When Lynnfield hockey head coach Jon Gardner was hired in 2012-2013, his team went 2-16-2. Fast forward to Wednesday night, and the born-and-raised Pioneer did something special.
Time expired in Lynnfield’s 9-3 win against North Reading, and the box was checked. It was Gardner’s 100th win as head coach.
“It was a special night,” Gardner said.
Student-athlete Gardner arrived at Lynnfield High in 1991, and was a defenseman on the hockey team before tossing up the graduation cap in 1995. He said the small town “gave so much for me and my family,” and always wanted to “try and make them proud.”
“It’s [Lynnfield] just a small, tight-knit community – a very prideful community,” Gardner said. “It’s a special place.
Well, consider it proud. Throughout the past six seasons, Lynnfield has won more games in each one. Last year, the Pioneers went 16-3-1 to advance to the state-semifinals, and currently hold a 7-0-1 record this season.
Lynnfield has scored three or more goals in five of its games, and has outscored opponents 26-11 through eight games. That said, Gardner moves forward with a ‘never satisfied’ approach.
“It’s been slow going – we’ve been in a lot of tight games,” Gardner said.
Wins and goals aside, hockey comes second for Gardner as a coach. His number one priority is to help his players “grow up from boys to young men.” Despite calling it corny, Gardner said he preaches learning “life lessons from ice lessons.”
Gardner values good work ethic, selflessness, and mental toughness, adding he doesn’t care “if we go 2-0 [or] win the state championship” if those values aren’t met.
“If we don’t have character, if we’re not good teammates, it’s not even worth it,” Gardner said. “You’ve got to find a way to reinforce those behaviors.”
He said his favorite part of being a coach is seeing his players grow in front of him.
“Seeing it happen in front of your own eyes,” Gardner said. “Just seeing the players that are engaged and want to get better.”
When asked what his favorite game was as head coach, Gardner immediately responded with “that’s a tough one.” In the end, he picked a 2015 win against Westwood. The Pioneers needed a goal and a stop to win a shootout. After doing just that, Lynnfield won 2-1.
“That was a prideful one,” Gardner, who still remembers losing to Westwood his sophomore year of high school, said.
But again, despite commenting on how much he loves hockey talk, Gardner shifted gears to the Lynnfield community. When he was hired all those years ago, he wanted to make sure he “gave back to it [Lynnfield] and to the players in it.”
With 100 wins under his belt, Gardner is excited for the future and hopes to continue the “character is everything” model the program has set thus far.
“We’ll stay here for as long as they have us,” Gardner said.
