READING – Keeping a typical level of focus and composure for senior night can be a challenge, one the Reading boys hockey team knows a little too well about after losses the last two years.

But just when both seemed to escape the Rockets in an important Middlesex League Liberty rematch on Saturday, they reeled them in to pull out a memorable comeback for 12 seniors.

Costly penalties had a frustrated Reading group down two scores entering the second intermission, but it buried four unanswered goals in the third period to rally past Woburn, 5-3, at Burbank Ice Arena.

Seniors were right in the middle of it, as Cam Fahey’s second goal of the game gave the Rockets (12-3) their first lead midway through the frame. Senior Matt Fichera’s second assist fed the tying goal just three minutes prior, which senior goalie Chris Hanifan (18 saves) also got his first career assist amid a complete energy shift.

“There was definitely a lot emotion in the locker room after period two because of what I would call a lack of discipline,” said Reading head coach Mark Doherty. “We do have good senior leadership, they work hard. … (The response) was good. Good leadership, very upset captains. It was good, it was time to grow up.”

As composure took a nosedive over the final two minutes of the second period, it looked as if the Tanners (11-3) were going to double up on their 4-0 win over Reading from earlier in the year.

Jack Lee buried his second goal of the night for Woburn to snap a 1-1 tie, using a power play with 1:20 left in the frame to retake an early lead. Hanifan committed a roughing penalty with 7.8 seconds left when a Tanner skated into him following a save, and Jack McEleney (two assists) took advantage of it for a 3-1 lead with just 0.3 on the clock.

Reading led in shots 27-17, but a three-penalty period and a two-goal deficit showed a needed change in attitude.

“We were definitely not upset with how we were playing, just the discipline – that stuff got in the way,” Doherty said.

“Coach gave us a speech, said we can’t let emotion get ahead of us,” added senior captain TJ Michel. “We’ve just got to play hockey. Good teams find a way to win, battle adversity, and that’s just what we did in that third.”

Fichera plucked a turnover in Woburn’s zone and slid it a few feet to sophomore Jack Melly for a goal from the high slot just 59 seconds into the third. Not even four minutes in, Hanifan then made up for his costly penalty by finding a wide-open Fichera down the ice on a Tanners’ line change. He thread the needle to Ryan MacCurtain entering the zone, and the sophomore tied up the score at 3-3.

“I knew I had some weight on my shoulders because of a stupid penalty,” Hanifan said. “I knew we needed to regroup pretty well, down two going into the third.”

Fahey netted the game-winner with 8:41 left on a wrist shot while skating up top across the middle. Reading went on to commit two more penalties, but staved both off in a messy ending. Junior Jack Filipksi’s first career goal on an empty-netter with eight seconds left was icing on the cake of a quality win, especially with how Logan Roderick (35 saves) played in net for Woburn.