The 2024-2025 Vermont high school winter season has begun. See below for scores, schedules and game details (statistical leaders, game notes) from basketball, hockey, gymnastics, wrestling, Nordic/Alpine skiing and other winter sports.

TO REPORT SCORES

Coaches or team representatives are asked to report results ASAP after games by emailing sports@burlingtonfreepress.com. Please submit with a name/contact number.

►Contact Alex Abrami at aabrami@freepressmedia.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter:@aabrami5.

►Contact Judith Altneu at jaltneu@gannett.com. Follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter: @Judith_Altneu.

SATURDAY, DEC. 28

Boys basketball

Games at 2:30 p.m. unless noted

Middlebury at Mill River, 1:30 p.m.

Oxbow at Arlington, 2:30 p.m.

Girls basketball

Games at 2:30 p.m. unless noted

Winooski at Northfield, noon

U-32 at Lyndon, 1:30 p.m.

Blue Mountain at Woodsville, NH

Williamstown at Vergennes, 3:30 p.m.

Boys hockey

Harwood at Rutland, 11 a.m. 

Rice at Saranac, NY, noon

Champlain Valley at Mount Mansfield, 3 p.m.

St. Johnsbury at Colchester, 5 p.m. 

South Burlington at Spaulding, 5:15 p.m. 

Burlington at North Country, 7 p.m. 

Woodstock at Missisquoi, 8 p.m. 

Middlebury Tournament

Essex vs. Stowe, 3 p.m. 

U-32 at Middlebury, 7 p.m. 

Philippe H. Bouthillier Holiday Classic

Consolation, 4 p.m.

Championship, 6 p.m. 

Girls hockey

Champlain Valley/Mount Mansfield at Rice, 1:15 p.m.

Rutland at Kingdom Blades, 3 p.m. 

Spaulding at Missisquoi, 5:30 p.m. 

Stowe at Woodstock, 6:45 p.m. 

Middlebury Tournament

Harwood vs. U-32, 1 p.m. 

Burr & Burton at Middlebury, 5 p.m. 

Hanover Tournament

BFA-St. Albans vs. TBD

Essex vs. TBD

Gymnastics 

Harwood at South Burlington, 11 a.m. 

St. Johnsbury at Essex, 1 p.m. 

Burlington, Montpelier at Burr & Burton, 3:30 p.m. 

Wrestling 

Hubie Wagner tournament at Middlebury 

MONDAY, DEC. 30

Boys basketball

Games at 7 p.m. unless noted

St. Johnsbury at Burlington, 7 p.m. (Sunday)

Richford at Northfield

Essex at Rutland, 6:30 p.m.

Williamstown at Stowe

Lyndon at U-32

Lamoille at Harwood

North Country at Spaulding

Lake Region at Enosburg

Winooski at Missisquoi

Vergennes at Twinfield/Cabot

Mount Mansfield at Champlain Valley

South Burlington at Rice

Oxbow at Blue Mountain

Colchester at BFA-St. Albans, 7:30 p.m.

Girls basketball

Games at 7 p.m. unless noted

Mount Abraham at Montpelier

South Burlington at Colchester

Middlebury at Harwood

Boys hockey

Hartford at Rutland, 1 p.m. 

St. Johnsbury at Brattleboro, 3 p.m. 

Woodstock at Burr & Burton, 5 p.m. 

Spaulding at CVU, 5:25 p.m. 

South Burlington at North Country, 6 p.m. 

Stowe at Mount Mansfield, 6:30 p.m. 

Girls hockey

U-32 at Rutland, 11 a.m. 

Harwood at Champlain Valley/Mount Mansfield, 3:15 p.m. 

Essex at Burlington/Colchester, 4:20 p.m. 

Brattleboro at Stowe, 6:30 p.m. 

Kingdom Blades at Missisquoi, 7:15 p.m. 

Rice at Woodstock, 7:15 p.m. 

Gymnastics 

Montpelier, Middlebury at Harwood, 6:30 p.m. 

(Subject to change)

BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – Vermont’s homicide rate continues an upward trajectory, topping numbers not seen in nearly three decades.

In 2024, police investigated cases throughout the state, as far north as Orleans and as far south as Brattleboro.

As many cases continue to wind through the legal system, Vermont’s homicide numbers in 2024 are the third highest since 1991. And for the third straight year, homicide numbers topped 20.

“Are we seeing more homicides than we have in past years? Yeah, but I think it ebbs and flows. You know, we go from last year to this year and we’re seeing different kinds of homicide cases in general,” Vt. State Police Maj. Dan Trudeau said.

So far this year, Vermont has 23 homicide deaths. Last year, the state saw 27. And in 2022, there were 25. All three years are well above the 10-year average of 17.

Of the 23 homicides, nearly half involved the use of a gun. And of the cases investigated by state police, six are known to be drug-related, involving both suspects and victims from out of state,

Dan Trudeau with the Vermont State Police Major Crime Unit says domestic violence cases are up.

“There is definitely an increased component of mental health issues with involved suspects,” he said.

This year, Vermont saw a rise in cases classified as parricide, or killing one’s parents, which criminologists say are rare.

“Typically those comprise about 1%-2% of all murders nationwide… And we’ve had at least three cases of that in Vermont,” said Penny Shtull, a criminologist at Norwich University.

One happened in Pawlet, where Brian Crossman Jr., 23, is accused of killing his father, stepmother and 13-year-old stepbrother.

Another was in Enosburgh, where Jordan Lawyer, 29, is accused of killing his father and injuring his mother.

And in Montpelier, Matthew Gomes, 29, is accused of killing his parents.

“In general we have an adult that may have longstanding conflict with their family are more likely to sever that relationship than to kill family members, so we suspect mental illness to be a factor,” Shtull said.

One case this year in St. Johnsbury remains unsolved, added to the list of four still unsolved from last year. Trudeau says while tips filter in from time to time, investigations can be complicated.

“There’s a lot of unreliable witnesses, there’s a lot of uncooperative involved people… And oftentimes very little physical evidence,” he said.

Trudeau says in most cases, the incidents are isolated and victims and suspects often know each other. But they still serve as a reminder for the public to remain vigilant.

In the last three years, only four cases have either gone to trial or ended with plea agreements.

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