Category: Game Previews

The Upper Montgomery Lightning travel to Hagerstown on Monday night to face off against the Washington County Northstars. Game time is 7:00 pm at the Hagerstown Ice and Sports Complex. The Nortstars are one of the top teams in the Maryland Student Hockey League and come into the game with a 9-0 record overall, and a 7-0 record in the Monocacy Hockey Conference. This season, the Northstars have outscored their opponents by a margin of 61-9, and no team has scored more than two goals in a game against Washington County. It will be an extremely tough challenge for the young Lightning, but one that the team is very much looking forward to.

Coming off two consecutive losses against Richard Montgomery and Sherwood, Upper Montgomery will be looking to break its mini two game losing streak. The game against Washington County was intentionally scheduled to prepare the team for the upcoming Montgomery Hockey Conference division one playoffs where the Lightning will likely face a very high caliber team in the opening round. Washington County’s roster is littered with AAA and AA level travel student athletes and the team is very experienced with five seniors and five juniors likely to play in the game.

The Lightning may share the net minding duties in this non-conference game. Will Mellen who has started a majority of the varsity games in net, may get a break in this game. He had been stellar in net until the last two games where he has given up four and six goals in back-to-back games against higher level competition. In fairness, several of those goals have come off of odd numbered rushes up ice or turnovers directly in front of the goal. Landon Bernard who has played solid in net for the junior varsity may see some action in the game as well. The Northstars are averaging 6.78 goals a game and Upper Montgomery will need to play a hard defensive style to limit Washington County’s scoring chances. Washington County can get up and down the ice in a hurry and the Lightning will need multiple forwards skating hard and helping back on defense. The Lightning will also need to play a physical brand of hockey to take away time and space so that the Washington County student athletes do not have the opportunity to create fancy, dangling scoring opportunities.

Washington County is led on offense by a defender, junior Lucas Karlsson who has lit up the Maryland Student Hockey League. He plays AAA level travel hockey for the Little Caps and has (9 GP, 17 G, 6 A) to lead the Northstars in scoring. Next is Klayton Barr (9 GP, 10 G, 10 A), then Sammy Caesar (7 GP, 9 G, 7 A), Zane Hill (9 GP, 7 G, 9 A), Drew Glines (9 GP, 8 G, 8 A), Tyler Bjerklie (8 GP, 8 G, 5 A), and Ville Schoenborg who also plays AAA level travel hockey for the Little Caps (7 GP, 6 G 4 A). The Lightning will need to do everything possible to limit these high powered student athletes. In goal for the Northstars will be either Zachary Ciucci or Bryce Zeoli-Luisi. With the talent in front of them, it is hard to gauge their ability as the Northstars average only giving up 14 shots on goal and one goal against a game.

The one aspect to keep in mind is that the Northstars play very few good teams so some of their statistics are built up against much weaker competition. The two best teams the Northstars have faced, Oakdale (a 2-1 victory) and Walter Johnson (a 4-0 victory) were competitive games. A fair amount of stat building has occurred against the three teams at the bottom of the Monocacy Hockey Conference.

The Upper Montgomery defense should have a full complement of skaters for the game. With the entire lineup available to the coaching staff, expect the defensive pairings to be shuffled so that different pairing combinations can be evaluated as the team gears up for its final regular season conference game and then the playoffs. A constant for the team this season has been an outstanding penalty kill. Going into the box against the Northstars could be a game changer with the talent that Washington County will put out on their powerplay. The Botti brothers, James and Andrew, George Benedick, Ethan Hockey, and Andrew Gean will need to play aggressively to take away time and space and play the body to impede the Northstars forwards. However, they will need to be careful not to pinch at the offensive blue line and miss and turn the Northstars lose on odd skater rushes. The forwards will need to help out the defense and bust back defensively to cover open skaters. The speed of the Northstars will make things very difficult for the Upper Montgomery defense if Washington County can make the game a back and forth rushing up and down the ice affair.

