Exeter boys lacrosse overcomes slow start to beat Pinkerton (video)

DERRY - The Exeter High School boys lacrosse team didn't need to make any major adjustments in Thursday's game against Pinkerton Academy.

All the Blue Hawks needed was to run their offense, and in doing that, it was Connor Holly who pulled them back into the game.

Holly scored all four of his goals in the second quarter to help Exeter erase a 3-0 deficit, and the Blue Hawks scored twice in the final four minutes of the third quarter to knock off the Astros 9-7 in a Division I game.

It was Exeter's second two-goal win this week over Pinkerton, the only games for both teams decided by fewer than six goals.

"The fact that we were able to come back and set the tone in the second quarter, we got some finishes we desperately needed," Exeter coach Gerry Holly said. "But then we got sloppy in the third. Not playing a lot of competitive games this year, it can be a little tougher. We got a little bit helter skelter. I’m happy how our guys responded."

Connor Holly also had two assists for the Blue Hawks (12-2, No. 2 in the NHHSS Coaches Poll) while Jackson Hale had two goals, Aiden Drunsic had a goal and an assist and Jake Mantell and Spencer Clark each scored. Ryan Tatman made 10 saves.

Pinkerton (9-4, No. 3) got two goals each from Mason Barbone (assist) and Michael Uber while Hunter Drouin and Riley Spellman had a goal and an assist apiece. Curtis Michaud made 13 saves and Declan Turner also scored a goal.

"Another good battle," Pinkerton coach Steve Gaudreau said. "Coming off Tuesday, we identified some areas that we definitely needed to improve in. We did that at times, and there were times, it was a game of runs. Kind of similar to the other night, they had a few more runs in them and came out on top."

The Astros scored the first two goals of the game in 36 seconds, with Turner scooping up a groundball off the faceoff and scoring to make it 2-0. After Michaud made a handful of saves to keep Exeter off the board, Drouin scored with 2.7 seconds left in the first to make it 3-0.

"Their intensity at times overmatched us (on Tuesday)," Gaudreau said. "To come out on your home field and set the tone like that, I thought it was really important. Lacrosse is that game of runs, so you’re going to expect to get one and they’re going to get one right back. They’re a really good team."

Cole Frank, who was 13 of 18 on faceoffs, won the draw to start the second quarter and Pinkerton fired a few more shots at Tatman, but the sophomore was able to keep it a three-goal game. Connor Holly got the Blue Hawks on the board with 8:04 left in the quarter, and his fourth goal gave Exeter a 4-3 lead with 44.4 seconds remaining until halftime.

"We got into our base offense a little more," Connor Holly said. "We were moving the ball better. In the first quarter, we were trying to play hero ball and in the second we started moving it better and that’s what freed up around the crease. We spread them out, which helped out."

Clark scored early in the third quarter to make it 5-3, but Pinkerton came back and tied it on a goal by Uber with 6:23 remaining in the quarter.

Things got a little sloppy after that, as the teams combined for five turnovers in the next three minutes, until Hale scored to break the tie with 3:29 remaining in the third. Mantell added another goal with 1:26 to go in the third and Drunsic made it 8-5 with his goal early in the fourth quarter.

Barbone got the Astros closer, scoring with 5:09 remaining to cut the lead to two, but Hale answered two minutes later. Pinkerton was able to possess the ball for long stretches the rest of the way, but Tatman came up with a couple of saves.

Uber made it 9-7 with 1:20 remaining, but that was as close as Pinkerton would get.

"I think it’s always a grind with them," Gerry Holly said. "They’re so physically tough and they never give up. There’s a chance we might see them again and that’s the one that really matters."