Marra's third-period goals give Pinkerton boys hockey win over Londonderry

HOOKSETT - Pinkerton Academy boys hockey coach Sam Littlefield compared his team to a diesel engine after its 2-1 victory over rival Londonderry Wednesday night at Tri-Town Ice Arena.

“It takes us a little while to get warmed up but then we get going and we can make things happen,” Littlefield said.

Senior captain Gennaro Marra scored both the game-tying and game-winning goals in the third period for the Astros (15-2).

The forward notched the game-winner with 42.7 seconds remaining, when he went top shelf on Londonderry senior goaltender Cam Donovan (33 saves) from the right circle following a feed from sophomore Hunter Drouin.

The Lancers (8-8-1) had a five-on-three power-play with 4:18 left but could not best Pinkerton senior netminder Dakota Robinson (19 saves) during the advantage.

“I think we had a great opportunity,” Londonderry coach Peter Bedford said. “We didn’t convert on it. It’s nice to be at the point where you have that opportunity because I think we’ve been building this team all year. ... We’ve got young players that are coming along.”

Marra admitted he was winded after helping the Astros kill off Londonderry’s five-on-three advantage.

“I was tired after it, I’ll tell you that,” Marra said. “But it’s definitely a big momentum boost and something we needed obviously to win the game.”

Marra scored from the high slot during four-on-four play 38 seconds into the third period to knot the score at 1-1.

Astros junior Mason Drouin received a five-minute major penalty with 1:44 remaining in the second period but Londonderry’s Zac Rheault was sent to the box with 10 seconds left before the second intermission to create the four-on-four situation.

“We play much better once we have a goal in the net,” Littlefield said. “It’s just you’ve got to break that seal and once that happens, we seem to get into a better rhythm, a better flow. And the fact that it was Gennaro, our captain, that was great leadership on his part.”

Londonderry junior forward Nicolas Pitarys found the back of the net 15 seconds into the second period to open the game’s scoring.

It looked as if Pinkerton drew even at the 5:54 mark of the second period but sophomore Patrick Last’s goal was disallowed after the referees ruled he kicked it into the goal.

“This bodes well for us going forward,” Bedford said. “I couldn’t ask for anything more. Sure, I’d like a better outcome but I think (Pinkerton) had to work for this win. This wasn’t just handed to them.”

Pinkerton outshot the Lancers, 12-4, and had a 2-1 advantage in power-play opportunities over the scoreless opening period.

The Astros finished 0-for-3 on the power play and 3-for-3 on the penalty kill and outshot Londonderry, 35-20.

The victory marked Pinkerton’s fourth straight since a 5-3 loss at Concord on Feb. 2. Each win during the streak has been by a one-goal margin.

“I think being challenged this late in the year is good,” Littlefield said. “We had some games early on where we could rest guys or get away with things we couldn’t get away with now so being challenged at this point is good because it lets us know, alright, the tough stuff is coming up. Playoffs, it’s a whole new season.”