Upper Montgomery sophomore center Henry Honacki single handedly stole the show Tuesday evening in the Lightning’s 7-6 victory over the Carroll County Bears. In what was anticipated to be a friendly winter break non-conference contest against Bears, the game was marred by several ejections and game misconduct penalties. Ultimately, the Lightning had just enough to hold on for the victory and finish the regular season with a 4-4-2 record. The team now looks ahead to the first round of the Montgomery Hockey Conference junior varsity playoffs. The Lightning’s opponent will be determined after the final regular season games conclude in the first week of January.
From the opening faceoff, it looked like Upper Montgomery would run away with this contest. The Lightning would tally three quick goals to jump out to a 3-0 lead. Two of the early goals were scored while Upper Montgomery was shorthanded. It started just two minutes into the game. Lightning center Josh Nadler took a retaliatory roughing penalty behind the action. Off the defensive zone faceoff, Honacki won the draw back to the corner where Jake Roth and a Carroll County forward battled for control of the puck. Roth gained possession and pushed the puck forward to Honacki. Honacki skated the length of the ice weaving around the Bears’ defenders. At the top of the right faceoff circle he avoided the last defender and finished off the end-to-end rush with a backhand shot that beat Carroll County backup netminder Anthony Coronel five hole.
Three minutes later the lead would grow. Honacki dumped the puck from the neutral zone into the Bears defensive zone to the left of the net. TJ Gottesman hustled into the zone and retrieved the puck. He passed the puck back to Honacki in the left circle. Honacki’s wrist shot hit traffic in front and bounced behind the net. Gottesman once again retrieved the puck and this time centered a pass to Callum Hughes at the right post. Hughes whacked the puck past Coronel for his first career high school goal.
Two minutes later tempers flared. After an innocent play behind the net, Carroll County forward Jack Blackford sucker punched Honacki. The referees were all over the play racing in to stop any further fighting. In an attempt to protect Honacki, Upper Montgomery defender Sean Levine skated over to the fracas. Blackford was ejected for fighting for the sucker punch. Levine was ejected for entering the commotion as the third skater involved, and Honacki was assessed a two minute minor for roughing. The outcome of the penalties was that Upper Montgomery was left killing a penalty because Honacki was sucker punched. Levine’s ejection also comes with an automatic one game suspension via the league’s supplemental discipline policy, and he will miss the junior varsity’s first round playoff game.
With Honacki serving his roughing penalty for getting sucker punched, Upper Montgomery would increase their lead. On the penalty kill, the puck was dumped down ice into the Bears defensive zone. Nadler pressured the play and caused a turnover in the Carroll County defensive zone along the left wing boards. The puck squirted into the neutral zone where James Hyman bumped the puck up to Nadler as he was circling out of the offensive zone into neutral ice. Nadler took the puck and circled right back into the offensive zone along the right wing boards. He skated around the left defender at the top of the right wing circle and launched a forehand chip shot up over Coronel’s blocker for the Lightning’s second shorthanded goal of the period.
With Upper Montgomery leading 3-0 with four minutes remaining in the first period, Carroll County bounced back into the game with three quick goals of their own. First, off of a recoil in the neutral zone with Honacki still in the penalty box, Mason Davie passed the puck to Reese Thorne. Thorne skated down the right wing boards and fired a wrist shot from low in the right circle that beat Lightning netminder Chris Hassett wide to the stick side. Then, one minute later, the Bears would be back within one goal. An Upper Montgomery turnover in the defensive zone went directly to Carroll County forward Larry Marks at the top of the right circle. Marks’ wrist shot was blocked. However, the puck went directly to Logan Dandorf alone in the slot. Dandorf lifted a backhand shot over the blocker of a diving Hassett who was changing direction due to the blocked shot. The Bears third goal was the result of another Lightning turnover. Nadler was stripped of the puck in the neutral zone by Dandorf. With the Upper Montgomery skaters heading up ice, Marks took possession of the puck heading in the opposite direction. He scored off the breakaway chance shooting low glove side to tie the game.
A wild first period with six goals, a three goal comeback by the Bears, and two ejections was not complete. As the period wound down, it would become Honacki time. With 32 seconds remaining in the first period, Lightning defender Cole Howerton intercepted a pass in the Lightning defensive zone. He skated up the right wing boards into the Carroll County defensive zone and then around the net. Howerton centered the puck in front to Honacki. Honacki flipped a wrist shot short side above Coronel’s catching glove. The puck landed in the middle of the net for his second goal of the game.