Key for the Lightning this week will be having all three forward lines contributing. In the game against Sherwood on Friday night, all four goals were produced once again by the top line. The lack of scoring depth this season has hurt the team’s ability to separate in games. Against higher quality opponents in division one, having a full lineup is paramount to being able to match lines and compete with an evenly balanced lineup. Expect the top line to once again lead the way Chris Hassett (11 GP, 12 G, 15 A), playing center between Ryan Jacobson (9 GP, 7 G, 9 A), and Nathan Cassell (10 GP, 11 G, 6 A). The top line has been very effective creating turnovers in the offensive zone and converting those turnovers into high quality scoring chances. The second line will likely be Bradley Cupples (11 GP, 1 G, 10 A) playing center between Hunter Cameron (11 GP, 5 G, 5 A), and Olivia Robbins (8 GP, 1 G, 3 A). Depending upon how the game is progressing, Brandon Bernard and James Botti may also see shifts at forward on the second line as the coaching staff gets creative with line combinations to jump start the team’s offensive production. Getting offensive contribution from the defense by creating turnovers in the neutral zone, making quick, on target breakout passes, and by firing low hard shots on net while in the offensive zone will help generate additional offensive chances.

Upper Montgomery will make the division one Montgomery Hockey Conference playoff tournament. This is a first for the organization and an accomplishment which the team is proud of. But, the team should not be satisfied. Tournament seeding is at stake over the final two games of the season. Gaining the best seeding possible is now the goal. Playing a competitive game against Washington County will open the eyes of the voters who determine the league’s rankings and playoff seedings and will help solidify the team’s reputation as it grows and matures in future seasons.

After suffering their first loss since early November, the Upper Montgomery Lightning return to action on Friday, January 21st versus the Sherwood Warriors. Game time is 8:45 pm at Rockville Ice Arena. The Lightning will be looking to bounce back from a tough 4-1 loss to a very good Richard Montgomery team and return to the win column. Friday’s game will be the second to last conference game of the season and provides an opportunity for the Lightning to quickly put last week’s game behind them. Sherwood started the season with eight consecutive losses before winning their last two games against weaker competition. The Lightning will need to play a complete game to thwart Sherwood and gain valuable standings points with the beginning of the playoffs only two weeks away.

The Lightning will start Will Mellen in goal. Mellen is coming off a 40-save loss to the Rockets. The loss broke a long winning streak where he had given up only two goals in his previous four starts. Mellen still leads the Montgomery Hockey Conference (MHC) both in goals against average, 1.57 gaa, and in save percentage, .927. He will need to play very well in this game to give the Lightning an opportunity. Sherwood is a high risk, fast break team, and can score goals in bunches. As we saw during the Whitman game, Mellen certainly has it in him to singlehandedly frustrate the opponent. Thomas Russell will get the start for the Warriors. He has been up and down this season while playing against some very good competition in the upper division of the Montgomery Hockey Conference.

The Upper Montgomery defense will get back James Botti who missed last week’s game versus Richard Montgomery as he was out-of-town with his external travel team. His absence was really felt after George Benedick took at two minute penalty for checking from behind. The checking from behind penalty automatically comes with a ten minute misconduct. Losing Benedick for the extended twelve minutes of game action coupled with James Botti’s absence put the Lightning in a bind with only three experienced defenders. With the entire lineup available to the coaching staff, expect the defense to focus on Sherwood’s leading goal scorer, Jarden Reed,18U AA, who has nine goals in ten games (10 GP, 9 G, 2 A). Reed, who is big and strong, and skates really well, will clearly be the most notable forward for the Warriors. Other top scorers for Sherwood are primary playmaker Grayson Winckler, 16U AA, (10 GP, 4 G, 11 A), Jeremy Isaacs, 18U AA, (10 GP, 7 G, 5 A), and Christian Winckler (10 GP, 5 G, 7 A). James, Botti, George Benedick, Ethan Hockey, Andrew Botti, and Andrew Gean will have to clamp down and prevent this quartet of forwards from making noise in the offensive zone. Even though the Upper Montgomery penalty kill has been excellent this season (37 of 40, 92.5%), staying out of the penalty box will be critical to keeping the Warriors off the board.

