The boys varsity hockey team traveled to Saxtons River, Vermont, for an early evening matchup to take on the Vermont Academy "Wildcats" in an important Lakes Region hockey conference game.
 
Gavin Code ?26 (Littleton, CO) scored the game's first goal three minutes into the opening period. Code took a cross-ice neutral zone pass at the offensive blue line from a falling Anderson Kilbourne ?26 (Duxbury, MA) and then skated in on the left side to the top of the face-off circle and ripped a snapshot by the right shoulder of the Vermont Academy goaltender to put the "Big Red" up by a score of 1-0. Six minutes later, the "Wildcats" scored their first and only goal of the game off an offensive zone faceoff to the right of St. Paul's School goaltender Blake Truchon ?26 (South Burlington, VT) to tie the game at one goal apiece. From this point forward, Truchon shut the door on the home team, making several key saves when the game was tied to give the "Big Red" offense time to find their rhythm.
 
St. Paul's School took the lead at the nine-minute mark of the second period when Vermont was whistled for a penalty. Truchon skated to the bench, and the "Big Red" got an extra attacker on the ice. Assistant Captain Harry Dermody ?26 (Bedford, NH) did a wonderful job of protecting the puck as he crossed over the offensive blue line, entered the Vermont defensive zone on the right side, and slid the puck to Anderson Kilbourne, who slid a nice pass over to his brother Fin Kilbourne ?27 (Duxbury, MA), who redirected the puck past the "Wildcat" netminder. The younger Kilbourne's goal was the only goal of the middle period, and both teams headed to their respective locker rooms to prepare for the last eighteen minutes of play.
 
In the third period, the "Big Red" emerged from their team room with improved synergy and scored three goals, two on the power play, to ice Vermont Academy and secure a good road win. Five minutes into the final period of play, Captain Matt Vohra ?25 (Valley, NS) started the third period scoring spree when the Millville skaters went on a five-on-three power play. Defenseman Chay Simons ?27 (Atlanta, GA) picked up a redirected Anderson Kilbourne pass and deftly passed the puck down to the left side of the Vermont Academy net, and the right shot Vohra one-timed it to the back of the net. Assistant Captain Avery Ferraris ?25 (Pawling, NY) scored the "Big Red's" second power-play goal of the game when he took a Mitchell Smith ?27 (Thunder Bay, ON) pass and skated the puck down the left wall from the offensive blue line to the bottom of the face-off circle and fired a low hard snapshot on the short side to give the St. Paul's School skaters a commanding 4-1 lead. Fin Kilbourne scored the "Big Red's" fifth and final goal off a hardworking play from Carter Corbett ?25 (Skaneateles, NY). Corbett picked off a pass from the Vermont defenseman several feet inside the offensive blue line on the left side and skated hard to the net, centering the puck at the "Wildcat's" goaltender's feet—Fin Kilbourne was "Johnny on the spot" and banged the rebound home for his second goal of the game.
 
The St. Paul's School varsity boys hockey team's next game will be away at Milton Academy on Wednesday, January 29th, when they take on the "Mustangs" at 5:15 pm on Roberts Rink.