Then, as the first period was ending, Honacki would tally his hat-trick goal to push the Upper Montgomery lead to 5-3 at the conclusion of the first period. Off of a faceoff to the left of Coronel in the Bears defensive zone, Honacki pushed the puck forward off the draw, he then stepped around the Carroll County center and defender. Honacki curled and dragged the puck and pushed a backhand shot into the feet of Coronel. The puck just squirted inside the near goal post with ten seconds remaining on the clock concluding a back and forth wildly entertaining first period of hockey.
The second period was more subdued than the first period. Once again, the Bears fought back to tie the game at five. With 8:30 left in the period, Marks won a faceoff in the right circle in the Lightning defensive zone. The puck was won back to Dandorf at the right point. His wrist shot short side beat Hassett’s glove hand. Then, a minute later, yet another Upper Montgomery turnover led to the tying goal. A misplay at the left point in the Lightning offensive zone led to a Dandorf breakaway from the far blue line. Dandorf skated in all alone and deposited a shot from six feet in front of Hassett blocker side for his hat-trick.
With four minutes remaining in the second period, Honacki would push Upper Montgomery back in front. He skated down the left wing boards into the offensive zone and shot the puck wide of the net. The puck was held in at the right point by Roth. Roth’s shot attempt was blocked and came to Honacki in the slot. Honacki’s backhand shot was saved by Coronel. The rebound went to Hyman low in the right circle. Hyman’s shot was also blocked and went behind the net. Honacki was first to the puck and passed the puck into the slot to Hughes. Hughes’s spinning backhand shot went wide of the net but right to Honacki who shoveled a backhand shot over Coronel’s leg pads and below his blocker for the 6-5 lead. At the conclusion of the second period, Upper Montgomery had thirteen shots on goal and had scored on nearly half their shots.
Upper Montgomery successfully killed off a late second period penalty to Nadler for cross checking and an early third period penalty to Howerton for roughing. A minute after the penalty to Howerton ended, the Bears would strike again to once again tie the game, this time at six. Dandorf recovered the puck in the Bears defensive zone. He skated through two Lightning defenders passing the puck to the left over to Marks. Marks entered the Upper Montgomery defensive zone and jump stopped just to the left of the slot area. He fired a wrist shot low glove side across the grain from the direction he had entered the offensive zone into the wide side of the net.
One minute later it was Honacki time for goal number five on the evening. Off a faceoff to the left of Coronel, Carroll County won possession of the puck deep in the corner. Honacki won a puck battle and shot towards the net from a bad angle behind the goal line to Coronel’s right. The puck went into Coronel’s skates and trickled over the goal line before Gottesman swatted the puck deeper into the net for good measure.
One final penalty kill was needed when Jason Woodman was whistled for tripping with five minutes remaining in the game. Then, after the successful kill, Upper Montgomery navigated the six on five extra skater advantage with Coronel pulled for the extra attacker.
With 23 seconds remaining in the game after an innocent bump to the side of Hassett’s net as the Bears pushed to tie the game Nadler and Marks began throwing punches. Both were given five minute majors for fighting and game misconducts sending both skaters to their locker rooms early. Nadler and Marks play together on their outside club ice hockey team so the fight between them was unexpected. Because of their penalties, expect supplemental discipline for both Marks and Nadler which will impact both teams’ playoff chances.
Game Notes:
- Honacki’s five goals and six points are Lightning junior varsity program records.
- Carroll County outshot Upper Montgomery 27-21 for the game.
- Power play opportunities were uneven, five for Carroll County and Upper Montgomery did not have a single powerplay opportunity.
- Henry Honacki upped his goal total on the season to twelve and he scored for the fourth game in a row.
- Callum Hughes contributed his first career goal and multi-point game by also adding an assist.
- Both Josh Nadler and Sean Levine will face supplemental discipline for their actions against the Bears and will likely both miss the opening round junior varsity playoff game.
- The Upper Montgomery junior varsity begins defense of their 2021 – 2022 Montgomery Hockey Conference junior varsity championship on Monday, January 16th against an opponent to be determined.
Three Stars of the Game:
First Star—Henry Honacki—Upper Montgomery Center—5 Goals, 1 Assist
Second Star—Lucas Dandorff—Carroll County Defense—3 Goals, 2 Assists
Third Star—Henry Marks—Carroll County Forward–2 Goals, 2 Assists