Key to the Lightning winning this week will be having all three lines contributing. The absence of a couple of forwards last week led to the coaching staff having to juggle the line combinations. Against higher quality opponents in division one, having a full lineup is paramount to being able to match lines and compete with an evenly balanced lineup. Expect the lines to be Chris Hassett (10 GP, 11 G, 12 A), playing center between Ryan Jacobson (8 GP, 5 G, 9 A), and Nathan Cassell (9 GP, 11 G, 4 A). The top line has been very effective creating turnovers in the offensive zone and converting those turnovers into high quality scoring chances. The second line will likely be Bradley Cupples (10 GP, 1 G, 10 A) playing center between Hunter Cameron (10 GP, 5 G, 5 A), and Olivia Robbins (7 GP, 1 G, 3 A). Depending upon how the game is progressing, James Botti may also see some shifts at forward on the second line. A major problem for the Warriors this season has been on the defensive end of play. Samuel Greenberg (18U AA) is the top defender and then it is a patchwork of skaters playing defense. Sherwood is averaging giving up 5.7 goals a game and has given up the third most goals in the Montgomery Hockey Conference. If the Lightning can keep Sherwood off the board and play a structured game, they should be able to light the lamp against Russell.

Upper Montgomery has likely done enough to qualify for the Montgomery Hockey Conference division one playoff tournament. A win versus the Warriors would prevent Upper Montgomery from having to play the number five seeded team in the first round of the playoffs. The first four teams receive a bye into the quarterfinal round of the tournament. Rebounding with a win versus the Warriors would give the Lightning momentum heading out to Hagerstown to play a very talented Washington County squad. It will be an exciting finishing two week stretch with games against three high quality opponents as the team completes its 2021-2022 regular season schedule.

The Upper Montgomery Lightning junior varsity team returns to action on Monday evening, January 17th versus Rockville. Game time is 5:40 pm at Cabin John Ice Rink. The team will be looking to bounce back after losing two consecutive conference games versus Walter Johnson and Wootton before the winter break. The Lightning junior varsity squad is 2-3 in league play, and 2-4-2 overall on the season after its recent tie versus Frederick County in a non-league game. Rockville comes into the game with a 5-2 record and is second in the junior varsity conference standings.

In net for the Lightning will be Landon Bernard who will be looking to continue his strong season. Through the first eight games of the season, Bernard has a respectable goals against average of 3.70 and a save percentage of .858. His strong play has kept the Lightning in games and has given the team an opportunity to win every game. For the Rams, it is expected to be Sean Connelly in net, although Lily Bendavid may see time as well. The Rams’ defense has been good in front of their goalies as Connelly has a 2.95 goals against average and Bendavid has a 2.22 goals against average. It will be important for the Lightning to generate high quality scoring chances and jump out to an early lead.

On defense the Lightning have been routinely skating with four defenders although that may change against Rockville. Young junior varsity defenders Cole Howerton and Patrick Sell have continued to develop. Howerton has been effective at rushing the puck up the ice. Sell is a defensive defender who has been gaining confidence as the season has gone on. It is anticipated that they will be joined on defense by Andrew Gean and Stephen Shkeda to provide a stabilizing influence for the young defense. Upper Montgomery will need to keep track of Chance Hostetler who leads the Rams in scoring with five goals and six points in seven games and Brendan Illif who has three goals and two assists in four games.

Offensively, the Lightning have begun to generate some more offensive opportunities. Brandon Bernard leads the team in scoring with four goals and three assists for seven points in seven games. Josh Miller has scored four goals in eight games while Josh Nadler has scored three goals and has added an assist in six games. The Lightning very much need additional depth scoring from its forwards if they are going to beat Rockville and also in the final two regular season games against Northwest and Churchill. On defense for the Rams expect to see a lot of JJ St. Aubin who will likely play almost half the game. In addition to his defensive abilities, St. Aubin has also chipped in three goals. Upper Montgomery will be looking to pull the upset and advance higher up in the conference standings.

The Upper Montgomery Lightning return to action on Friday, January 14th versus Richard Montgomery. Game time is 9:00 pm at Rockville Ice Arena. The Lightning will be looking to extend a season high five game win streak and a six game unbeaten streak, 5-0-1. Friday’s game will be a good measure of the team’s progress this season as Upper Montgomery will be stepping up in competition against the Rockets who were a state championship finalist last season. A small advantage is that Richard Montgomery will be playing their first game in a month.

The Lightning are expected to start Will Mellen in goal. Mellen is coming off his second shutout of the season against Wilson. He has given up two goals combined in his last four starts. Mellen leads the Montgomery Hockey Conference (MHC) both in goals against average, 1.17 gaa and in save percentage, .935. In six games this season he has a record of 4-1-1, giving up a total of seven goals. He will need to play very well in this game to shut down the high powered Rockets attack. As we saw during the Whitman game, Mellen certainly has it in him to singlehandedly frustrate the opponent. It is anticipated that Henry Darko will get the start for the Rockets. He has been Richard Montgomery’s main goalie this season and has backstopped some impressive wins over Wootton and Whitman, along with a tie against BCC, one of the top teams in the upper division of the MHC.

