It was a busy month of May for the Upper Montgomery Lightning program. The team has concluded play during the spring 2024 hockey season. While not qualify for the spring league playoffs, the squad improved as the spring season went along which was the primary objective of the coaching staff. The spring season is designed for incoming high school students to get acclimated to the speed of high school hockey. Upper Montgomery’s ten new student athletes received a taste of what is to come in the fall when the 2024 – 2025 regular season commences.
The other major event that occurred during May was the Upper Montgomery Lightning year-end team celebration. It was quite a festive evening with the student athletes and their families celebrating the success of the program and honoring the nine seniors who are departing the program after a very successful four year run. All members of the team were recognized and honored for their individual performance last season. Varsity student athletes received a personal trophy to commemorate winning the Montgomery Hockey Conference (MHC) Varsity Tournament Championship.
Additionally, 19 of the 28 UML student athletes were recognized by the Maryland Scholastic Hockey League (MSHL) with academic achievement awards. The award is presented to student athletes achieving a weighted 3.5 grade point average or higher during the first semester of the academic year. Seven students maintained above a 4.25 weighted GPA, seniors Olivia Robbins and Adam Levine, junior Henry Honacki, Sophomore Owen Robbins, and 9th grade first year high school students, Aiden Zheng, Ilan Shternberg, and Miles Wendland. Great effort and success in the classroom!
The junior varsity set many program records during the 2023 – 2024 season on the way to the first undefeated regular season in program history at 9-0-1.
- Most victories in a season with nine.
- Perfect on penalty kill 27/27 with a goalie in net–including a five minute major and a full two minute 5-3.
- The junior varsity gave up only 23 goals in 11 games.
- Three shutouts.
- Highest winning percentage in program history .863.
- The Lightning junior varsity is losing its top three all-time scorers in TJ Gottesman, Josh Nadler, and Adam Levine. TJ and Josh will only be eligible for varsity competition next season. Adam is a graduating senior.
- Josh Nadler set a program record for scoring goals in six straight games.
- Adam Levine set a program record for recording a point in eight straight games.
- Josh Nadler set a single season program record with 53 penalty minutes and a career program record of 124 penalty minutes.
- TJ Gottesman leaves the junior varsity as the career leader in points with 32.
- Josh Nadler leaves the junior varsity as the career leader in goals with 20.
- Ilan Shterenberg tied a program record with eight wins. He also set program records for lowest goals against average at 1.80, and highest save percentage at .927.
- Varsity Highlights of the 2023 – 2024 season.
- The Upper Montgomery Lightning won the most important championship in team history–the Montgomery Hockey Conference Varsity Tournament Championship.
- Upper Montgomery finished with its highest final season county ranking ever–5th, and its highest final season public school state ranking ever–13th.
- Including the private schools, UML played the number 7, 8, 10, 11, 12, 14, 15 (three times), 16, and 19th ranked high school programs in the area.
- The team beat Walter Johnson who was ranked second in the county. That victory ties the highest ranked opponent that UML has ever beaten.
- Upper Montgomery had a 1-0 lead over eventual state champion Oakdale with less than five minutes to play.
- Upper Montgomery was tied with private school powerhouse Bullis with less than a minute remaining in the game.
- The expectation each year moving forward is to make the state playoffs. UML is no longer a mid-major program.
- Coach Scott Cameron is leaving the program after four seasons of being an incredibly valuable resource for the team.
Post-Season Awards and Recognitions:
- Chris Hassett was inducted into the MSHL Hall of Fame. Chris finished his career with 62 goals–third in program history, 64 assists–second in program history, for 126 points–third in program history, an average of 2.14 points per game.
- In the history of the MSHL, Chris finished 30th all-time in goals, 13th all-time in assists, and 19th all-time in points.
- Chris Hassett was named 2nd Team Division 1 All-MHC.
- Chris Hassett and Olivia Robbins were both named Honorable Mention All-Met by the Washington Post. Olivia was 2nd Team All-Met after last season.
- Brady Berkhammer and Hunter Cameron were named Honorable mention Division 1 All-MHC.
- Adam Levine was recognized with the High School Hobey Baker award. The award at the high school level is given to a senior student athlete for their positive attitude, coachability, strength of character, integrity, commitment, teamwork, work ethic on the ice and in the classroom, exemplary character, and outstanding sportsmanship. Adam took zero penalties in 64 UML games, finished his career second in junior varsity program history in assists (15) and third in junior varsity program history in scoring (23).
What’s next for the nine Upper Montgomery senior student athletes?
- Next season, Hunter Cameron will be playing junior hockey in Pennsylvania with the Hershey Cubs.
- Next season, Olivia Robbins will be in Canada playing junior hockey with the OHA Mavericks U22 Elite team based in Ontario, Canada.
- Adam Levine will be attending South Carolina University’s highly regarded sports management program on merit (academic) scholarship.
- Next season, Chris Hassett will play his final year of 18U eligibility before moving on to play junior hockey in the fall of 2025.
- Landon Bernard and Brandon Bernard will be attending Wilkes University.
- Bradley Cupples will be studying Kinesiology at Penn State.
- Jake Roth will be studying aerospace engineering.
- Sean Levine will be taking classes locally.
Best of luck to all of the graduating seniors and we hope they all continue to follow Upper Montgomery as they head off to their future careers and studies.
#UML, #Bleed Green, #Go Bolts!