Pinkerton shakes off struggles, stuns archrival Londonderry

May 25—DERRY, N.H. — It may have been just the final game of the regular season, but as the closing seconds ticked off the clock Tuesday, the Pinkerton boys lacrosse team celebrated like it had just won a state title.

For an Astro, after all, there's nothing like beating Londonderry.

"I could not be more excited!" said an overjoyed Colby Gagnon, who scored a game-high four goals. "I couldn't be happier. We've been looking forward to this game for a long time. We wanted this bad, especially after a few tough losses. This win was big, especially coming against Londonderry."

Losers of four straight going into the game, Pinkerton jumped out to a quick seven-goal lead and never let up, stunning archrival Londonderry 17-5 on Senior Night on Tuesday.

"This was definitely a game we needed," said senior Cole Frank, who was 21 of 23 on faceoffs. "Coming off a losing streak, we didn't want to lose again on Senior Night. We were hyped. This is a rivalry that dates back so far, and means so much to this school."

The win was especially big considering the Astros' recent struggles. Pinkerton (10-8) had dropped four straight and 5 of 7, while playing a brutal string of games against the likes of Exeter (16-1), Bishop Guertin (15-2) and Massachusetts foe St. John's Prep.

Londonderry, conversely, entered the game at 12-4 and winners of five straight and 10 of 11. Pinkerton had won the earlier matchup this season, 10-9 back on April 25.

"The confidence was a little iffy going into this one," said Astro senior Kyle Zirn. "We were hoping to come out strong, but everyone was a little down after the unfortunate losses. But once everyone got into the locker room before the game and everyone started pumping each other up, we knew we were going to come out ready to play. Everyone needed that."

Pinkerton was ready to dominate from the opening whistle on Tuesday.

Gagnon and Joey Lynch each scored twice in the first quarter, and the Astros held a dominant 7-0 lead heading into the second frame. and they just kept rolling from there.

Matthew Feole opened the second quarter with a sweet wrap-around goal from behind the net. Gallo followed that up with a goal off a great pass from Matt Morrison, and Michael Uber blasted home a goal on an underhand shot from 10 yards out that got just a few inches off the ground to make it 12-2 at halftime.

"We knew we could do it, but we had to execute at our best," said Gagnon. "We wanted to get out to big lead, and it felt great when we did it. It was huge!"

The second half remained all Pinkerton. Gagnon opened the third with a goal, followed by an Uber goal he fired home from 15 yards out. Lynch added an acrobatic goal when he picked up a loose ball in front of the goalie and tossed it over his head and into the net.

"We were hyped up and really wanted this one," said Frank. "The Londonderry rivalry is something that goes back generations. With the Mack Plaque, it's a rivalry the whole team cares about it every sport. So it means a lot to beat them on senior night."

Pinkerton will now await its matchup for the first round of the Division 1 tournament.

"Our backs were against the wall today," said first-year Pinkerton head coach Steve Gaudreau. "We needed this one tremendously. We have a great group of kids that work so hard. This year has been a tough grind with a lot of adversity. Even going into this game, it was a question what team we were going to get. But, knowing the character of this team, I knew they would come out and step up huge."

Pinkerton 17, Londonderry 5

Goals: P — Colby Gagnon 4, Michael Uber 3, Joey Gallo 3, Ryan Lynch 3, Matt Feole 2, Matt Morrison, Kyle Zirn; L — Pedrick, Malcolm, Baumann, DeFranzo, Padykula

Assists: P — Colby Gagnon 2, Braydon Bourque, Ryan Lynch, Michael Uber, Matt Morrison

Saves: P — Curtis Michaud 7

Records: Pinkerton 10-8, Londonderry 12-5

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