PEABODY – A tough pill to swallow.

That’s the way Lynnfield boys hockey coach Jon Gardner described the No. 4 Pioneers’ 5-2 loss to No. 20 West Springfield in the MIAA Division 3 Sweet 16 on Saturday at McVann-O’Keefe Memorial Ice Rink.

The Pioneers dominated play from start to finish. They outshot the Terriers by nearly a 3-1 margin. They outchecked and outmuscled them, but the Terriers had the upper hand in the only thing that, ultimately, matters when it comes down to it – the scoreboard.

Gardner said the Pioneers, who have been plagued with inconsistency and an inability to finish all year long, played their best game of the season, only to come up short.

“Good teams and bad teams, we outshoot them, outchance them, out Grade-A them, but not outscore them,” Gardner said. “What is most frustrating is that’s the most bought in, it was the most intense effort, and our best game of the season. We were buzzing around and we had every bit of six goals in us, but, again, that’s been the problem all year. We have a lot of talent, a lot of skill, but it’s that last piece of the finish that has eluded us all year.”

After digging themselves into a 2-0 hole early in the second period, the Pioneers owned the rest of the period and climbed back into it with two scores. Owen Considine (from Jarret Scoppetuolo) got the Pioneers on the board at the 4:37 mark and Timmy Sullivan (from Will Norton and Jake Connell) netted the equalizer nine minutes later.

Lynnfield kept the pressure up in the third, bombarding West Springfield goaltender Troy Cashman with shot after shot. With 7:16 left in regulation, the Terriers went a man-up after a questionable slashing call, but the Pioneers put on a penalty-kill clinic to seemingly escape. 

But just 12 seconds after the teams returned to full strength, the Terriers’ Jack Reed was in the right place at the right time, pouncing on a loose puck just outside the crease to net the game-winner. After Lynnfield pulled goalie Michael Marenghi with a little more than 90 seconds to go, West Springfield added two empty-net goals in the final minute to put the game out of reach.

Gardner said the puck just didn’t bounce the Pioneers’ way.

“Even on their third goal, we did everything right. It was just a bouncing puck,” he said. “It wasn’t a bad formation or miscue. The puck was in our zone and I think it was just a missed clear. We were thinking it was leaving the zone and it stayed in. Inability to get pucks out of your zone, I’ve been saying for 20 years, will cost you goals, games and seasons. They (Terriers) hadn’t really done anything – even on the power play – except for a couple of scrums in front.”

Gardner had high praise for the “gold line” in seniors Jack Neenan, Evan Rocha and Dylan Damiani, and the defense, especially Connell.

“Their No. 13 (Owen Hall) had 53 points and they really shut him down,” Gardner said. “And Jake, once again, was just so solid.”

Senior captain Joe Raffa said he felt that linemates Sullivan and Norton “played above and beyond.”

“Those two guys really had it today,” Raffa said. “Today, we all strung together as a team, but the bounces just weren’t there for us. We played with a lot of intensity so it’s unfortunate, but what can you do?”

The game was the second straight upset win pulled off by the Terriers, coming on the heels of a 3-0 road win at Bourque Arena over No. 13 Danvers Thursday. Head coach Rick Williams said the game against Lynnfield was incredibly fast-paced in comparison. He also said that being able to regain the lead was huge because Lynnfield was really ramping up the pressure.

That goal allowed us to breathe because they (Pioneers) were really coming on,” Williams said. “They really took it to us in the second period and into the third.”

Despite the loss, Gardner said that while he was proud of his team’s performance, this one will “haunt us going forward.”

“I can’t say enough good things about the way they played. That was probably the best game we played all year,” Gardner said. “We dominated the whole game, so that will sting because we know we have enough talent to win it all.”

Raffa agreed.

“We have a lot of ups and downs this season,” Raffa said. “But I’m proud of my teammates. Everyone did a great job today and I’m proud of the way the boys played. I know the result wasn’t the way we wanted it to be, but we gave it all we had. Whoever shows up, wins. It just wasn’t us today. Overall, it was a good year.”

The Pioneers finish the season 11-10-1.