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# Pinkerton, Bishop Guertin will meet for the 12th time in D1 boys lacrosse final
- URL: https://www.nh-highschoolsports.com/pinkerton-bishop-guertin-will-meet-for-the-12th-time-in-d1-boys-lacrosse-final/
- Published: 2023-06-10T17:52:54.000Z
- Updated: 2023-06-10T17:52:54.000Z
- Description: EXETER - After a four-year absence from the Division I boys lacrosse final, the Pinkerton Academy team faced its nemesis that had kept the Astros from championship weekend that last two years. Against No. 2 Exeter, the visiting Astros knew they would have to fight to the bitter end to earn their way
- Author: Richard MacDonough
- Tags: Division I, Bishop Guertin, boys lacrosse, Exeter, Merrimack, Pinkerton, playoffs, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-08-18 04:44

EXETER - After a four-year absence from the Division I boys lacrosse final, the Pinkerton Academy team faced its nemesis that had kept the Astros from championship weekend that last two years.

Against No. 2 Exeter, the visiting Astros knew they would have to fight to the bitter end to earn their way to the title game for the first time since 2019.

All-state faceoff midfielder Cole Frank made sure the Astros would play again, winning 24 of 29 draws and firing up a hat trick, keying a game that was part roller-coaster ride and part heavyweight battle that lasted all 15 rounds with Pinkerton winning the bout 13-12 when the dust settled.

Exeter (14-6) opened the scoring at Bill Ball Stadium in front of a huge crowd, getting out to a 2-0 lead on goals by Owen Williams and Marshall Lacewicz with the teams trading faceoff wins. Frank punched back at the X, and Pinkerton (15-5) fought to tie the game at 2 at the 8:23 mark in the first quarter on goals by Ben Quintillani and Ryan Lynch, with Lynch’s monster lefty so hard it ripped the net.

After an outstanding save by Pinkerton’s Tyler LeBlanc on a Nick Sullivan shot, the Astros got possession and attackman Richard Wong fired in a shot at the 6:27 mark of the first, giving Pinkerton a lead for the first time in the game. In a breathtaking game of runs and a couple ties, the Astros never trailed again.

The Astros and Hawks went into prize fight mode, trading goals, going on mini runs and both teams playing crisp, clean offense and physical defense. Pinkerton exited the first with a 6-5 lead and Frank started to win faceoff battle after battle. The game’s pace and solid execution continued in the second frame until midway through the quarter when a slew of unforced errors and turnovers plagued both squads. Pinkerton went on a three-goal run and took a 9-5 lead at 9:28 in the second on a manup goal by Matthew Feole (four goals, two assists).

During the second quarter, Frank asserted himself at the faceoff-X and won 15 of the next 16 draws, helping Pinkerton dominate the possession. With the game turning somewhat sloppy, Exeter brought it to 9-6 at the 7:16 mark in the second on a goal by Evan Delorie, who took a long cross crease feed from Williams. The teams got physical and traded checks, turnovers, aggressive rides on clears and interceptions. The half ended with the Astros in a long possession and trying to score, but Pinkerton senior Joey Gallo twisted  
his knee as the half ended. He would not return.

The second half opened up much the same as the first closed, with the Astros and Hawks trading body blows until Pinkerton’s unforced error on a clear lead to an Exeter goal from Sullivan at 9:10 and then a gorgeous behind-the-back goal by Sullivan, who cut from behind the cage and took an even better feed from Lasewicz to put it home, and cut the lead to 9-8.

Pinkerton responded by engineering a two-goal run of its own to make it 11-8 with 4:53 in the third, and all Exeter did was power out yet another two-goal drive. The third quarter ended with Pinkerton up only 11-10 and the Blue Hawks feeling the momentum.

After the teams traded goals to start the final frame, with the Astros up 12-11 and their disciplined 3-3 zone defense limiting the potent Hawks’ offense, Gavin Lechner and Williams attacked the zone seams and Williams took a Lechner feed and put it past LeBlanc to tie the game at 12 with only 5:39 remaining.

Just over a minute later, however, Feole dodged hard in the left alley and fired a shot past Ethan Bernich to reclaim the lead for the Astros at the 4:22 mark and the large crowd wondering if overtime was in the future.

LeBlanc would have none of it, however. The senior goalie for Pinkerton made an outstanding save off a pinpoint cross crease pass and shot on his right post and another on a smoking grounder, exactly the type of saves that fire a team up down the stretch and Pinkerton bristled. LeBlanc got some help from the goalie’s best friend as Exeter rocketed a shot off the crossbar at 1:03 and the Astros clung to their one-goal margin.

Pinkerton got a timely clear in the waning moments and a critical timeout by coach Steve Gaudreau allowed the Astros to catch their  
breath and they were able to run the clock almost out. After the Astros stepped out of the offensive zone while in possession, Exeter took a timeout and its desperation pass downfield went wide and the clock hit the zeros, Pinkerton escaping with a scintillating triumph and a trip to the finals to renew its finals rivalry with two-time defending champion Bishop Guertin.

Gaudreau said the Astros always “feel pretty good about the possessions they would get with Frank” but the unforced errors were something the team has to clean up for the final and “value the ball” and make fewer mistakes. That surely is the case with nationally-ranked Cardinals on tap for Sunday’s 2:30 final at Exeter. Frank and team’s plan was to rest and recover, look at some film of themselves and BG and “play our game.”

### Bishop Guertin 18, Merrimack 1

Bishop Guertin lived up to the billing and thoroughly dominated and dismantled the Tomahawks, as the Cardinals stomped their way to another D1 final appearance.

The Cardinals entered the game overwhelmingly favored and scored early and often. Hat tricks by senior Connor Guibord and junior Brady Dumont propelled Bishop Guertin to a 6-0 first quarter lead. Two goals from Michael Matuszewkski and a deep supporting Cardinals’ cast added six more in the second frame, and Guertin carried a 12-0 lead into halftime.

Notwithstanding the relentless Cardinal offensive outbursts, Tomahawks’ freshman goalie, Mason Tremblay, was absolutely outstanding, saving 10 in the first half, many on point blank and laser fast low shots.

Entering the second half with running time in play by rule, the Cardinals turned to their second and third lines at most positions, using all four goaltenders, and padded the lead by three in the third quarter with goals from Caleb Yeung, Dumont and Owen King. With a 15-0 lead heading to the fourth frame, the Cards built up an 18-0 margin with junior Carter Jozokos getting a right wing dodge and putting it home with a hard lefty.

Merrimack got it’s lone goal with less than a minute to play, with Kyle Dunn getting all alone on the Cardinals’ crease and having the entire cage to shoot on.

Pinkerton and Bishop Guertin will meet for the 12th time in the D1 title game, at 2:30 p.m. Sunday at Bill Ball Stadium in Exeter.