After a lackluster first period, the Upper Montgomery Lightning turned it on over the final two periods of play against Churchill 2. The team finally looked like what the coaching staff and program supports envisioned the team would be this season. The convincing 9-1 victory over the last place and winless Churchill 2 Bulldogs increased the Lightning’s record to 2-7 on the season. The first half of the Lightning’s schedule was loaded with both private school opponents and public school opponents ranked in the top twenty in the state. How far the team goes this year in the postseason will be determined over the second half of the schedule where the Lightning will be favored in most of their remaining games.
Upper Montgomery forward Philip Shkeda got the Lightning on the board three and a half minutes into the game. Lightning defender Owen Robbins broke up play in his defensive zone along the right wing boards. Robbins knocked the puck up ice to Lightning forward Nathan Cassel on the side wall. Cassel passed the puck over to Upper Montgomery senior co-captain Chris Hassett exiting the defensive zone. Hassett went around a pinching Bulldog defender and raced up the ice with Shkeda on a two on one rush. As he was entering the offensive zone, Hassett sent the puck to Shkeda in the high slot. Shkeda sent a wrist shot from the inside edge of the left faceoff circle high glove side where there was lots of open net. The puck eluded Bulldogs netminder Nicholas Nelson to open the scoring. With the assist, Hassett reached fifty career assists. The milestone assist automatically qualified the senior pivot for induction in the Maryland Student Hockey High School Hall of Fame.
Halfway through the first period, Hassett would score what would ultimately become the game winning goal. Hassett collected the puck in his defensive zone and flipped the puck into the neutral zone along the left wing boards. Shkeda skated into the puck and entered the offensive zone where he sent the puck to the high slot area. The pass was intercepted by the Churchill 2 defense. While attempting to leave the defensive zone, the puck squirted away from the Bulldogs defender. Hassett jumped on the puck and rifled a wrist shot high blocker side into the top corner of the net for an unassisted goal.
With just under four minutes remaining in the period, Churchill 2 would get on the board. From behind his own net, Churchill 2 defender Auryan Abyaneh ramped the puck to his left along the left wing side boards. Before the puck reached center ice, Churchill 2 forward Tye Glazer controlled the puck. He sent a pass across the ice to Churchill 2 forward Cash Levenberg who was along the right wing board in the neutral zone. Levenberg cut in between the two Lightning defenders outside the blue line. As he entered the offensive zone, Levenberg shot low along the ice from distance and beat Shterenberg five hole. It was a weak goal to have given up.
At the end of the period, the Lightning heard from a displeased and animated coaching staff. The intermission talk seemed to fire up the Lightning who appeared to be much more engaged in the game to begin the second period. About three and a half minutes into the period the top line scored for the third time in the game. A Churchill 2 defender was skating the puck to exit his defensive zone. A devastating hit by Hassett forced a turnover with the puck heading straight to Cassel. The other Churchill 2 defender fell allowing Cassel to go in alone on a breakaway. Cassel shot past Nelson’s glove side low for an easy goal.
On the same shift, the first line increased the lead further to 4-1. From deep in his defensive zone Robbins once again pushed the puck to Cassel, this time on the left wing boards. Cassel sent an outlet pass to Hassett in the neutral zone. Hassett then dumped the puck into the Churchill 2 defensive zone as he reached the center red line. Hassett stepped around the nearest Churchill 2 defender and outraced him to the puck in the right corner. He turned and passed out in front of the net to Shkeda who fired a forehand shot just inside the near post past Nelson’s glove.
Just over halfway through the period, the Upper Montgomery coaching staff lifted Shterenberg and replaced him with senior netminder Landon Bernard. It was a change made to give the struggling starting netminder some work in a game in which Upper Montgomery had now taken control. Just ten seconds after the goalie change, Upper Montgomery extended its lead to 5-1. From a faceoff at center ice, Lightning senior co-captain Hunter Cameron won the faceoff back to Lightning 9th grade defender Miles Wendland. From his left defensive position at the Upper Montgomery defensive blue line, Wendland dumped the puck down the left wing boards into the Churchill 2 defensive zone. Cameron, who was playing center in this game, retrieved the puck and skated around the Churchill 2 right defender. From in close he sent a backhander past Nelson’s glove hand low along the ice.
