The Upper Montgomery Lightning played their most complete game of the 2022 – 2023 season thus far in throttling the Blair Blazers 9-1 on Friday night at Rockville Ice Arena. The victory claws the Lightning’s record back to 2-4-1, with all four losses to teams ranked in the top eight of the state high school ice hockey rankings. Upper Montgomery dominated in all aspects of the game thoroughly outplaying the overmatched Blazers. Upper Montgomery’s rugged play, hard hitting, stifling defense, and potent offensive skill was way too much for Blair to handle.
The Lightning brought their A game right from the opening faceoff. Three minutes into the game, Upper Montgomery jumped out on top and just kept going. Olivia Robbins collected the puck in the slot in the Lightning defensive zone. She passed the puck to Bradley Cupples on a controlled breakout play. Cupples skated into center ice and dumped the puck into the Blair defensive zone following in hard on the forecheck. Cupples’ pressure forced a turnover with the puck going directly to Robbins who was following the play. Robbins immediately shot the puck low along the ice from a bad angle. The puck went five hole and snuck past Blair netminder Lily Bendavid.
Three minutes later it was 2-0 Upper Montgomery as Stephen Shkeda struck for his first goal of the season. Shkeda collected the puck in the right corner of the Upper Montgomery defensive zone. He took two strides with possession and passed the puck indirect across the ice to Nathan Cassel on the left wing boards. Entering the offensive zone Cassel backhanded the puck down the boards and low by the side of the net to Chris Hassett. Hassett pivoted and sent a backhand pass into the low slot just outside the crease. Shkeda was able to reach back and backhand the puck into the far side of the net low under Bendavid’s glove hand.
The next several minutes were heavy pressure put on by Upper Montgomery sprinkled with dangerous counterattack rushes by Blair’s two offensively gifted brothers, Alex and Chris Birchard. When Alex Birchard was called for roughing with three and a half minutes remaining in the period, Upper Montgomery would open up some breathing room. Off the powerplay faceoff, Upper Montgomery worked the puck around the perimeter of the Blair defensive set up. The puck came to Lightning forward Hunter Cameron on the right wing boards. He sent the puck down to Hassett stationed behind the net. Hassett and Cameron played catch, passing the puck back and forth to each other before Hassett sent the puck into the slot where Lightning senior captain George Benedick had snuck into an opening having gained inside position in the crease. Benedick shoveled the puck over Bendavid’s glove short side for the powerplay goal.
On the next shift, Upper Montgomery would put the game out of reach with still two periods left to play. Ethan Hockey used his skates to keep the puck in at the point blocking a Blair clearing attempt. The puck clicked off Hockey’s skates and over to Henry Honacki in the high slot. Honacki turned and fired. The puck went along the ice from long range and beat Bendavid five hole. For Honacki, it was his first career high school goal. Shots on goal in the first period were eleven for Upper Montgomery and six for Blair, not yet a true indication of how lopsided the game was or would become.
Five minutes into the second period, Upper Montgomery would push their lead to 5-0. Lightning defender Brady Berkhammer collected the puck in his defensive zone. He sent an indirect pass off the boards to Cassel who was skating back into the neutral zone. Cassel skated the puck down the left wing and snapped a shot far side high from the top of the left wing circle. The shot was too good beating Bendavid glove side. The hard hitting affair continued with Alex Birchard attempting to hit Lightning defender Andrew Botti up high. Birchard was in some discomfort after initiating the contact and would leave the game early for the dressing room.
The last five minutes of the period were filled with Lightning penalties and more Lightning goals. Lightning senior defender Andrew Gean took a hooking penalty. A soft call, but up 5-0 it was expected. Upper Montgomery continued to pressure the Blazers with Brandon Bernard challenging the Blazers defense all over the defensive zone. Applying tons of pressure, Bernard finally baited the Blair defense into coughing up the puck. After stealing possession of the puck along the left wing boards, Bernard cut to the center of the ice. He pivoted to his forehand and shot seven hole between Bendavid’s body and the far post for the unassisted shorthanded goal.
