After a week off the Upper Montgomery Lightning junior varsity returns to action on Friday evening versus the DC Stars. A win would advance the Lightning’s record to 2-1-2 at the likely halfway juncture of the regular season. Game time is 6:30 pm at Cabin John Ice Rink. Upper Montgomery will be looking to replicate the heroic performance displayed against the Churchill Bulldogs where the team scraped out a point by getting to overtime utilizing just seven skaters due to external team out-of-town travel commitments, student illnesses, and injuries. With a varsity game later in the evening, the coaching staff will be utilizing roster management tactics to make sure that students playing heavy minutes later in the evening in the varsity game are well rested.
In goal for the Lightning junior varsity will again be ninth grade netminder Porter Stutsrim-Lyons. Stutsrim-Lyons plays for the Caps Academy 14U lower A external travel team. He has begun his high school career in excellent style with a fine 22 save shutout performance in the season opening win over Richard Montgomery followed up by making a career high and junior varsity program record 47 saves to keep the team in the game against Wootton. Stutsrim-Lyons also played well against both BCC and Churchill. He has a 1-1-2 record, a very low 2.18 goals against average, and a stout .927 save percentage. If Stutsrim-Lyons maintains his current save percentage, it would tie for the junior varsity program record set last season by Ilan Shterenberg. The DC Stars will have a choice of goalie to start in net. Sophomore 16U Lower A Liam Parkinson started the Stars opening game of the season. Junior Gabriel Sokol has played the Stars’ last two contests. The DC Stars were competitive against both Walter Johnson and Wootton to open the season and then beat Churchill who was playing without their most talented student athlete. Sokol has the better statistics with a 2.50 goals against average and an .894 save percentage.
On defense the Lightning will again play without a full compliment of defenders. With the varsity game later in the evening, anticipate that both Miles Wendland and Cole Howerton will see limited minutes if they play at all. Both may only play on special teams to maximize their rest and help out the team in those key circumstances. Senior alternate captain Patrick Sell will lead a Lightning defense that will contain sophomore Avery Evans and ninth grade defenders Matt Rivera and Luke Hudson. Sell is likely to pair with Evans with the two young ninth graders playing together as they have at times earlier in the season.
The DC Stars back line is solidified by senior defender Samuel Bensky. Bensky connected twice to beat Churchill netminder Nicholas Nelson last time out. Sophomore Upper A Jonathan Lust would normally see significant minutes in the game as will ninth grade defender Alexander Smith. Sophomore Charles Laski and Thatcher Norton along with junior Roman Stoinski round out the Stars defensive unit if all are available to play. Lust played in the DC Stars varsity game last weekend so the Stars may consider sitting him out so he does not play two games in the same evening.
Offensively, the Lightning will have available their two leading scorers in ninth grade forward Siddy Bhasin (3GP, 3G, 4A) and sophomore Jake Hudson (3GP, 3G, 2A). With both skating in the varsity game later that evening, it is unknown at this time if either will play in the junior varsity contest. It could also be a special teams only situation for both students. Aiden Zheng will likely dress for the junior varsity game, but his participation will also be a game time decision based upon the junior varsity roster needs as he will receive regular shifts in the varsity game later that evening. Newcomer, sophomore Mason Jagoz has contributed (4GP, 1G, 2A). Senior AJ Marks is stepping up on the offensive end with two goals in four games. He has transitioned to playing a lot of center this season and he is more productive offensively on the wing. Upper Montgomery is without junior forward and alternate captain Jason Woodman who continues to serve his multiple game suspension for penalties he was assessed against BCC. Other Lightning forwards who will return to the lineup after missing the Churchill game are Max Israfilbek and Decklin Hughes. Jackson Schickler remain out long term with an upper body injury.
The DC Stars have been led offensively by sophomore 16U Upper A forward Callum Cochran who has three goals in three games. He scored twice versus Churchill and added an assist. Theo Goldman leads the Stars in assists with two. The rest of the Stars’ lineup has sporadic scoring sprinkled in.
Friday’s game might be a tough one as the Lightning’s roster management decisions may once again lead to a vastly depleted lineup. Let’s see if the available student athletes can once again perform in a trying situation with the odds stacked against them.
#UML, #Bleed Green, #Go Bolts!