Big Red score big win against Belmont Hill

1/29/2024

St. Paul’s School varsity boys hockey team played host this afternoon to longtime ice hockey

rival Belmont Hill School in the Hockey Center. This year’s game was no different than in year’s

past; the “Sextants” came into this afternoon’s contest with a talented hockey club, and they were

ready to skate up and down the ice at blazing speeds and determination to outscore their

opponent. Right from the opening puck drop, Belmont Hill initiated the pace of the game, but the

“Big Red” settled in quickly to their game, and they showed composure and strength around the

puck in all three zones—especially the defensive zone. On the first power play of the game,

Gavin Code ̕26 (Littleton, CO) opened the scoring for the “Pelicans” when he deflected a

one-timed shot from Patrick Cooley ̕25 (Rutland, VT) past the Belmont Hill goalie. Belmont Hill

responded with a goal of their own five minutes later; at the end of the first eighteen minutes of

play, the score was tied 1-1.

In the second period, the “Big Red” exploded for two goals to put Belmont Hill on their heels for

the balance of the game. Michael O’Brien ̕25 (Bedford, NS) scored off a rebound coming off a

Fin Kilbourne ̕27 (Duxbury, MA) shot on the team’s second power play of the game. Fellow

Fifth Former, Tommy Humphreys (West Simsbury, CT), scored when he reloaded above the

puck through the middle of the rink and picked off a “Sextant” pass high in the offensive zone;

Humphreys then countered quickly to the net and fired a shot past the Belmont Hill goalie’s ear

to give the Millville skaters a ton of energy and determination.

Early in the third period, Harry Dermody ̕26 (Bedford, NH) took a Jonas Eisman ̕24 (Medina,

WA) pass off of the neutral zone wall, stickhandled through the Belmont Hill defenseman, and

then skated to the top of the face-off circle to fire a shot in the upper left hand corner of the net to

give the “boys of winter” the always “elusive” fourth goal—an all important three goal lead with

fifteen minutes to play. Like all good teams, Belmont Hill responded with a goal of their own

several minutes later to bring the score to 4 - 2. For the last 13 minutes of play, both teams

competed tirelessly—St. Paul’s defending the front of their net with a vengeance, and Belmont

Hill pressing for offensive opportunities at every moment they had puck possession. In the last

minute of play, Christian Yi ̕24 (Lake Forest, CA), the “human shot blocking machine,” blocked

a “Sextant” shot, recovered the loose puck and fired it the length of the ice to give the St. Paul’s

School skaters an emotional and quality win.

The St. Paul’s School skaters will resume action Wednesday afternoon when they travel north to

take on the New Hampton “Huskies” at 4:00 pm in Jacobson Arena. We hope to see you there for

more exciting prep school hockey.

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