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It’s the matchup both coaches in the NHIAA Division I boys lacrosse final wanted.
Bedford coach Steve Gaudreau considers it “the perfect script” that he’ll face the team he once coached, Pinkerton Academy.
Astros coach Marty Auger and his players wanted a chance to avenge their 14-11 home regular-season loss to Bedford.
The top-seeded Bulldogs (17-3) will play second-seeded Pinkerton (17-3) for the D-I title on Saturday (5 p.m.) at Stellos Stadium in Nashua.
Gaudreau succeeded legendary Pinkerton coach Brian O’Reilly, who is still the Astros’ athletic director and football coach, in 2020. Gaudreau led Pinkerton until 2024, when he left to become Bedford’s head coach.
Auger and Pinkerton assistant coaches Bryon Murphy and Garrett Pedley were on Gaudreau’s staff while leading the Astros. Auger was an assistant to Gaudreau for Gaudreau’s first season at Pinkerton.
Bulldogs assistant coach Cole Carter came with Gaudreau to Bedford from Pinkerton.
“I have a lot of respect for so many people on that sideline and so many kids on that sideline that I’ve coached,” Gaudreau said. “I’m happy for all those kids because we’ve been on the sidelines together. It’s an exciting thing.”
Auger said before Bedford’s 9-8 victory over Exeter in Wednesday’s late semifinal that the Blue Hawks would struggle if they couldn’t contain Bedford’s senior dynamic duo of Bennett Matthews and Brody Helton.
It turned out to be the opposite for Exeter.
Helton, a Rutgers commit who missed most of the season with a knee injury, scored once. Matthews, who is headed to play at Duke, had two assists.
“The other guys” made the difference for Bedford.
With nobody guarding him, Bulldogs junior midfielder Cobe Rubin scored the game-winning goal — his only one of the game — against Exeter with 1:13 remaining.
The Blue Hawks had possession for the last minute of the game and mustered two shots. One was denied by Bedford senior goalie Ethan Conn (eight saves) and the other was well off target.
Conn’s counterpart in the final will be Astros junior Owen Perkins, who started as a freshman during Gaudreau’s final season at Pinkerton. Auger considers Perkins, who made 15 saves against BG, a lock for All-American honors.
Rubin’s classmate, John Purnell, led Bedford in scoring with five goals alongside two assists against Exeter.
Bedford junior Dylan Riccio won 17 of 21 faceoffs. He’ll battle Pinkerton senior Dylan Stingel at the X on Saturday. Stingel went 11-for-15 on faceoffs in the Astros’ 11-9 win over Bishop Guertin before playing sparingly in the fourth quarter.
“Teams do such a good job — Exeter (did) such a good job today — of pressing out on Bennett, pressing out on Brody,” Gaudreau said, “but guys like John Purnell and then Cobe there at the end ... those other guys that were the big question mark for everybody coming into the year have consistently made plays.”
The Bulldogs were bitten by the injury bug throughout the season but are fully healthy entering Saturday.
“We had a rough start to the season, definitely — a lot of guys hurt, a lot of guys that were out,” Rubin said, “but we had guys step up. Then we gained a lot of our guys back and I think we’ve really come together, and we’ve just got all the pieces. Now we’ve just got to put it together and (there’s) one more game.”
This year’s final will be the first since 2004 that won’t include BG. Gaudreau said that speaks to the parity among the semifinal teams.
Pinkerton won 11-10 in overtime at Exeter in the regular season and was the only New Hampshire team to beat BG this spring. The Astros defeated BG 9-8 in the regular season — the Cardinals’ first in-state loss since falling to Pinkerton in the 2019 D-I final.
Bedford beat Pinkerton and earned two wins over Exeter.
“I just think that this year, the top four, certainly the parity’s there and I definitely see that trend in the next couple years,” Gaudreau said.
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Bedford coach Steve Gaudreau considers it “the perfect script” that he’ll face the team he once coached, Pinkerton Academy.
Astros coach Marty Auger and his players wanted a chance to avenge their 14-11 home regular-season loss to Bedford.
The top-seeded Bulldogs (17-3) will play second-seeded Pinkerton (17-3) for the D-I title on Saturday (5 p.m.) at Stellos Stadium in Nashua.
Gaudreau succeeded legendary Pinkerton coach Brian O’Reilly, who is still the Astros’ athletic director and football coach, in 2020. Gaudreau led Pinkerton until 2024, when he left to become Bedford’s head coach.
Auger and Pinkerton assistant coaches Bryon Murphy and Garrett Pedley were on Gaudreau’s staff while leading the Astros. Auger was an assistant to Gaudreau for Gaudreau’s first season at Pinkerton.
Bulldogs assistant coach Cole Carter came with Gaudreau to Bedford from Pinkerton.
“I have a lot of respect for so many people on that sideline and so many kids on that sideline that I’ve coached,” Gaudreau said. “I’m happy for all those kids because we’ve been on the sidelines together. It’s an exciting thing.”
Auger said before Bedford’s 9-8 victory over Exeter in Wednesday’s late semifinal that the Blue Hawks would struggle if they couldn’t contain Bedford’s senior dynamic duo of Bennett Matthews and Brody Helton.
It turned out to be the opposite for Exeter.
Helton, a Rutgers commit who missed most of the season with a knee injury, scored once. Matthews, who is headed to play at Duke, had two assists.
“The other guys” made the difference for Bedford.
With nobody guarding him, Bulldogs junior midfielder Cobe Rubin scored the game-winning goal — his only one of the game — against Exeter with 1:13 remaining.
The Blue Hawks had possession for the last minute of the game and mustered two shots. One was denied by Bedford senior goalie Ethan Conn (eight saves) and the other was well off target.
Conn’s counterpart in the final will be Astros junior Owen Perkins, who started as a freshman during Gaudreau’s final season at Pinkerton. Auger considers Perkins, who made 15 saves against BG, a lock for All-American honors.
Rubin’s classmate, John Purnell, led Bedford in scoring with five goals alongside two assists against Exeter.
Bedford junior Dylan Riccio won 17 of 21 faceoffs. He’ll battle Pinkerton senior Dylan Stingel at the X on Saturday. Stingel went 11-for-15 on faceoffs in the Astros’ 11-9 win over Bishop Guertin before playing sparingly in the fourth quarter.
“Teams do such a good job — Exeter (did) such a good job today — of pressing out on Bennett, pressing out on Brody,” Gaudreau said, “but guys like John Purnell and then Cobe there at the end ... those other guys that were the big question mark for everybody coming into the year have consistently made plays.”
The Bulldogs were bitten by the injury bug throughout the season but are fully healthy entering Saturday.
“We had a rough start to the season, definitely — a lot of guys hurt, a lot of guys that were out,” Rubin said, “but we had guys step up. Then we gained a lot of our guys back and I think we’ve really come together, and we’ve just got all the pieces. Now we’ve just got to put it together and (there’s) one more game.”
This year’s final will be the first since 2004 that won’t include BG. Gaudreau said that speaks to the parity among the semifinal teams.
Pinkerton won 11-10 in overtime at Exeter in the regular season and was the only New Hampshire team to beat BG this spring. The Astros defeated BG 9-8 in the regular season — the Cardinals’ first in-state loss since falling to Pinkerton in the 2019 D-I final.
Bedford beat Pinkerton and earned two wins over Exeter.
“I just think that this year, the top four, certainly the parity’s there and I definitely see that trend in the next couple years,” Gaudreau said.
[email protected]
Continue reading...