While Gean’s penalty was winding down, Benedick was called for roughing. Down two skaters for the final fifteen seconds of Gean’s penalty was no concern for Upper Montgomery’s penalty kill which for the first time all season had no difficult moments. With Gean returning to the ice, Upper Montgomery returned to attack mode while still shorthanded. The puck was cleared to the Blair defensive zone. Cassel pressured the Blazers defender behind the net. The breakout pass up the boards was cut off by Bernard. Bernard flipped the puck into the high slot area where it was possessed by Cassel. Cassel skated around the Blazers defense, then went around the net, and backhand dunked the puck into the empty side of the net with Bendavid caught out of position. Similar to the first period, the shots on goal were heavily slanted to the Lightning’s advantage. Upper Montgomery fired thirteen shots on goal against Bendavid and Blair placed only five shots on Lightning netminder, Landon Bernard.
The third period felt like a high intensity scrimmage because the hitting continued with Cameron laying a big hit off a faceoff in the Blair defensive zone. The Upper Montgomery coaching staff began distributing playing time to some of the depth skaters dressed for action. Upper Montgomery was forced to kill off two more penalties, one to Cameron for interference and one to Hassett for cross checking. With running clock, the game quickly moved toward conclusion with Upper Montgomery still leading 7-0.
With just over two minutes remaining in the game, Cupples sent the puck in deep. Robbins pressured the puck in the Blair defensive zone cutting off the clearing attempt along the left wing boards. She passed the puck back to the point to Botti. Botti walked the puck along the blue line toward the center of the ice where he ripped a wrist shot high and past Bendavid’s glove. During the same shift, after the neutral zone faceoff, Upper Montgomery would score its ninth and final goal of the game. More forechecking pressure in the offensive zone preceded a great display of passing and teamwork. Cupples passed to the point to Berkhammer. Berkhammer sent the puck to the right to Benedick who riffled a slapshot into the feet of the forwards crashing the net. Philip Shkeda used his feet and kicked the puck loose to Robbins who fired a wrist shot past Bendavid.
The only question left was could Upper Montgomery keep the shutout for the final minute and a half left in the game. Unfortunately, no. Blair would score with 49 seconds left on a shot from Jackson Martindill from distance outside the right circle. It was a shot that Landon Bernard would certainly have liked to have back and to have secured the shutout.
The Lightning will be looking to find consistency in their game leading into important upcoming games against Sherwood and then a back to back set against perennial powerhouse Wootton. If the heavy forechecking and the stingy defensive effort both continue, Upper Montgomery will start climbing the conference standings (and rankings), with a home playoff game potentially available to secure.
Game Notes:
- Shots on goal for the game were lopsided, Upper Montgomery with 37 and Blair with 15.
- Upper Montgomery’s penalty kill came through and killed off all four Blazers powerplay opportunities. The Lightning scored two shorthanded goals as well. The team’s penalty kill on the season is now 15 for 25, raising the penalty kill success rate to 60%.
- The Lightning scored on their only powerplay of the game.
- Henry Honacki scored his first career varsity goal.
- Brandon Bernard scored again, bringing his streak to goals in four straight games.
- George Benedick scored a goal and added an assist. He now has eight points on the season, more points than over his first three seasons combined.
- Landon Bernard came within 49 seconds of his second shutout of the season.
- Upper Montgomery will look to continue its resurgence and build upon Friday’s effort when the team faces the Sherwood Warriors next Friday, December 16th. Game time is 8:15 pm at Cabin John Ice Rink.
Three Stars of the Game:
First Star—Nathan Cassel—Upper Montgomery Forward—2 Goals, 1 Assist
Second Star—Olivia Robbins—Upper Montgomery Forward—2 Goals, 1 Assist
Third Star—George Benedick—Upper Montgomery Defense–-1 Goal, 1 Assist