Halloween afternoon almost turned into a nightmare for highly ranked BCC. A late six on four powerplay goal with one minute remaining in the game, and the goalie pulled for an extra attacker allowed the Barons to salvage a 2-2 tie against Upper Montgomery. The Upper Montgomery coaching staff has long been waiting for the team’s potential to translate into a complete game against one of the top teams within the Montgomery Hockey Conference. Hopefully, Monday afternoon’s outcome was the start of positive things to come as the Lightning battled toe to toe with BCC earning a tie in a game in which the team was one minute away from a program defining upset victory.
Make no mistake, the game was not an artistic masterpiece. Anyone viewing a hockey game for the first time would not fall in love with the sport. The entire game felt as if it was played in quicksand. There was a tremendous amount of dump and chase hockey. Each team spent a large portion of the game retrieving the puck in their defensive zone and simply chipping the puck back into the neutral zone. Other times, the defense gained the neutral zone, reached the red line and dumped the puck deep into the other team’s defensive zone. There were extended puck battles and scrums along the boards where the Lightning were able to body up and control the high scoring Barons taking away time and space. The Lightning adhered to the game plan established by the coaching staff and executed in fine style.
The first period was filled with a lot of whistles and stop and start hockey. There was not much action. It seemed as if every fifteen to twenty seconds the teams were lined up for yet another faceoff. An early interference penalty to BCC forward Matthew Duffy was easily killed by the Barons. There was very little Upper Montgomery offensive zone time with puck possession. The gritty hard fought period ended scoreless. BCC fired nine shots on Lightning netminder Landon Bernard and Upper Montgomery sent six shots at BCC goalie Graham McGrath-White.
The second period was just a bit more aesthetically pleasing at least from BCC’s standpoint. The Barons began generating more offensive chances and played with more flow to their game. Upper Montgomery continued to play excellent defensive hockey all over the ice chasing the Barons. The Lightning’s game plan was to prevent BCC from getting into their up tempo, high octane offensive style. The defensive structure did limit Upper Montgomery’s offensive thrusts and the Lightning managed only three shots on goal during the period.
Halfway through the second period, BCC would jump out in front. Star BCC center, senior Henry Caldicott would finally beat Bernard. Barons’ defender Jake Williams collected the puck in the BCC defensive zone just inside his blue line. He skated a few strides up ice and passed the puck over to Caldicott. Caldicott entered the offensive zone and fired a wrist shot from the left circle high past Bernard’s glove hand. The BCC goal seemed to energize the game. Over the next several minutes BCC buzzed in the Upper Montgomery defensive zone with Bernard making several fine saves to keep the score 1-0.
On a delayed penalty to Williams, Upper Montgomery would use the extra attacker to even the score. Lightning defender Ethan Hockey had the puck in the left corner of his defensive zone. He swatted the puck backhand around the boards behind the empty Lightning net. The puck clicked off Lightning center Ryan Jacobson on the far side wall. Upper Montgomery forward Philip Shkeda coming back into the defensive zone for a controlled breakout collected the puck. He was able to nudge the puck out of the defensive zone to his opposite winger Nathan Cassel. Cassel skated up ice into the offensive zone. At the left edge of the left faceoff circle, he ripped a low wrist shot past the skates of the BCC defense and past McGrath White five hole to tie up the game.
BCC immediately began pressing after the Cassel goal. Barons’ defender Marlowe Curalli took a retaliatory roughing penalty after a hard clean check along the boards. Once again, Upper Montgomery was unable to generate any offensive threat while with the powerplay advantage. At the end of the powerplay, Lighting captain, senior defender, George Benedick took a boarding penalty. The Lightning powerplay was gone and more importantly Benedick would miss the end of the second period. He would also miss the first ten minutes of the third period while serving the ten minute misconduct penalty that is automatically assessed with any boarding minor. Upper Montgomery was able to thwart the BCC powerplay to end the period and the Lightning entered the third period tied with BCC.