The Upper Montgomery defense pitched in last week with three goals and eight assists against Wilson. This week, the main objective will be shutting down the Rockets top five high scoring student athletes; Dylan Goetz a high scoring forward (8 GP, 10 goals and 6 assists), defender Luke Gutmann who plays externally at the 18U AA travel level (6 GP, 9 goals and 3 assists), forward Daniel Martella who also plays externally at the 18U AA travel level (8 GP, 6 goals and 5 assists), defender Mitchell Bobys, (18U AA travel) who has (8 GP, 5 goals and 6 assists), and Zac Bulson (18U AA travel) who has played well in limited action (4 GP, 3 goals and 3 assists). The Lightning will be without high scoring defender James Botti who will be out of town with his external travel team. Expect the quartet of George Benedick, Ethan Hockey, Andrew Botti, and Andrew Gean to get most of the ice time with Cole Howerton receiving a few shifts throughout the game. The Upper Montgomery defense will have its hands full containing the Rockets firepower which will make it important that the team stay out of the penalty box to further limit the Richard Montgomery offense.

Key to the Lightning’s success last week in the win against Wilson was that depth scoring finally showed up and took the pressure off the top line. This week, top line forward Nathan Cassel will be out of town with his external travel team. It will be interesting to see who the coaching staff moves up to play with Chris Hassett and Ryan Jacobson on the top line. It may be Hunter Cameron who flourished last week. With the return of Olivia Robbins to the lineup this week, it is anticipated that she will play along side Bradley Cupples on the second line. The third line may be a rotation of several different combinations of student athletes as the coaching staff looks to find a trio that meshes well, is defensively sound, and can provide a spark and energy.

An Upper Montgomery win versus Richard Montgomery would be a signature victory for the Lightning. A win or a tie will qualify the team for the MHC division one conference playoff tournament which would be a first in program history. The Lightning hope to continue to play smothering defense on Friday night and keep their unbeaten streak alive. It will be an exciting finishing two week stretch as the team completes its 2021-2022 regular season schedule.

The Upper Montgomery Lightning return to the ice on Friday, January 7th to begin the second half of the season. Game time against the winless Wilson Stars is 9:00 pm at Rockville Ice Arena. This will be the second game of the season versus Wilson, with Upper Montgomery winning the first game 9-0 just before the Thanksgiving holiday. The Lightning will be heavily favored in the game and will need to make sure that complacency does not set in as the team tries for its fifth victory in a row.

The Lightning offense has been led all year by the first line of Chris Hassett (10 goals, 10 assists), Ryan Jacobson (5 goals, 9 assists), and Nathan Cassel (10 goals, 3 assists). All three student athletes are in 9th or 10th grade. The future is very bright for this trio. The second line has started to find its scoring touch of late. Hunter Cameron now has 4 goals and 3 assists, Bradley Cupples has a goal and 6 assists, and Olivia Robbins has chipped in with a goal and two assists having missed multiple games playing with her external travel team. The third line has been a revolving pair of wingers along with Brandon Bernard at center. It has been difficult for the third line to achieve chemistry although Stephen Shkeda has provided the line with tenacity and energy. Due to the anticipated absence this week of Jacobson and Robbins as they will be out-of-town with their external travel teams, expect the team to dress additional depth forwards which will provide playing time for some student athletes that would not normally receive playing time.

On defense, James Botti leads the team in points with 7 assists in 7 games, but other defenders have chipped in with points; George Benedick a goal and two assists, Andrew Botti a goal and two assists, and Andrew Gean has a goal and an assist. Together with Ethan Hockey, the Lightning have given up only 20 goals in 8 games, for a team goals against average of 2.50 goals per game. If you exclude the 7-6 shootout versus the Blair Blazers, the team’s goals against average would be even lower at 1.86 per game. Even with the non-conference game versus the West Virginia Vipers included, the Lightning have given up the fewest goals of all 15 teams in the Montgomery Hockey Conference. The hard work and effort of the defense, as well as the backchecking forwards, have really limited the opposing teams’ scoring opportunities. Expect this same type of defensive effort against the Stars and the team to dress six defenders with Cole Howerton returning to the lineup.

