SPS drops contest to Bulls of Holderness

1/13/2024

This afternoon the boys varsity hockey teams traveled north up Interstate 93 to take on the

number two ranked prep school hockey team in New England, The Holderness School “Bulls.”

By the end of regulation, Holderness School kept their undefeated record intact, “icing” the

“Pelicans” by a score of 7 - 3. Today’s contest was symbolic of many of the games played in the

new year by the St. Paul’s School skaters. To their credit, they started the game well and played a

strong “road hockey” game, advancing pucks to areas of the rink that minimized Holderness’s

scoring opportunities. Blake Truchon ͗26 (South Burlington, VT) made several key saves to keep

the score to a one - one draw after the first eighteen minutes of play. Holderness scored a power

play goal and Michael O’Brien ͗25 (Bedford, NS), arguably one of the best “Big Red” forwards

all afternoon, scored a great four-on-four goal to tie the game late in the first.

At the start of the second period, the “Big Red” dug themselves a hole, giving up a goal in the

first thirty-seven seconds of the second period—a trend that has happened too many times for

this wonderful group of hockey players. To their credit, the team steadied the tide for the next six

and half minutes, but Holderness extended their lead with another goal to make the score 3 - 1 in

their favor. In last three minutes of the middle period, the “Big Red” showed they can be a

resilient group when they want; with both team skating four players aside due to coincidental

minors, Anderson Kilbourne ͗26 (Duxbury, MA) cut into the Holderness when he connected with

Matt Vohra ͗25 (Valley, NS) on a two-on-one opportunity. The “Big Red’' finished the second

period down by a score of 3-2 and had eighteen minutes remaining to put a blemish on

Holderness’s undefeated record.

Unfortunately, at the start of the third period, once again the “Bulls” capitalized on the “Big

Red’s” poor game management. This time the home team took only ten seconds to put the puck

behind the “Pelican” netminder, Truchon, to make the score four to two. Seventy seconds later

the home team scored again to give themselves a comfortable three goal cushion and make their

lead insurmountable for the “Millville skaters.” To round out their tally of goals to seven,

Holderness would go on to score two more times in the third period. Late in the game, Carter

Corbett ͗25 (Skaneatles, NY) scored St. Paul’s third goal of the game and his first of his St. Paul’s

School hockey career when he deposited a rebound opportunity into the upper right hand corner

of the Holderness net.

The “Big Red” resume action Friday night and have another great opportunity to improve as a

team when they travel down to Andover to take on the “Big Blue” for a 6:00 pm puck drop.

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