Storybook ending came a year too early for Pinkerton boys lacrosse's Drouin brothers

Mason and Hunter Drouin have always played sports together, usually on the same team.

Whether it was baseball, and later, lacrosse, or hockey and even soccer, the pair were more often than not on the field or the ice alongside each other.

This spring was to be their final go-round playing for the Pinkerton Academy boys lacrosse team, trying to help the Astros win their third straight Division I championship.

But with the 2020 season wiped out by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Drouin brothers have played their last high school games together. Mason, a senior, heads to Bryant University to play lacrosse while Hunter will be back at Pinkerton in the fall.

"That's the hardest part to try to overcome, to not be able to play again," Mason Drouin said. "It's been our whole lives. In lacrosse, we played for Derry and the Junior Astros, then we played with the NH Tomahawks. We played a lot together."

While not getting a final season together has been a tough reality to face, the way they were able to go out in what turned out to be their final game together makes it easier.

In last year's 14-12 win over Bishop Guertin in the D1 final, the pair combined for nine goals, with Mason Drouin getting five, including two in the final minute to give the Astros the win.

"It was nice to go out on a high note," Hunter Drouin said. "I've learned so much from him and he's been such a good mentor. To win the last game together and go off on a good note is great."

Seeing them turn in a performance like that on the biggest stage was no surprise for first-year Pinkerton coach Steve Gaudreau. After serving as an assistant coach for the previous two years, he saw firsthand what they were capable of every day.

"They've been a huge reason that Pinkerton has had the success it's had the last couple of years," Gaudreau said. "Their character leads the way. They're team guys, they're hard workers. Not the most outspoken, but they're fierce and competitive.

"The way last year ended, you couldn't have scripted a better ending. They would have had a great season this year and hopefully it would have ended in similar fashion."

It started when the two were young, switching from baseball to lacrosse at the urging of some friends. Their older sister, Avery Drouin, who graduated from Pinkerton in 2017 and plays for Coastal Carolina University, had already started playing the sport when the Drouin brothers changed gears.

When they weren't on the lacrosse field, they were on the ice, spending most of their time on the ice as linemates, including for the Astros the last two years.

"We've been linemates in hockey our whole lives," Mason Drouin said. "We picked (lacrosse) up and loved it."

"Being able to go through something with your brother, it makes it easier," Hunter Drouin said. "Having a best friend to be with all the time, it was nice."

And playing together for so long, it made them tough to defend.

"I think they compliment each other pretty well," Gaudreau said. "Last year, from the midfield, everything went through Mason and Hunter does well to put himself in position to be in that supporting role.

"Mason, when he's driving and dodging, teams are throwing an early double (team), and Hunter is smart and able to get in spots where he's ready to finish."

Although they lost out on this season together, both brothers hope there's a chance they could play together again somewhere down the road.

Hunter Drouin remains uncommitted on his college decision and Mason Drouin wants to see his brother go where he feels most comfortable.

"It would be awesome being able to play three more years together, but we'll see where the road takes me," Hunter Drouin said. "Recruiting-wise, it was a big year to miss. I was hoping to do a lot, but it's just a setback. Everyone is going through the same thing."