Pinkerton boys lacrosse takes care of business against Londonderry to advance to D1 semis (video)

LONDONDERRY - It had only been nine days since the last time the Pinkerton Academy boys lacrosse team visited Londonderry.

Given the way the Astros played in that previous trip, it was at the forefront for everyone on their sideline, and with the season on the line, they did what they couldn't do last time.

Pinkerton took control of the game in the second quarter and held Londonderry to one goal after halftime in a 9-4 victory over the Lancers Saturday morning in the Division I quarterfinals. The win puts the Astros in the semifinals, where they will go on the road to face Exeter, which defeated Dover in another quarterfinal, at 4 p.m. Tuesday.

It was the third meeting between the teams since May 25, and after getting a 16-7 win over the Lancers in the first meeting, Pinkerton dropped a 14-12 decision in the second game just two days later.

"It’s tough to play a team three times, especially in two weeks," Pinkerton senior Hunter Drouin said. "The game plan was the same and we knew that if we played our game, even if they had a different strategy, we’d get the win.

"Even though we lost last week (to Londonderry), it was kind of a good thing because it’s hard to beat a team with that many seniors three times in a row. It was a reality check last week. We just did the same thing and took care of business."

Drouin led the Astros (13-5, No. 3 in the NHHSS Coaches Poll) with four goals and an assist while Mason Barbone had a goal and an assist. Michael Uber, Ryan Lynch, Aidan Price and Riley Spellman also scored for Pinkerton while Cole Frank was 14 of 16 on faceoffs and Curtis Michaud made eight saves.

Londonderry (9-6, No. 4) got a goal apiece from Brendon Savage, Zach Fawcett, Nathan Pedrick and Cole Duarte. The Lancers struggled to maintain possession in the second half, finishing with just eight shots, only one of which came in the game's final nine minutes.

"I don’t think enough has been made this year of the fact that we have a freshman (FOGO) and in a game like that, he’s getting us possession every single time," Pinkerton coach Steve Gaudreau said. "For me, it starts with Cole (Frank). It starts with the guys who are on the wings and have battled all year to get that to be a strength of ours. That’s the difference for us."

Even with possession early, the Astros found themselves down in the first quarter, after Fawcett's goal gave Londonderry a 2-1 lead with 7:09 remaining in the quarter. Uber scored with 1:03 to go until the second to tie the game and start Pinkerton on a 4-0 run.

Drouin gave the Astros the lead for good, scoring with 7:29 remaining in the half, and Price and Drouin scored back-to-back goals just over a minute apart to put Pinkerton up 5-2 with 2:52 to go.

Londonderry looked like it picked up some momentum on Pedrick's goal with 42 seconds left in the half, but Barbone scored with two seconds remaining to give the Astros a 6-3 lead.

"This is a huge rivalry, I don’t have to tell you that," Gaudreau said. "Huge playoff game, and coming off the battles last week, I think, for us it was just settling into the game and being confident in our game plan and executing. Certainly, in the first quarter, we did not execute the way we wanted to."

Play got sloppy in the second half, as the teams combined for 28 turnovers as they battled the heat in front of the largest crowd either team has played in front of all season.

Lynch put Pinkerton up 7-3 with 6:39 remaining in the third quarter and Drouin added another goal 40 seconds later, forcing the Lancers to take a timeout. Spellman made it 9-3 but Duarte got Londonderry back within five goals with 1:49 left in the quarter, but neither team would score in the fourth.

Pinkerton will face Exeter in the semifinals for the third time in a row, but this time, the Blue Hawks come in having won the team's two regular-season meetings.

"We’ve certainly been on the other end of it the last couple of years," Gaudreau said. "I’ve said it all year to our guys. It’s a long season and it’s important to see where we are at the end of the year. We’ve certainly gotten a lot better. It’s time to see how that progress stacks up."