SPS 2 – Holderness School 3 (OT)
February 21, 2026
Hockey Center / Gordon Rink
Concord, New Hampshire
The "Big Red" varsity boys hockey team played their last regular-season "home game" on Gordon Rink for the 2025 - 2026 campaign against the Holderness School "Bulls" and lost an extremely tight checking contest in overtime.
On senior night, despite the St. Paul's School skaters playing well in all three zones of the rink, the first eighteen minutes of play ended with the score tied at one. The "Bulls" jumped on the scoreboard first, nine minutes and sixteen seconds into play, and less than a minute later, Sixth Form captain, Harry Dermody, deflected a Brady Hall '27 shot from the right point to tie the game.
In the second period, Mitchell Smith '27 scored the lone goal during the eighteen minutes of play. Smith, after receiving a pass from Colin O'Leary '27 by the offensive blue line that originated from James Buchan '27 in the defensive zone, waltzed his way by the Holderness defense on the right side of the offensive zone to break in alone on the Holderness goaltender and slip the puck by the goalie on the short side for a two-to-one lead.
The "Bulls" scored the game-tying goal on the power play six minutes into the third period. From that point forward, both teams skated and checked with determination, trying to create offense to score the go-ahead goal in regulation. Then, ninety seconds into the five-minute overtime period, Holderness took advantage of "Big Red" offensive zone miscue and broke out of their defensive zone to score the game-winning goal on a two-on-one break.
Despite the overtime loss, the St. Paul's School varsity boys hockey team played another great hockey game, and the players in the Form of 2026 (#2 Elijah Nacht, #5 Jayden Ficek, #7 assistant captain—Quinn Brandell, #10 Ryan Doherty, #20 Anderson Kilbourne, #22 captain—Harry Dermody, #24 assistant captain—Gavin Code, #29 assistant captain—Blake Truchon, #33 Brady Hall, and #35 William Birks) cemented their legacy of always playing devoted, united, and resilient hockey as they head into the last week of the winter athletic season.
