The Upper Montgomery Lightning junior varsity had something to prove on Friday evening. Although undefeated to start the season winning its first five games, the Lightning had not played an arduous schedule. That changed on Friday night facing the top ranked Richard Montgomery Rockets. Upper Montgomery played its style of hockey, and the complete team effort propelled the Lightning to a thrilling 3-2 victory. With the win, the Lightning need to win two of their final three games to secure a first round bye in the upcoming Montgomery Hockey Conference junior varsity playoffs. The victory also guarantees that the Lightning will finish the season with a winning record.
From the outset it was clear that the Rockets possessed the more talented individual skaters. Richard Montomery rushed the puck up ice and Upper Montgomery was forced to defend. This type of game is familiar for the Lightning junior varsity as they have come to rely on the strong goaltending of 9th grade netminder Ilan Shterenberg to backstop the team. Upper Montgomery’s defensive system of keeping play to the outside, chipping pucks out of the defensive zone, icing the puck to slow down play, and getting the puck to the center red line and dumping it into the zone has nullified the play of the opposition’s top skaters. Timely goal scoring has not hurt either.
With just over six minutes remaining in the first period, the Rockets would jump out in front. Richard Montgomery senior defender Jack Evans took control of the puck in neutral ice along the Lightning blue line. He entered the offensive zone on the left wing. When he reached the left faceoff circle, he fired a pass across the crease to a streaking Connor Myers who had slipped inside of the Lightning defense. Myers was ahead of the Upper Montgomery defense, and he tapped the puck in from the back post past Shterenberg who had to make sure that Evans did not unleash a shot on net.
A minute later the Lightning were forced to kill a roughing penalty to forward Jason Woodman. As they have all season long, the Upper Montgomery penalty killers did an outstanding job and prevented the Rockets from extending their lead. Sheterenberg was strong on the penalty kill making three saves while Richard Montgomery had the extra skater. The opening period concluded with Richard Montgomery outshooting the Lightning by a thirteen to five margin with Upper Montgomery never really testing Rockets goaltender Gregory Saffell.
The second period started similar to the first. Richard Montgomery controlling pace of play and Upper Montgomery defending and executing on the defensive side of the puck. Just over halfway through the period, Upper Montgomery broke through and tied up the game. Lightning junior co-captain Josh Nadler dumped the puck from neutral ice down into the left wing corner. The puck was played by Saffell behind his net. Lightning forward Aiden Zheng crashed in hard on the forecheck. Zheng swung his stick and smacked at the puck making contact. The puck ramped up the stick of the Richard Montgomery defender and popped into the air. The flight of the puck tumbled up over the back side of the cage, hit the netting on top of the goal, and caromed forward. The puck banked off Saffell’s back and landed across the goal line. It was a fortuitous flight path the puck took to settle into the back of the net. In Upper Montgomery’s case, it was par for the course as the ugly, gritty goal was right up its alley and fitting for its style of play. The second period ended tied with the Rockets firing eleven shots at Shterenberg and Upper Montgomery being credited with four shots on Saffell. The two period shots on goal total was 24-9 in favor of the Rockets and was a true indication of how the game was playing out.
The third period became fifteen minutes to determine the top of the conference standings. With the score tied at one, Upper Montgomery was in a very familiar position. A low scoring tight game in the third period. In five of the six games this season, the Lightning junior varsity have either been tied or in one goal games. The flow of the first half of the third period was similar to the opening two frames. Then, Upper Montgomery’s only rush sequence of the game broke the tie. At his own blue line, Lightning forward TJ Gottesman stopped the defensive zone exit pass. He knocked the puck over a few feet to Cole Howerton. Howerton exited the zone and then skated diagonally across the ice to the right wing boards entering the offensive zone. He carried the puck wide and skated around the Rockets defender. From the bottom of the right circle he sent a pass into the slot for Nadler. Nadler wasted no time sweeping a wrist shot from the low slot five hole on Saffell. The Lightning had battled all evening on the defensive side of the puck and now had the lead with eight minutes remaining in the game.
