Goals don’t come easily, and even just a few scoreless games can leave a player wondering if they will come at all.

While his teammates on the Bow hockey team scored 16 goals through their first three games, Chris Mead was still searching for his first. And while his presence on the ice may have led to many of those goals, it isn’t quite the same as getting one off your own stick.

The wait ended for Mead during Monday’s matinee, and it may have been the most important goal for the Falcons in their 8-3 win over St. Thomas Aquinas at Everett Arena in Concord.

Bow (3-1) successfully killed STA’s five-on-three power play for 40 seconds in the second period while trying to protect a one-goal lead. Still down a skater, Mead came out of the penalty box after serving a roughing call and scored a shorthanded goal with eight seconds on the clock.

It was Bow’s second shorthanded goal and gave the Falcons a 4-2 lead heading into the third period, where they added four more.

Mead’s goal was scored in a way that coaches love – on a second chance. Junior forward Ryan Tobeler (three assists) picked up a loose puck along the boards, carried it through the neutral zone, gained the blue line and fired a low shot. St. Thomas netminder Aidan McLoughlin made the initial save, but when the puck squirted back out, Mead was there to flip it over McLoughlin’s pad and into the net.“Coming right out of the penalty box, I was a little mad I got the penalty so I had some fire in my belly,” said Mead, who also had two assists. “We’re thinking ‘we just gotta kill this off’and we go out and score a goal like that. I guess it’s just a big uplift for the whole entire team.”

“Ryan made a great shot-pass … and Chris went to the net hard without the puck,” Bow Coach Tim Walsh said. “It was perfect that he scored, and it shows the other kids if you go to the net, things are going to happen.”

Walsh was also happy, perhaps relieved, to see the senior forward get his first goal of the year.

“Chris Mead was a beast today,” Walsh said. “He was the best player on the ice the entire game. He’s been dominant in every game and he hasn’t had a goal. He’s had post after post, some great saves have been made on him, but he’s been a bull. He was like that today.”

While the scoring has been there for the Falcons so far in this young season – Monday’s game brought their goal differential up to 24-11 – they’ve now fallen behind by two goals or more in three of their four games.

Bow hadn’t scored in the first period since its season opener against Winnacunnet.

“We keep coming out and giving two-, three-goal leads in the first period, and we can’t keep doing that,” Walsh said. “It’s hard to win games that way.”

It happened again Monday. St. Thomas (1-2) jumped out to a 2-0 lead less than 10 minutes into the game. A bad start turned worse when the Falcons were faced with their first penalty kill. But Mead and Doug Champagne found a hole in the Saints’ attack and created a two-on-one break into the attacking end. Mead carried the puck and sent a pass across the slot to Champagne, who held on before switching forehand to backhand and beat McLoughlin.

Champagne (two goals, one assist) scored again to erase the Saints’ lead with five seconds left in the period on a rebound that started with a shot from Brandon Tibbetts (three assists).

“Our leaders Dougie and Chris really took over,” Walsh said. “It was nice for the seniors to bounce back like that. When the seniors do that, everyone follows.”

Follow they did.

With a two-goal lead heading into the third period, the Falcons peppered the Saints’ net and extended the lead to three goals. Austin Beaudette, a senior, scored twice in the third and assisted on Colin Tracy’s goal, the final one of the day. Alex Killion also potted one in the period.

Defenseman Patrick Vetter gave the Saints their third goal with 2:22 to play, his second of the game. Vetter and Tucker Whitcomb gave the Saints their 2-0 lead in the first period.

Bow hits the road to play winless Merrimack on Wednesday.