ARLINGTON – A blowout loss to Belmont on Wednesday, in which it allowed a season-worst eight goals, left an awfully bad taste in the Woburn boys hockey team’s mouth.

By responding with a 5-1 road win over No. 4 Arlington on Saturday, the No. 12 Tanners (8-2) rinsed that taste out at Ed Burns Arena.

Jack Lee scored twice as part of a three-goal third period, pairing with 14 of junior goalie Adam Gerry’s 34 saves, to run away with a meaningful win and keep Woburn in the thick of the Middlesex League Liberty title race.

All five of the Tanners’ goals came after the Spy Ponders (6-4-1) led 1-0 heading into the second period, scoring the most goals Arlington has allowed in one game all year.

Jack McEleney’s empty-net goal to reach 100 career points only sweetened a major bounce-back for Woburn.

“The other night they didn’t compete very well, and tonight, they showed their character and came back,” said Tanners head coach Jim Duran. “It was just great all around.”

Perhaps the biggest winner of the turnaround was Gerry, who allowed seven goals (one empty-netter) to Belmont just a few games after Reading scored four on Woburn.

Arlington put plenty of pucks on him, firing 13 shots in the first period and 14 in the third by crashing on rebounds for second and sometimes third chances. But after Cam Petrillo’s power-play goal gave the Spy Ponders a 1-0 lead on a scramble in the crease, Gerry was nails to shut them out the rest of the way with some highlight-reel saves in front.

That included an eight-save sequence in the third, in which Arlington pulled John Snider (21 saves) for all 1:34 of a 4-on-4 down 3-1 with 5:09 left – and kept him off for a 26-second 6-on-4 advantage.

“Coming off the last game, the morale was kind of low,” Gerry said. “Everybody played a great game. The whole team was just awesome. To win 5-1 is so huge.”

“When we were down one, it could have easily been 3-0 going out of that first period,” Duran added. “I think guys did a better job of letting (Gerry) see the puck (in the third). He just battled. It’s his first year really playing, it’s been a credit to him. … Tonight, he got right back where he was in the beginning of the year for us.”

Down 1-0 in the second period, Dillon Scallese finished off a rebound in front for the equalizer with 6:37 left in the frame. Four minutes later, Finn Murphy followed Luke Hughes’ rebound to take Woburn’s first lead.

Most Middlesex League Liberty games come down to the third period and Woburn proved its merit by holding onto the 2-1 lead. Lee sniped an insurance goal on a wide-open look from the right circle that Arlington was late to contest midway through the third. Gerry and special teams held off the man-advantage barrage for the next couple minutes, before a power play eventually set up Lee for a razzle-dazzle finish in front for the 4-1 lead with 2:12 left.

“I think we have just good leadership (to close it out),” Duran said. “McEleney, Lee, Finn Murphy – they’re just such really good leaders. Unselfish and nice kids. … Good character guys.”

The win prevented Woburn (7-2, 5-2) from dropping a third league loss, which would have put it two games behind Reading (7-1-1, 6-1-1), Belmont (6-3, 6-1) and Arlington (6-4-1, 4-2-1). Instead, it stays within reach of the lead with another game left against each Liberty foe.

“It’s super huge,” Gerry said. “This game was really a deciding factor if we’re going to be a top dog in the Middlesex or not. … This is great. We can battle with anybody if we have a great game, and I’m excited to see how it goes.”