The Upper Montgomery Lightning return to action this upcoming Tuesday afternoon versus the Wilson Stars in a pre-Thanksgiving game at Wheaton Ice Rink. It is a must win for the Lightning who remain in search of their first victory of the season. Coming off of a disappointing 3-3 tie versus the DC Stars in which they let a 3-0 second period lead slip away, the other Stars, the Wilson Stars, may be the perfect opponent for the Lightning as they are by far the worst team in the Montgomery Hockey Conference.
In two of their three games this season the Stars have been shutout. In both of those losses, to Quince Orchard and Rockville, the Stars have managed 2 and 3 shots on goal. They have been badly outplayed even though they have been awarded a bunch of power play opportunities in each game. Wilson is 0-15 on the power play this season. Expected to start in goal for the Stars is junior goalie Jack Kobil. A victory by the Stars over Upper Montgomery would be a major upset and would definitely keep the Lightning out of the MHC post season playoff tournament.
The Lightning’s offense has begun to tick up over the last two games led by the top line of Nathan Cassel (4 goals, 1 assist), Ryan Jacobson (3 goals, 3 assists), and Chris Hassett (2 goals, 5 assists). Depth scoring has been an issue this season for Upper Montgomery as no other student athlete has more than two points through the first four games of the season. Expect to see some forward line combination changes in an effort to have more balanced scoring throughout the lineup. There may even be some junior varsity student athletes called up for this game to provide a spark and some energy.
On defense, the team has played relatively solid in the first month of the season. Except for the second period against Blair, the team has done a really good job of limiting the opposition’s high scoring opportunities. Goals against are down this season from last year. In the game last week against the DC Stars, there were a couple of individual breakdowns on defense. The coaching staff has addressed those errors. Expect to see a more complete defensive effort this week as the Lightning look to keep Wilson at bay and add to the Stars misery on offense. It will be a game time decision on the Lightning’s starting goalie.