It’s time to drop the puck on the 2021-2022 high school ice hockey season.
The Upper Montgomery Lightning is ready to officially begin its inaugural season. For the first time ever, the Lightning have an opportunity to qualify for the Maryland Student Hockey League (MSHL) state playoffs. But, it will be a very tough task.
The Lightning kick off the regular season on Monday, October 25th. As a member of the Montgomery Hockey Conference (MHC) the Lightning are in a division with Rockville, Wilson, DC Stars, Quince Orchard, Blair and Northwest. The first six games of the regular season will be against these traditional division rivals. The second half of the regular season schedule will feature cross divisional games against veteran teams the likes of defending state champion BCC, and other traditional powerhouse programs St. Johns, Churchill, Wootton, Walter Johnson, Sherwood, Whitman, and Richard Montgomery.
The Lightning feature a very young and exciting lineup. With only three seniors, five juniors, and a host of sophomores and rising 9th grade student athletes, the future is very bright. However, the 2021-2022 season campaign will be a year of growth and development for the team. Picked to finish 11th out of the 15 teams in the MHC pre-season poll, the team is out to prove they are much better than the lowly pre-season ranking. A hallmark of the team is that they compete extremely hard and aim to give the more experienced teams all they can handle. A solid goal for the team is to make the MHC post-season playoff tournament and also reach the semi-finals of the division two post-season tournament.
The team will have to replace the loss of several key senior leaders from last season’s Damascus co-op team. The departure of MSHL legendary Hall of Fame goalie Jonas Clark will leave a gigantic void to fill in net. Best of luck to Landon Bernard as he steps up to the varsity squad. The departure of several key senior defenders, team captain Anthony Sasselli, Andrew Hockey, and Emily Emmons will leave the team without three experienced and tough nosed student athletes. James Botti, George Benedick, Andrew Gean, and Ethan Hockey, all experienced defenders will look to anchor the Lightning back line. Rising 9th grader Andrew Botti will provide added skill and quickness to the defensive core.
Up front, it is all supremely talented but young forwards. The top two forward lines are comprised of sophomores and rising 9th graders. Much will be expected from Ryan Jacobson, Olivia Robbins, Chris Hassett, Hunter Cameron, Brad Cupples, Brandon Bernard, and Nathan Cassell. Energetic and smooth skating wingers Stephen Shkeda and Adarsh Nair will be counted on to provide solid board play and defensive tenacity. With eight of the top nine forwards returning next season, the Lightning are looking to make their mark and build toward the future. The biggest question facing the team this season is just how long it will take for the talented young roster to gel with each other and come together as a team. Time will tell, and we invite you to join along for the ride.
The Lightning junior varsity squad is made up of experienced student athletes paired with an infusion of youth. Landon Bernard will again provide experienced and athletic goaltending. Returning forwards include Lucas Eyman, James Hyman, and Adam Levine. Tall and rugged Josh Miller is returning to the program after a year’s absence. These experienced forwards will be joined up front by speedy and skilled rising 9th grade forwards Joshua Nadler and Henry Honacki. Recent 9th grade addition TJ Gottesman will also look to contribute offensively. On defense it will be a challenge for the young Lightning junior varsity squad. Crafty and mobile rising 9th grader Cole Howerton will be paired with a rotation of partners while steady defensive minded Patrick Sell will look to continue growing into a shutdown defender.