Bernich helps New Hampshire start fast in Twin State boys lacrosse win (video)

HANOVER – Both boy lacrosse all-star teams from New Hampshire and Vermont did a lot of good things in the first quarter of Saturday’s game.

Each team got opportunities, got good looks, and got saves from their goalies. The big difference was Ethan Bernich stopped all of Vermont’s shots.

The Exeter High School grad made five saves in the first quarter and had a shutout at halftime as New Hampshire rolled to an 18-4 win over Vermont in the Hanover Lions Twin State All-Star Boys Lacrosse Game at Hanover High School.

Bernich played the whole game and finished with nine saves, while the New Hampshire offense scored six goals in each of the first two quarters to take a 12-0 lead into halftime.

“Ethan was tremendous in net,” New Hampshire coach Steve McDonough (Laconia) said. “He had to step up and play the whole game for us. Those saves in the first quarter gave us the momentum, and the next thing, you look up and it’s 6-0. It could have early not been that.

“Same for Vermont. In the first half, we were peppering the kid with shots and he was making save after save. Tremendous goalkeeping top to bottom.”

Vermont’s Landon Brimmer (Mount Anthony Union) made 11 saves in the first half, otherwise things could have been worse in the first half. New Hampshire had 36 shots in the opening 30 minutes.

Caleb Yeung (Bishop Guertin) led the way for New Hampshire with five goals and two assists while Adam Scala (Pinkerton) and Ben Dufoe (Hollis Brookline) had three goals apiece.

Zac Amaned (Portsmouth) added two goals and two assists and Owen Williams (Exeter) had two goals and an assist as well while Derek Kulesza (Bedford ) and a goal and an assist and Gavin McCabe (Bow) and Carson Tucker (Laconia) also had a goal apiece.

But the performance by Bernich helped set the tone for New Hampshire.

After Yeung put his side up 1-0 just 59 seconds in, Bernich came up with a save at the other end that helped set up a goal by Amend and a 2-0 lead. Vermont’s next two shots were turned into transition goals by Kulesza and Williams, coming off plays by the New Hampshire goalie to make it 4-0 a little more than five minutes into the game.

“It’s big for me,” Bernich said. “For all goalies, it’s a confidence thing. Once you get those first few, you string them together and stack some plays, kind of carry it throughout the game.

“Coming in, I knew I was playing the whole game, which was definitely good coming from high school. It’s what I’m used to. It was comfortable. I’ve played with a lot of these guys before.”

Vermont got a goal and an assist from Griffin Piconi (Woodstock Union) while Toby Draper (Middlebury Union), Tyler DeBoer (Mount Anthony) and Will Anderson (South Burlington) had a goal apiece.

Draper and Anderson scored back-to-back to open the second half, making it 12-2, while Piconi and DeBoer each scored late in the fourth quarter.

“For me, as a coach, it’s like a kid in a candy store,” McDonough said. “This team has assembled (the best). Every kid top and bottom of the lineup can play. They’re here for a reason. I think the coaches in New Hampshire did a great job nominating them and it’s a great representation of New Hampshire. We saw a tremendous outcome.”