BOSTON – Arlington boys hockey head coach John Messuri figures his team is so young and inexperienced, it’s best not to even focus on its record and to instead put attention toward just improving.

But Saturday afternoon at UMass Boston, the No. 14 Spy Ponders (4-0) got the best of both worlds by beating No. 8 BC High, 4-3, for its toughest win amid an undefeated start.

The Eagles (0-3) opened their season against MIAA competition by rallying from a two-goal deficit to force a tie game heading into the closing minutes of the third period. Evan Jones’ go-ahead goal from the point with 1:43 left to play ultimately saved the win for Arlington.

“We got some breaks and bounces and we got contributions from everybody, but we’re still a work in progress,” Messuri said. “It was good that we could keep up with the pace. BC High plays so fast, that (conference) plays so fast. … For a lot of them, a lot of that first period they had never seen anything like that before. I thought our D handled it.”

Both inexperienced teams faced learning moments, but Arlington was tasked right away with adversity. BC High used a power-play goal from Colin Murphy within the first five minutes to score the first goal Arlington had allowed this season for a 1-0 lead.

But as the Eagles carried play in a 14-5 shot advantage, the Spy Ponders still led 2-1 at the first intermission behind goalie Ryan Martin (27 saves) and two power-play goals – finishing off blocked shots in the dirty area – from Quinlan McNulty-Lu and JP Messuri.

Brian Patterson’s tip of a Kevin O’Connor (two assists) shot just 28 seconds into the second was the only goal of the period as Arlington carried play (12-5 shot advantage) in a 3-1 lead, but the Eagles delivered a huge third to nearly steal the win. Chris Brennick crashed a rebound to cut the deficit with 10:48 left. He then set up Tommy Halloran to knot it at 3-3 three minutes later on a power play.

David Williams was an inch away from taking the lead for BC High on breakaway with just over three minutes left, but couldn’t squeeze it inside the post. Not even two minutes later, Jones celebrated a 4-3 lead for Arlington with a simple shrug after a good screen helped his shot from above the left circle find its way in.

“I just got a good screen in front by one of my teammates … figured the goalie didn’t have a good sight on (my goal),” Jones said. “It’s really good for us (to win), it gives us confidence within ourselves. But we’ve just got to keep pushing and keep going.”

Special teams play was a huge component for Arlington, which likely wouldn’t have built a lead without three BC High penalties in the first period. Going 2-for-2 with the man advantage early on was critical.

“We were fortunate to get the lead, BC High could have been up two or three to nothing in the first – they killed us in the first,” Messuri said. “I think the one thing is as young as we are, probably not a good idea to take penalties against us. This is as good of a power play as I’ve had since the 2020 team.”

It only gets tougher for Arlington, with games against No. 3 Catholic Memorial, No. 1 Pope Francis and No. 19 Winchester slated next. BC High looks for its first win Wednesday against No. 6 St. John’s Prep.

Arlington’s JP Messuri drops to his knee in celebration after scoring a goal against BC High during the first period. (Photo by Paul Connors/Media News Group/Boston Herald)