On day two of the Tabor Academy Joshua Weeks New Year's Invitational, the St. Paul's School "Big Red" faced off against the Pomfret School "Griffins" at 11:00 AM on the Travis Roy Rink in Marion, Massachusetts. Both St. Paul's School and Pomfret School entered the January 5th contest with one win and one loss from the previous day. As a result, both teams had high aspirations of returning to their respective schools with a win and starting the second half of the season with a healthy dose of positive momentum. St. Paul's School goaltender Blake Truchon '26 (South Burlington, VT) was a wall in the net for the "Big Red," as he stopped several high-quality grade "A" scoring attempts at crucial moments in the first half, especially during the first ten minutes of play when the Millville skaters were trying to establish their defensive and offensive structure. Truchon's performance, with 27 saves on 29 shots, uplifted the spirits of his teammates, who rallied to score four goals against a talented, hard-working, and methodical Pomfret School hockey team.
 
Fourth Former Fin Kilbourne (Duxbury, MA) led all St. Paul's School goal scorers with two goals, netting the "Big Red's" first and fourth goals. Kilbourne's first goal came from a beautifully executed three-on-two-line rush, where Mitchell Smith '27 (Thunder Bay, ON) made a middle lane drive to the near side post, allowing Patrick Cooley '25 (Rutland, VT), who was traveling down the right side of the rink, to pass to Kilbourne on the left half. Kilbourne then took the open ice in front of him and fired a wicked "snapshot" past the goalie's glove into the far-left side of the net. Eight minutes after Kilbourne's goal, with the score tied at one goal apiece, assistant captain Harry Dermody '26 (Bedford, NH) and captain Matt Vohra '25 (Valley, NS) connected for a short-handed, two-on-one goal while the "Big Red" had a player in the penalty box for a stick infraction. Dermody's goal originated when assistant captain and left defenseman Avery Ferraris '25 (Pawling, NY) blocked a shot that was generated from the right elbow of the "Griffin" power play with his skate. The puck ricocheted off Ferraris's skate to Vohra's stick, and the two "Big Red" forwards raced out of the defensive zone like rockets, confidently attacking the lone Pomfret School defender. As soon as Vohra drew the Pomfret defender toward his stick, the captain made a great pass to Dermody, who then blistered a shot past the Pomfret goaltender on the short side to regain the lead at two to one, and the "Big Red" took a two-to-one lead into the intermission break.
 
Two minutes into the second half, Vohra was back at it again, this time receiving a pass from Anderson Kilbourne '26 (Duxbury, MA) behind the goal line off the left end wall in the offensive zone and firing the puck into an empty net—making the score three to one in favor of the "Big Red." Twenty-two seconds later, Fin Kilbourne picked up a loose puck six feet in front of the net off a Patrick Cooley shot from the high slot and turned to his forehand to give the St. Paul's School skaters a commanding four-to-one lead. From this point forward, the "Big Red" showed great resolve by managing the puck well and playing with maturity away from it. The "Griffins" were able to score a second goal, but any aspirations of mounting a comeback were foiled by the St. Paul's School skaters, who closed the game out with confidence.
 
The "Big Red" return to action on January 10^th at Exeter Academy in Exeter, New Hampshire, where they will take on the "Granite State's" other "Big Red" prep school hockey team at 5:00 PM.