On Saturday, December 14^th, the boys varsity hockey team traveled to Proctor Academy's Teddy Maloney Rink to take on the always pesky "Hornets" and skated away with a three-to-two Lakes Region Hockey Conference loss. The storyline for the game was that St. Paul's School "Big Red" won the special teams battle, killing off all of their penalties and scoring one power-play goal, but surrendered three even-strength goals. 
 
After a scoreless first eighteen minutes of play, eight minutes into the second period, the home team jumped on the board first when they capitalized on a neutral zone turnover at their defensive blue line and quickly countered to monopolize on a two-versus-one opportunity against the Millville defense. During the remaining ten minutes of play, the St. Paul's School players skated with greater determination and effort; they created several quality scoring chances but were unable to capitalize on their opportunities.
 
Early in the third period, four minutes and twenty-six seconds to be exact, Captain Matt Vohra (Valley, NS) notched his first power-play marker of the year when he ripped the puck from the right half-board past the low left pad of the Proctor netminder. Vohra's one-time shot came from Quinn Brandell's (Plattsburgh, NY) stick at the offensive blue line after Brandell's shot missed the net on the wide side and caromed off the wall to Vohra. Less than a minute later, fellow "Maritimer" Michael O'Brien ?25 (Bedford, NS) wheeled out of the right offensive corner and made his way into the "grade A" area to launch a backhand shot up and over the Proctor netminder's shoulder to give the visitors a lightning-quick two-to-one lead with twelve minutes and forty-four seconds left to play. The "Hornets," in their home nest, did not get rattled, and who says lightning can't strike twice? This time at the hands of the Millville skaters. Roughly two minutes later, Proctor converted on a three-versus-three line rush, where the middle forward showed great composure to deposit the puck behind netminder Blake Truchon ?26 (South Burlington, VT), who was great in the net the whole game, for the tying goal. Then, with six minutes left to play, Proctor scored their third goal to take a three-to-two lead off a St. Paul's School defensive zone face-off miscue. The home team made their one-goal lead stand for the remaining minutes of regulation play. They thwarted numerous scoring opportunities from "Big Red" to clinch a good home Lakes Region Hockey Conference win.
 
In the week ahead, the "Big Red" will take the next couple of days to get ready for the Trinity-Pawling "Pride," when they will play them in game one of the Avon Old Christmas Classic on the Avon Old Farms School campus on Thursday, December 19th at 7:00 pm in the Jennings-Fairchild Arena on the John T. Gardner Rink.