In goal, Will Mellen has led the way. Mellen leads all goalies in the Montgomery Hockey Conference who have played at least three games with a 1.40 goals against average and a .932 save percentage. Landon Bernard has also seen some varsity action, picking up his first career high school varsity win in the game against the West Virginia Vipers. If the strong goaltending keeps up, the Lightning will be in every game and will have a chance to win the cross over games against the division one teams. Both goalies may see time against the Stars. In net for the Stars will be junior Jack Kobil who has done everything he can to keep the opposition from scoring.

The Lightning special teams have been uneven. The power play percentage is good at 23.3% (7 for 30), but it is the way the power play has looked that is not so good. The power play looks disjointed most of the time, with perimeter passing and not many high quality looks. The Lightning scored four power play goals in the high scoring Blair game but have only three other power play goals in the other seven games of the season (3 for 23, 13.0%). On the other hand, the Upper Montgomery penalty kill has been fantastic, killing off 27 of 30 opportunities (90.0%) on the season. The Lightning have killed off the last 16 extra attacker chances and this success has given the team a major boost. The Wilson game may be an opportunity to work on special teams in a game environment.

A win versus Wilson coupled with a DC Stars loss to Sherwood would put the Lightning on the precipice of their first ever division one playoff appearance. A second victory in one of the last three conference games of the season against either Richard Montgomery, Sherwood, or St. Johns, would guarantee a playoff berth for Upper Montgomery. Join us on Friday evening as the Lightning begin the finishing stretch of the 2021-2022 regular season.

The Upper Montgomery Lightning junior varsity team returns to action on Wednesday evening, December 29th versus Frederick County for a non-conference matchup over the winter holiday break. Game time is 7:45 pm at Skate Frederick. The team will be looking to bounce back after losing its last two games, against Walter Johnson and in a very strong effort against Wootton. Wootton was granted permission to play a varsity goalie who plays AA level travel hockey because of COVID protocols. The Lightning junior varsity squad is now 2-3 in league play, and 2-4-1 overall on the season. Frederick County comes into the game with a 1-3 record, a three-game losing streak, and talent that is better than their record.

In net for the Lightning will be Landon Bernard who will be looking to continue his strong season. Through the first seven games of the season, Bernard has a respectable goals against average of 3.65 and a save percentage of .858. Removing the game against Landon School where the junior varsity played a varsity level team, Bernard’s goals against average would be 2.72 and his save percentage would be .886. His strong play has kept the Lightning in games and has given the team an opportunity to win every game. For the FCC, Conner Langston will be in net. Langston has the ability to play very well, but inconsistencies on defense in front of him have hampered the FCC.

On defense the Lightning have been skating with four defenders. Young junior varsity defenders Cole Howerton and Patrick Sell have continued to develop. Howerton has been effective at rushing the puck up the ice. Sell has been a defensive defender who has been gaining confidence and becoming more comfortable with first pass breakouts. Anticipate that two varsity student athletes will once again play down to provide a stabilizing influence for the young defense and demonstrate the compete level necessary to bring home a victory. Upper Montgomery will need to keep track of Trent Wivell who leads the FCC with four goals and seven points in four games.

Offensively, the Lightning have been getting just enough scoring to remain competitive. Josh Miller leads the team with four goals but has been held scoreless in the last two games. Josh Nadler will return to the lineup after missing the last two games. He has scored three goals on the season, but none in the past four games. Brandon Bernard has produced as of late with two goals and two assists, and then the scoring thins considerably. The Lightning very much need additional depth scoring if they are going to beat Frederick County. Wednesday’s game begins a finishing stretch of four games leading up to the opening round of the junior varsity playoffs.

After a disappointing loss to Walter Johnson, the Upper Montgomery Lightning junior varsity team returns to action on Tuesday afternoon versus Wootton. Game time is 4:50 pm at the Laurel Ice Gardens. This will be the second of three straight days of afternoon games for the junior varsity. The team will be looking to bounce back after losing a late lead against the Wildcats. The squad is now 2-2 in league play, and 2-3-1 overall on the season.

As with Monday’s contest, the outcome of the game may come down to three factors. First, which student athletes from both teams are available to play due to the recent uptick in COVID cases in Montgomery County. Second, how well does Upper Montgomery clamp down defensively as Wootton has struggled to score this season. Lastly, which goalie will be in net for the Patriots, varsity senior AA level netminder Julian Piche or inexperienced Logan Simmons.