Six minutes into the third period, Upper Montgomery would jump to the lead. Forward Stephen Shkeda battled for the puck along the side boards on the left wing of the Lightning defensive zone. Upper Montgomery defender Andrew Botti came charging into the scrum and laid a big check, unfortunately catching more of Shkeda than any BCC skater. The puck came loose to Botti who banked the puck off the boards and around the pile into the neutral zone. Botti outskated the BCC defense to the puck and took the puck down the wing before cutting hard to the front of the net. Botti’s initial shot bounced around off bodies in front of the goal. He stuck with the play and eventually jammed the puck low stick side past McGrath White to give Upper Montgomery a 2-1 lead.
The real story of the third period was the outstanding play of Lightning goalie Landon Bernard who shined. His third period play was the singlehanded reason for the Lightning gaining standings points by virtue of tie. With twelve minutes remaining, he stopped high scoring BCC forward Aleksandr Talty on a partial breakaway. With ten and a half minutes remaining, he made a point blank save on BCC forward Henry Blumberg. After a questionable elbowing penalty to Lightning defender Owen Robbins (just after Botti’s goal), Bernard stoned Talty in close on the powerplay, and again robbed him on the follow up stuff attempt. Upper Montgomery was clearly scrambling to hold on to the lead. Whenever the Barons broke down the Lightning defense, Bernard was there to keep the puck out of the net.
With under three minutes left in the game and Upper Montgomery fighting to hold on, a really unfortunately situation would lead to one final BCC powerplay. Botti took the puck down the left wing boards in the BCC defensive zone. He over skated the puck. As he turned back to regain possession, his stick got caught under the skates of Barons’ forward Collin Eccles. Eccles lost his footing, and the Barons had a powerplay advantage with 2:49 left in the game.
BCC buzzed on the powerplay with the momentum turning, but Bernard was there to make more high quality saves. Off a cross ice pass, Eccles’ slapshot was snagged by Bernard’s glove. With a minute twenty to go in the game BCC pulled McGrath White for an extra skater. When Bernard made another save and froze the puck by the side of the net just 1:13 was left on the clock. BCC used their time out to set up a final push. The ensuing faceoff came with 24 seconds left on the BCC powerplay.
Caldicott won the faceoff to Eccles at the right point. Eccles passed the puck to Graham LeBlanc at the center of the blue line. LeBlanc sent the puck back across the ice to Caldicott along the right wing board outside the faceoff circle. Caldicott swung and fired a wrist shot on net from the bad angle. Caldicott’s shot snuck through Bernard seven hole, short side with just ten seconds remaining on the powerplay. With all of the tremendous saves that Bernard made leading up to that point in the third period, the game tying shot was one he wanted back.
For Bernard there was no time to sulk. A defensive breakdown off the ensuing faceoff at center ice left Talty once again alone in front of Bernard. With forty seconds remaining in the game, Bernard reacted quickly, stoning Talty once again. Bernard’s thirteen save of the period allowed Upper Montgomery to leave with a hard fought tie.
While a disappointing end for the student athletes, the game’s result will raise the program’s profile within the Montgomery Hockey Conference. The Barons were thought to be one of the top three teams in the league this season. The tie against Upper Montgomery will be looked down upon. While disrespectful to the Lightning, Upper Montgomery will need to continue to push the historical top programs in the county (Churchill, Walter Johnson, BCC, and Wootton) before the well deserved credit will be given to the team.
Game Notes:
- The tie was Upper Montgomery’s first ever game in which they did not lose to BCC.
- BCC outshot Upper Montgomery 30-17 for the game. Upper Montgomery mustered only three shots on goal in the second period.
- Upper Montgomery’s penalty kill which was so good last season at 87.9%, faltered when it mattered most against the Barons allowing the game tying goal with a minute remaining in the game. The Lightning are now five for eleven on penalty kill for the season. Last season, Upper Montgomery only gave up seven powerplay goals all season. In three games this year, the squad had already given up six powerplay goals.
- Upper Montgomery continues the brutally hard initial part of their schedule on Friday evening against perennial state champion Churchill. Game time is 9:00 pm at Rockville Ice Arena.
Three Stars of the Game:
First Star—Landon Bernard—Upper Montgomery Goalie—28 Saves, .933 Save Percentage
Second Star—Henry Caldicott—BCC Center—2 Goals
Third Star—Andrew Botti—Upper Montgomery Defense–-1 Goal