PEABODY — The Lynnfield boys hockey team finally got out onto the ice for some real game action over the weekend, and the Pioneers kicked off the season with a 1-1 draw against Cape Ann League foe Hamilton-Wenham at McVann-O’Keefe Memorial Rink Saturday afternoon.
“It was very exciting just to get out there and compete again,” said Lynnfield coach Jon Gardner. “We’ve been running five-on-five drills in practice and trying to simulate games since we didn’t have any scrimmages, but there’s nothing like getting out there and competing against another team.”
Junior forward Aidan Burke scored the lone goal for Lynnfield, while senior captains Brenden Henehan and Alex Buonopane each had one assist.
While the game will go down as a draw in the standings, Gardner feels that the Pioneers let a potential win slip away Saturday.
“It feels a bit like a 1-1 loss, to be honest,” Gardner said. “We had so many scoring opportunities and we simply couldn’t cash in. There was definitely a bit of a rust factor after not being out on the ice for so long, but everyone’s in the same boat so there are no excuses. We’ve got to be better at cashing in on our chances.”
The game was a scoreless tie for nearly 20 minutes of game action, with the first goal not coming until there were 11 minutes to play in the second period. After taking control of the puck near center ice, Buonopane snapped a pass to Henehan, who then brought the puck into the offensive zone. Henehan sent a quick pass to Burke, who darted to the net and scored as he was falling down to give the Pioneers a 1-0 lead.
But the lead was short-lived. About six and a half minutes later, Hamilton-Wenham knotted the score at 1-1 on a goal from James Horgan.
From there, each side had its share of chances but couldn’t finish the job. Lynnfield killed off two penalties in the game, but the Pioneers didn’t get to show off their strong powerplay unit — which Gardner thinks could have made a difference.
“We have some strong special teams units and we showed that by killing off those two penalties, but it would’ve been nice if we could’ve gotten the powerplay unit out there once or twice,” Gardner said. “Our powerplay is really strong and I think we might’ve been able to capitalize if we had gotten the chance.”
Lynnfield (0-0-1) now has a few days to practice before squaring off with CAL power Newburyport on the road at Henry Graf Rink Wednesday night (7).
“It’s always nice to see live action because it gives us an opportunity to see what we need to work on in real time,” Gardner said. “We definitely have plenty of things we need to tighten up, and we know we’re going to have to come out with more intensity when we go up against Newburyport. That’s always a tough game in a tough rink, and we’re going to have to be ready.”