On Friday, January 17th, the St. Paul's School boys varsity hockey team hosted Andover Academy in the Hockey Center on Gordon Rink for a 6:00 pm face-off. The "Big Red" versus the "Big Blue" matchup did not disappoint, as both teams skated furiously up and down the ice sheet for the full fifty-four minutes of play. Unfortunately, St. Paul's School lost the game by a score of 5-3, but they played arguably their best hockey of the season. Andover took a 3-0 lead into the third period, scoring one goal in the first period on an odd man rush and two in the second: one on the power play and one on a breakaway goal. Although Andover had a 3-0 lead heading into the intermission between the second and third periods, St. Paul's School had created several high-quality scoring chances, but the Andover goalie made some crucial saves at some key moments for his team.
 
Thirty-four seconds into the third period, Gavin Code ?26 (Littleton, CO) scored the "Big Red's" first goal when he wired a snapshot underneath the bar past the goaltender's right ear from the top of the left face-off circle to make the score 3-1 and excite the St. Paul's School faithful. Sixth Form Captain Matt Vohra (Valley, NS) made a great defensive play in the neutral and defensive zones when he passionately backchecked the Andover puck carrier to create a turnover and send Code the other way for his goal. For the next six minutes of play, the pace of play elevated to its highest level all season, with St. Paul's School desperately trying to score their second goal of the game and Andover trying to reclaim some momentum to hold off the home team from mounting a comeback.

Around the eleven-minute mark of play, the referee whistled the "Big Red" for two offensive zone penalties: one in a five-on-five play and one when they were a man down to give "Big Blue" a two-man advantage power play for a good ninety seconds. The three "Big Red" skaters and their goaltender, Blake Truchon ?26 (South Burlington, VT), did their best to kill off the penalty, but Andover capitalized on a point shot originating from a face-off from the right side of the defensive zone to regain their three-goal lead and make the score 4-1. Three minutes later, Mitchell Smith ?27 (Thunder Bay, ON) made a great individual effort when he won a loose puck battle in the right corner of the offensive zone that was created by a Fin Kilbourne ?27 (Duxbury, MA) dumped puck. Smith won the one-on-one puck battle in the corner of the rink and then waltzed out to the net front and slid the puck by the Andover netminder's right skate to make the score 4-2.

With less than two minutes to play, Andover and St. Paul's School traded goals for a final score of 5-3. St. Paul's School's third goal of the game came off captain Matt Vohra's ?25 stick when he took a cross-ice pass on the power play, with goaltender Truchon pulled for an extra attacker, from Quinn Brandell ?26 (Plattsburgh, NY), and one-timed the puck from inside the right face-off circle to the upper corner.
 
The "Big Red" will play next on Saturday, January 18th, at Kimball Union Academy at 6:00 pm in Akerstrom Arena.