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May 29. 2012 10:43PM

Marc Thaler's H.S. Lacrosse: Top 10 reasons to follow the tournaments

NHIAA lacrosse features four teams taking an unblemished record into the 2012 postseason.

Now, though, there’s no in-between for the boys’ teams at Division II Bedford and Division III Derryfield of Manchester, or the girls’ squads at Division I Concord and Division III Windham.

Finish undefeated or fall short with just one loss.

That’s the No. 10 reason to watch the second season. Here are nine others:

9. Daring to dream — Defending champion Dover (7-10, 7-7 Div. II) is the No. 8 seed. For the Green Wave to repeat, they must start by toppling top-seeded Bedford (16-0, 14-0 Div. II).

Great tweet from Dover senior midfielder Liam Murphy: “Looking to be the L.A. Kings of the NHIAA D2 lacrosse playoffs,” he wrote on Twitter, referencing the Kings reaching the NHL’s Stanley Cup Finals as the 8-seed.

8. Senior gift — Windham’s girls (15-0, 14-0 Div. III) are competing this season with the school’s first senior class.

Tri-captains Kayla Breton, Sarah Vivinetto and Hannah Peters are among the seniors hoping to leave the Jaguars with a memorable goodbye present.

7. Shot-stoppers — Play between the pipes is often a difference-maker come tourney time.

Which Division I goaltender will enjoy a well-timed hot streak? The group includes Colin Delea (Bishop Guertin of Nashua), Clark Plummer (Londonderry), James Washington (Hanover), Pearce Connal (Pinkerton Academy of Derry), Jake Pleadwell (Exeter), Spencer Rancourt (Nashua North), Jonah Soucy (Nashua South) and Marquis Sutton (Manchester Central).

6. Dynamic duo — Merrimack’s top-seeded girls (14-2, 14-1 Div. II) are led by Lauren Perry and Emily Pollard. Consider their regular-season statistics: Perry has 84 points (63 goals, 21 assists), 30 ground balls, 12 caused turnovers and 11 draw controls. Pollard has 58 points (35 goals, 23 assists), 73 ground balls, 57 draw controls and 23 caused turnovers.

5. The marksman — Defeating Derryfield’s boys (14-0 Div. III) likely requires the opposition keeps junior attackman Matt Milne from scoring goals. Good luck.

Milne scored 90 points for the second straight season. He has 95 points (48 goals, 47 assists) in 2012, after last year’s 55-goal, 35-assist campaign.

4. Faceoff specialists — Pressure’s on a number of stellar midfielders to win matchups at the faceoff ‘X.’ Remember these names. They’re among the best: Blake Boudreau (BG), Ryan Brigham (Hanover), Jason Barsky (Souhegan of Amherst), Riley Keenan (Bow) and Kevin DeAngelo (Pelham).

3. Something to prove — Concord’s girls (16-0, 15-0 Div. I) spent the offseason thinking about last year’s final, a 10-9 loss to Londonderry.

Then-junior Jenna Tewksbury fired a free-position shot — the potential equalizer — that goalie Sarah Ford stopped with 21 seconds to play.

“We lost by seconds, by one goal. We knew that we could’ve won that game,” said Tewksbury’s teammate, senior midfielder Jane Symmes. “We’re coming back to prove ourselves.”

2. Four?! — Londonderry’s girls (11-4-1, 10-3 Div. I) can make history.

Since the inception of NHIAA girls’ lacrosse in 1998, no program in any tier has won four consecutive titles. Star seniors Jenny Thompson and Leah Walter only know season-ending celebrations. Do they have one more championship run in them?

1. Biggest bull’s-eye — Bishop Guertin’s boys (15-3, 11-1 Div. I) seek a championship three-peat. Given the college recruits on the roster — among them UMass-bound trio Paul Spinney, Bob Fahey and Kyle Karaska — the Cardinals have been heavy favorites since the season’s first faceoff.

Then, the Cards last week nearly knocked off nationally ranked Duxbury, Mass. The 6-5 decision added to the assertion that BG should roll to its fifth Division I title.

“We asked ourselves, ‘How do we match up with the elite in the country?,’” BG coach Chris Cameron said. “We answered that question. We do match up.”

Can anyone in this state match up with the Cards?

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JUNE 11 marks the debut of a summer college lacrosse league at the New Hampshire Sportsplex, the indoor athletic facility in Bedford.

“We take the college kids. But the most important thing is we take graduating seniors who do not want to end their careers,” Sportsplex executive director Jim Astarita said.

For more information about the league, contact Astarita at 641-1313 or jimmy@nhsportsplex.com.

Marc Thaler covers high school lacrosse for the New Hampshire Union Leader & Sunday News. He co-hosts the “N.H. Sports Show” Saturday morning on WGIR-AM 610 and the Seacoast’s 96.7. Send e-mails to mthaler@unionleader.com and follow him on Twitter: @marc_thaler.

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