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A hot goaltender in a tournament can be a dangerous weapon.

Not only does it allow a team to be a bit more aggressive, it can give a team a renewed sense of confidence. With eighth-seed Pinkerton looking nervous in the opening 15 minutes of the Division 1 first round game against No. 9 Manchester Central, freshman Kevin Kent was a rock, turning in several clutch early saves. The Astros settled down and cruised to a 3-0 victory.

HOOKSETT, N.H. | Three Pinkerton players made a big impact in a game in which the Astros did all the little things right.

Pinkerton's top line of Doug Schultz, Jeremy Lavoie and Eddie Galvin combined for three goals and six assists as the red-hot Astros downed Wakefield, 4-3, in an interstate matchup.

HOOKSETT, N.H. | Londonderry's Tommy Thompson scored his second hat trick of the season ... in the first period! ... but the Lancers were unable add any more offense and settled for a 3-3 tie with Pinkerton.

Pinkerton Academy lost two crucial league points last night against Hanover in a game full of missed opportunities and a lack of consistent effort.

"That's the main disappointment tonight," said Pinkerton head coach Casey Kesselring after the Astros fell 5-1. "This is a team we will be battling with for position at the end of the season and we laid an egg at home. It was unacceptable."

After two tough days at the Blue Devil Classic, Nick Currier made sure his squad wasn't going to have a third.

Currier recorded his first hat trick of the season to lead Pinkerton to a 6-4 win over Oyster River.

Through much of the game, Andover struggled to even generate good offensive chances. But Riki Retelle's rocket slap shot on a late power play eased the Golden Warriors' tensions.

Retelle's seeing-eye point shot beat Pinkerton netminder J.J. Solloway (21 saves) at 6:44 of the third period and the Golden Warriors eked out a 2-1 win over the Astros in the second round of the Salem Blue Devil Holiday Classic.

Pinkerton kept firing shots on goal, but every one of them ended up finding the goalie's pads.

"We generated enough chances to win the game," said Astros coach Casey Kesselring. "We just didn't bear down near the net. We need to do better about scoring goals. We have to go hard and not let up."

Londonderry netminder Joel Wilbrant figures that bouts of confusion and lack of focus were what doomed his team against Pinkerton.

The inexperienced, finesse-minded Lancers, with five freshmen on the roster, were simply overwhelmed by Pinkerton's physical first-period play. After the first, Pinkerton led by a goal but, by the time the game ended, the Astros emerged with a 5-1 victory thanks to some ugly play around the net.

Londonderry netminder Joel Wilbrant figures that bouts of confusion and lack of focus were what doomed his team against Pinkerton.

The inexperienced, finesse-minded Lancers, with five freshmen on the roster, were simply overwhelmed by Pinkerton's physical first-period play. After the first, Pinkerton led by a goal but, by the time the game ended, the Astros emerged with a 5-1 victory thanks to some ugly play around the net.

HOOKSETT, N.H. | Pinkerton coach Casey Kesselring had one complaint about his team's tough, physical performance in a 4-1 loss to Salem: lack of discipline.

Salem's gifted goalscorers were given ample opportunity to show off their skill thanks to Pinkerton's 46 penalty minutes. The Blue Devils, who scored the first three goals of the game with a man advantage, had "just" 18 minutes shorthanded.