As the period wound down, Upper Montgomery continued the pressure. A make shift forward line of Brandon Bernard centering Olivia Robbins and Adam Levine had control of play for almost two minutes in the Churchill 2 defensive zone. The three seniors rarely play together. Simply to relieve the pressure, the Churchill 2 defense cleared the zone sending the puck to center ice. Lightning defender Brady Berkhammer hit the puck over to Bernard on the left wing as Robbins and Levine scrambled to exit the offensive zone. Bernard raced into the zone along the left wing. At the top of the left faceoff circle he pulled up and fired a wrist shot far side past Nelson’s glove hand just before the buzzer went off. It was the second consecutive game for the Lightning in which a goal was scored in the final second of a period, and the third time this season.
Three minutes into the third period Lightning center Bradley Cupples took an unnecessary roughing penalty along the boards on the other side of the ice from the play. Upper Montgomery was able to eliminate all threats on the Churchill 2 powerplay to keep the score at 6-1. With the Lightning in total control skaters began cherry picking up the ice and taking excessively long shifts. This was a major departure from the way in which Upper Montgomery wants to play and will surely be addressed by the coaching staff prior to next week’s game.
Halfway through the third period, Cameron would score his second goal of the game to reach a six goal spread and put the game into running clock the rest of the game. Olivia Robbins had the puck in the right faceoff circle in the Lightning defensive zone. She sent an outlet pass to Cameron in the neutral zone. Cameron stormed into the Churchill 2 defensive zone and down into the right corner where he pulled up. He flipped a pass back to Cupples along the right wing boards. Cupples returned the puck to Cameron on a give and go passing play. Cameron shot from the low right faceoff circle past Churchill 2 backup netminder Lucas Petrosyan who had entered the game at the beginning of the third period.
With under five minutes to play, Upper Montgomery would tally once more. Berkhammer carried the puck into the Churchill 2 defensive zone down the left wing. He went around the net and passed to Cassel who was covering at the left point. Cassel’s shot went short side and the puck just missed hitting the goal post. Cassel followed the play and chased down the puck in the corner. He sent a spinning backhand pass through the slot to Lightning senior defender Jake Roth at the right point. Roth passed to the left along the blue line to Berkhammer at the left point. Berkhammer’s shot was blocked into the corner. The puck was dug free by Brandon Bernard who shot wide behind the net. Shkeda retrieved the puck and passed over to Cassel in the low slot. Cassel’s backhand shot beat Petrosyan five hole.
A minute later Upper Montgomery’s ninth tally would be Cassel’s hat-trick goal. Shkeda checked a Churchill 2 defender off the puck in the left faceoff circle. Hassett picked up the loose puck in the slot and fed Cassel near the right post for a tap in goal to finish off the scoring.
Game Notes:
- Upper Montgomery badly outshot Churchill 2 by a 40-14 margin, including a combined 28-7 over the second and third periods.
- Top Lightning defender Andrew Botti made his season debut after returning from an upper body injury suffered just before the start of the season.
- Ilan Shterenberg started his fourth consecutive game in goal for the Lightning and picked up his second career varsity victory.
- Upper Montgomery did not have a powerplay in the game which was fortuitous as the team remained 0-20 on traditional powerplays for the season, excluding Nathan Cassel’s penalty shot goal which technically counts as a powerplay marker.
- Upper Montgomery will try to build upon the victory over Churchill 2 when the team returns to action next Friday, December 15th in a rematch of the season opener against the Whitman Vikings. Game time is 8:20 pm at Rockville Ice Arena.
Three Stars of the Game:
First Star—Chris Hassett—Upper Montgomery Center—1 Goal, 3 Assists
Second Star—Nathan Cassel—Upper Montgomery Forward—3 Goals, 2 Assists
Third Star—Hunter Cameron—Upper Montgomery Center—2 Goals