In net for the Lightning will be Landon Bernard who will be looking to bounce right back from Monday’s defeat. Bernard’s performance in net will determine the outcome of the game. His strong play of late will need to continue for the Lightning to have an opportunity to win.

On defense the Lightning will likely skate with four defenders. Andrew Gean and Stephen Shkeda will play down from varsity to be a stabilizing influence for young Lightning junior varsity defender Patrick Sell. It is expected that Cole Howerton will miss the game. A rotation of forwards will skate shifts on defense. Pairings are expected to be Gean with Sell and Shkeda with the forward rotation. The defense will be looking to stymie the Patriots forwards who have tallied only 7 goals in 4 games this season.

Offensively, the Lightning are getting just enough scoring. Josh Miller leads the team with four goals. Josh Nadler who is likely to miss the games this week has scored three goals. Brandon Bernard has two goals and two assists, and then the scoring thins considerably. The Lightning very much need additional depth scoring if they are going to beat Wootton. The young Lightning squad should not be overconfident. The team needs to play as they have been in the early games of the season to be successful and continue to come away with victories.

The Upper Montgomery Lightning junior varsity team returns to action on Monday afternoon versus Walter Johnson after Sunday’s game versus Northwest was rescheduled for late January. Game time is 4:00 pm at Wheaton Ice Rink. This will be the first of three straight days of afternoon games for the junior varsity and will help identify how close to the top of the conference standings the team will climb. Coming off of a big victory over Quince Orchard/Sherwood’s combined team, the Lightning are now 2-1 in league play, and 2-2-1 overall on the season. Currently in fourth place in the league standings, the junior varsity will be looking for a lot of points this week to advance up the league standings.

The outcome of the game may come down to two factors. First, which student athletes from both teams are available to play due to the recent uptick in COVID cases in Montgomery County. Second, how well does Upper Montgomery clamp down defensively as Walter Johnson has struggled to score this season, with only two goals scored in their first three games. Inexperienced Becca Freda has been solid in net thus far for the Wildcats.

In net for the Lightning will be Landon Bernard, coming off two consecutive victories over Quince Orchard/Sherwood and recently his first career varsity victory against the West Virginia Vipers. Bernard’s performance in net the past few games has been key to Upper Montgomery coming away with victories. He will need to continue his strong play in goal once again for the Lightning to win.

On defense the Lightning will likely skate with four defenders. George Benedick will play down from varsity to be a stabilizing influence for the young Lightning junior varsity defense of Patrick Sell and Cole Howerton. It is anticipated that a rotation of forwards will skate some shifts on defense. Pairings are expected to be Benedick with Sell and Howerton with the forward rotation. The defense will be looking to stymie the Wildcat forwards. Thus far on the season, excluding the Landon non-conference game, the Lightning have limited the opposition to a paltry two goals a game.

Offensively, the Lightning are getting just enough scoring. Josh Miller leads the team with four goals. Josh Nadler who is likely to miss the games this week has scored three goals. Brandon Bernard has two goals, and then the scoring thins considerably. The Lightning very much need additional depth scoring if they are going to beat Walter Johnson. The young Lightning squad should not be overconfident. The team needs to play as they have been in the early games of the season to be successful and come away with victories.

The Upper Montgomery Lightning return to action this Friday evening versus Whitman at 9:10 pm at Rockville Ice Arena. New spectator protocols will be in place for the game and all Lightning supporters are encouraged to arrive early and allow extra time to enter the ice surface. The cross divisional game will be a key test to see how far the young Upper Montgomery squad has come over the past month. The Lightning are undefeated in their last four games with a 3-0-1 record and now have an overall record of 3-3-1 on the season. Presently, the Lightning occupy one of the final berths in the season-ending Montgomery Hockey Conference post season playoff tournament. The Vikings are a more experienced team and will provide a good barometer as to how competitive the Lightning will be in their three remaining cross divisional games versus Richard Montgomery, Sherwood, and St. Johns.

In net for Upper Montgomery will be Will Mellen. Mellen will get the starting nod with Landon Bernard getting the net on Sunday night for the junior varsity game. In his last two games, Mellen has allowed just one goal and his goals against average for the season is a paltry 1.51. The Lightning defense is a big reason why.

