Through the first third of the 2022 – 2023 high school hockey season, a few overarching themes have emerged:
- Any of the top ten teams can beat any team in the Montgomery Hockey Conference (MHC). Although upsets are fairly uncommon, the number of close games demonstrates that the gap between the historical top four teams (Churchill, Wootton, BCC, and Walter Johnson) and the next five or six teams no longer exists. If the top teams do not bring it every game, they can easily lose. This speaks to the depth and talent of the next batch of teams, including the Upper Montgomery Lightning.
- The Upper Montgomery Lightning are a much improved team from a season ago. The team’s record does not yet fully demonstrate the improvement. However, close losses and a tie earned against the brutal early season schedule point to the continued growth of the program. The team tied BCC 2-2 after having a lead with a minute left in regulation. BCC scored a pulled goalie power play goal to salvage the tie. Upper Montgomery was also leading then top ranked Walter Johnson 4-3 with eight minutes left in the third period before falling late.
- The Lightning earned their first ever (dating to 2008) points against one of the top four teams in the MHC with their tie versus BCC. With two upcoming games against the Wootton Patriots, the team will be looking for its first ever victory against Wootton.
- The first of the official mid-season rankings will be released in early December. Upper Montgomery is ranked seventh which would be the highest ever ranking for the program. The computer rankings program rates close losses against the top teams greater than wins earned against lower tier teams.
Next week’s game against new number one ranked Whitman concludes the season opening stretch of playing the top four teams within the first five weeks of the season. A daunting task for any program. If Upper Montgomery plays a structured, defensive minded muck it up style, it will be a very close game against the Vikings. Whitman likes to counter attack after playing a suffocating defensive style which forces teams to press and turn the puck over, leading to Whitman’s offensive chances.
Chris Hassett once again leads the team in scoring this season with four goals and four assists. Nathan Cassel and Philip Shkeda have seven points each with three goals and four assists. Ryan Jacobson is tied for the team lead in goals with four having played in just three games. Olivia Robbins, George Benedick, and Bradley Cupples each have contributed a goal and three assists. Ethan Hockey scored a hat-trick against Northwest from his defensive position. Depth scoring is much better this season with Brady Berkhammer, Brandon Bernard, Stephen Shkeda, Hunter Cameron, Andrew Botti, and Adam Levine all with multiple point games.
The team has done a very good job at times of limiting the offensive chances against Landon Bernard. It is the penalty kill which has doomed the Lightning. A strength last season at 87.9%, the PK this year is atrocious at 55.6%. When the Upper Montgomery defense is not aggressive at the offensive blue line and has numbers back, the team is able to prevent goals. When the team becomes too offensive minded and gets involved in run and gun, up and down the ice hockey where it trades chances, the top-end talent of the top teams in the MHC makes the Lightning pay. Coming up in December and January with the more evenly matched opposition, expect very competitive and exciting games.
The Upper Montgomery junior varsity got off to a hot start to the season with road victories against the DC Stars 2-0 and Glenelg 4-2. These victories brought the junior varsity winning streak to eight games dating back to last season. Since those two opening games, the team has faltered; losing to both Wootton and BCC. There has been too much puck watching, bad defensive miscues, and stick swiping at the puck instead of taking the body and separating the opposition from the puck. Henry Honacki has been the best skater on the junior varsity with four goals in four games and numerous other breakaway chances. TJ Gottesman has improved in his sophomore season and has one goal and four assists in three games.
The junior varsity is finding that it is hard to repeat as MHC junior varsity champions. Every program is looking to take out the champions. It has been a disappointing start for several of the returning experienced student athletes, but there is still time for those skaters and the team to turn around the season. The junior varsity special teams have been awful, 10% power play success rate and 62.5% penalty kill rates, with several of the successful kills being truncated power plays. Landon Bernard has been solid in net. He will need to continue to play well to allow time for the team to get on a roll heading into the junior varsity playoff tournament.