it’s a matter of putting it together and playing a full game.
“Everyone gets along every day in practice,” DiFilippo said. “Everyone works hard and everyone’s on the same page. It’s a good group of guys. I really like the team we have here.”
Still in search of their first win of the season, Lynn will take the ice Wednesday evening (6) in the first round of its annual Christmas Tournament at William P. Connery Rink. Standing in Lynn’s way is the same team that ended its season last year- Swampscott.
“It’s definitely still on the back of our minds,” DiFilippo said. “It still doesn’t sit well with me but then again that was last season. Last season’s over. We just have to focus on Wednesday.”