Upper Montgomery’s defense will have to contain the skilled Vikings forwards. The Vikings have ten travel level forwards. Whitman is led on offense by a defender, Charlie Allen, who has 6 goals and 4 assists in 7 games. Second leading scorer Samuel Van Leeuwen has 2 goals and 4 assists in 6 games, while Walter Ingis has scored 3 goals in 6 games. With a full complement on defense; James Botti, George Benedick, Ethan Hockey, Andrew Gean, and Andrew Botti, look for the team to be rock solid on defense even while playing against tougher competition. The Lightning are averaging giving up only 2.71 goals per game and that includes the Blair game in which the Blazers scored 7 goals. Without that one poor defensive outing, the team’s goals against average would be 2.00. The Upper Montgomery penalty kill continues to excel and has killed off 21 of 24 shorthanded situations on the season, 87.5%.

The Lightning’s offense has come to life over the past few games. The team is now averaging 4.71 goals per game. Upper Montgomery’s top line of Chris Hassett, Ryan Jacobson, and Nathan Cassel have led the way tallying 25 of the 33 goals scored by the team thus far on the season. They have been on fire lately with hat-tricks in three consecutive games; two by Hassett and one by Cassell last game versus Northwest. The Lightning received more balanced scoring against the Jaguars with the second line chipping in two goals. Against Whitman all three lines will need to play well for the team to be successful. The Whitman defense contains four AA level travel student athletes. It might be tough sledding for the young Lightning to put many goals past expected starting goalie Reed Crichton.

Friday’s game will likely come down to how well the top line can produce against better competition, if the Lightning defense can continue to remain stingy, and can Will Mellen keep the Lightning in the game by making big stops at key moments in the game. It should be a good one on Friday night and probably low scoring. An upset victory over the Vikings would almost certainly provide the Lightning with enough quality performances to all but guarantee a playoff berth.

Coming off their most complete game of the season, a 6-2 win over top conference opponent Rockville, the Upper Montgomery Lightning junior varsity team returns to action on Sunday night versus Northwest. Game time is 7:20 pm at Skate Frederick. This will be the second to last game of the season for the junior varsity who are now 3-3 in conference play and 3-4-2 on the season. The Lightning need to finish the season strong to gain ground in the conference standings and avoid having to play in the opening round of the junior varsity post season playoff tournament.

The outcome of the game may come down to three factors. First, which student athletes from both teams are available to play due to the recent uptick in COVID cases in Montgomery County. Second, will any of the Upper Montgomery student athletes have travel team conflicts with the Sunday night game. And third, how well does Upper Montgomery handle Northwest’s best student athlete, do everything defender Brady Graham who is a standout on the Jaguars varsity team. Graham leads the Montgomery Hockey Conference junior varsity student athletes with eleven goals in six games. In net for the Jaguars will be inexperienced Joseph Dean who is 3-3-1 on the season with a 3.55 goals against average and a low save percentage of .763%.

In net for the Lightning will be Landon Bernard, coming off a strong outing versus the Rams giving up only two goals. His strong play in goal was one of the main reasons for the win. Bernard’s performance in net against Northwest and particularly Graham will be key to Upper Montgomery coming away with a second straight victory.

On defense the Lightning will likely skate with four defenders. Stephen Shkeda will play down from varsity to be a stabilizing influence for the young Lightning junior varsity defense of Patrick Sell and Cole Howerton. It is anticipated that a rotation of forwards will skate some shifts on defense. Pairings are expected to be Shkeda with Sell and Howerton with the forward rotation. The defense will be looking to stymie Graham as well as the rest of the Jaguars forwards.

Offensively, the Lightning’s offense has begun to kick into gear. With eleven goals in its last two games, the team is finally getting more balanced scoring to take the pressure off the defense. Brandon Bernard leads the team in scoring (8 GP, 4 G, 6 A). Bradley Cupples, coming off a strong game versus Rockville with two goals and an assist, is next with (6 GP, 3 G, 4 A). Joshua Miller leads the team with five goals in nine games including several outstanding breakaway goals. Josh Nadler has chipped in and scored three goals so far in his first high school season. Then, the scoring thins considerably. The Lightning need the additional depth scoring to continue if they are going to beat Northwest. Controlling Brady Graham will be the primary key, and if successful, the Lightning will earn their fourth win of the season.