With just over five minutes left in the game, a key insurance goal would prove critical for Upper Montgomery. Off of a missed pass which caused a Richard Montgomery icing, the faceoff came back into the Rockets defensive zone. Adam Levine, who crushed Urbana in the faceoff dot leading to three Upper Montgomery goals last game, was at it again. He won the faceoff back behind him, but not deep enough for either Lightning defender to reach the puck. He fought off a Rockets defender and pushed the puck back to Behr Schickler at the right point. With the puck on its way to the point, Levine pivoted and headed toward the high slot area. Schickler’s slapshot was deflected by Levine out front at the inside edge of the right faceoff circle. The puck changed directions hitting into Gottesman’s skate and ricocheting past Saffell’s right leg pad. For Gottesman, it was what has become a regular refrain, being in the right spot at the right time to collect points. It was also Upper Montgomery’s fourth goal off of a faceoff play over the past two games.
The Lightning had five minutes to continue to stifle Richard Montgomery to walk out with the victory. It took only thirty seconds for the game to once again become a nailbiter. A failed clear by the Lightning defense was kept in at the right point by Evans. He skated down into the right corner stepping around the Upper Montgomery defender. His pass out front to the slot was blocked but bounced directly back to him. His second pass evaded the Lightning skaters and settled into the slot where high scoring forward Aaron Hwang shot from in front while being checked. The puck beat Shterenberg to close the score to 3-2 with just under five minutes remaining in the game.
Far from out of the woods, Upper Montgomery had to sweat through a difficult close to the game. First, Nadler and Rockets forward Edward Bernard got into a skirmish along the end boards behind the Lightning goal. The referees determined that both skaters engaged in a fight which disqualified each skater from the remainder of the game and automatically comes with a three game suspension under USA Hockey’s supplemental discipline system. After the game, league officials subsequently determined that the skirmish was not a fight, and the student athletes will only miss one additional game not three.
In addition to the fight, the referees called a fictitious cross checking penalty on Nadler. The Lightning were forced to kill a Rockets powerplay with 3:30 remaining in the game. Kudos to Levine, Zheng, Howerton, and defenders Miles Wendland, Jake Roth, Patrick Sell, and Avery Evans for clearing pucks, blocking shots, getting in shooting lanes which forced shots wide of the net, and getting the puck out of the zone. But, the job was still far from done. With 1:23 remaining in the game and an offensive zone faceoff, Richard Mongomery pulled Saffell their goalie creating a six on five skater advantage. The final minute of action was a scramble of action as Richard Montgomery controlled the puck in the Lightning defensive end sending shot attempt after shot attempt at Shterenberg to try and tie the score. Upper Montgomery did a terrific job not giving the Rockets any high danger chances and survived until a defensive zone clear with five seconds remaining sealed the victory for Upper Montgomery.
Up next for the Lightning junior varsity is going to be a tough game against an improved DC Stars squad. The Stars have a 3-2 record this season. The Stars play a low scoring grind it out type of game, a style similar to the Lightning’s. Upper Montgomery will be playing without its top goal scorer in Nadler and will need all of the student athletes to step up and contribute. It will likely be a low scoring affair, a game that Upper Montgomery needs to continue their undefeated season. As always, Shterenberg will need to make some huge saves, and the Lightning will have to commit to stopping the Stars with all five skaters playing with incredible effort and hockey IQ in order to defeat a well coached opponent. A win will keep the Lightning in striking distance of winning the Montgomery Hockey Conference regular season title.
Game Notes:
- The victory over the Rockets was the junior varsity’s sixth consecutive victory to start the season.
- Shots on goal for the game were lopsided in favor of Richard Montgomery, 37-13.
- Josh Nadler scored for the sixth consecutive game. He has scored in each game this season and leads the Lightning junior varsity with seven goals.
- Upper Montgomery went 2-2 on the penalty kill and remains a perfect 18-18 on the season.
- Upper Montgomery did not have a powerplay opportunity in the game.
- Nadler will be suspended for the Lightning’s next junior varsity game as he will serve a one game suspension as supplemental discipline for his fight at the end of the game.
- The Lightning need to win two of their final three conference games to secure an opening round bye in the Montgomery Hockey Conference junior varsity playoffs.
- The Upper Montgomery junior varsity returns to game action on Wednesday night, December 13th against the DC Stars. Game time is 8:00 pm at Wheaton Ice Rink.
Three Stars of the Game:
First Star—Ilan Shterenberg—Upper Montgomery Goalie—Win, 2 GAA, 35 Saves, .941 Save %
Second Star—Jack Evans—Richard Montgomery Defense—2 Assists
Third Star—Brody Evans—Richard Montgomery Defense