Entering Friday night’s contest against the Rockville/Magruder Rams, the Upper Montgomery Lightning were in need of another signature victory to cement their playoff positioning. The Rams were in the exact same position making Friday evening’s contest an intriguing matchup with both programs battling for the all important sixth seed in the upcoming Montgomery Hockey Conference playoff tournament. Finishing sixth in the league standings meant avoiding both top seeds Churchill and Walter Johnson in the playoffs.
The game contained thrilling action with both teams having success at times and both teams feeling as if the referees were way too involved in the game. In fact, it was an incredibly poorly officiated game. In the end, hours after the game began, Upper Montgomery prevailed in overtime 5-4. The overtime tally set off a sizeable celebration with the Lightning squad surrounding forward Nathan Cassel after his goal sealed Upper Montgomery’s all important victory.
The game got off to an inauspicious start for Upper Montgomery. On the very first shift of the game, Lightning co-captain, senior center Chris Hassett, the team’s leading scorer, was sent to the penalty box for cross checking forty seconds into the first period. The early penalty put the forward and defensive line pairings out of sequence right from the beginning of the game. It took nearly the entire first period to get the full team into game action. Thankfully for the Lightning, the penalty killers did the job and kept the game scoreless. Two minutes after Hassett’s penalty expired, Upper Montgomery defender Andrew Botti laid a big open ice hit on a Rams forwards. The hit was likely a penalty, but the referees called the hit head contact. Botti’s check was nowhere near the opponent’s head. It was just a big hit. The difference in the penalty call (interference versus head contact) was that after the two minute minor penalty expired, Botti had to serve an additional ten minutes as head contact penalties come with an automatic ten minute misconduct penalty. Upper Montgomery would be without its top defender for twelve minutes of game action.
With Botti’s two minute minor nearing its conclusion, the Rams would break out in front. After an Upper Montgomery full ice clear, Rams goalie Sean Connelly stopped the puck behind his net. Connelly left the puck for the Rams most talented skater, defender Drew Pfeufer. From the right side of his net, Pfeufer threw a long stretch pass up ice for Rams forward Lukas Gold. Gold took control of the pass between the red line and the Upper Montgomery defensive blue line. Upon entering the offensive zone, he skated to the inner edge of the right faceoff circle. Gold then fired a wrist shot far side on Upper Montgomery senior goalie Landon Bernard. The puck eluded Bernard flying high over his blocker before settling into the top of the net.
A minute and a half later, Lightning forward Brandon Bernard was called for tripping. Upper Montgomery was back on the penalty kill for the third time in the first eight minutes of the game. Then, while the Rams were on the powerplay, Gold was called for roughing, a very marginal call. The Upper Montgomery bench chirped at the referees for the apparent make up call, and Upper Montgomery drew an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty which kept the Rams on the powerplay. With all of the chaos going on, Upper Montgomery’s penalty killers finished off both the five on four and then the four on three penalty kills. After Bernard returned to the ice, Pfeufer took over while the teams were skating four on four.
Off of a faceoff in the right faceoff circle in the Lightning’s defensive zone, Upper Montgomery won the draw. The Lightning defense rimmed the puck around the boards behind the net. Pfeufer rushed over to the left point and was just able to keep the puck in the offensive zone at the blue line. With full possession of the puck he moved around the Upper Montgomery defense and shot short side high at Bernard from the lower left faceoff circle. Bernard had little chance as the puck whizzed past him high blocker side to put Rockville/Magruder up two to zero.
On the next shift, Pfeufer was called for his own head contact penalty. Another questionable penalty decision from the referees. The Lightning had a major opportunity to get back into the game. Not only did Upper Montgomery have a powerplay, but Pfeufer would not be available for the penalty kill nor the next ten minutes of the game due to his misconduct portion of the penalty. As it has all season long, the Lightning frittered away another extra skater advantage to remain zero for the season on the powerplay. The first period came to a frustrating conclusion for Upper Montgomery with the team having spent much of the period on the penalty kill and then playing with mixed up line combinations coming out of penalty killing action. Rockville/Magruder outshot the Lightning nine to seven in the opening fifteen minutes of play.
The Upper Montgomery Lightning were mad with how the opening period played out. The team began to channel their frustrations in the correct manner. On the very first shift of the second period, only fifteen seconds into the middle fame, Upper Montgomery defiantly responded. Lightning senior co-captain, Hunter Cameron, who had shifted back to play defense with Botti still in the penalty box, had the puck at his own defensive blue line. He sent a pass up to Hassett at center ice. Hassett kicked the puck over to Lightning forward Philip Shkeda who entered the Rockville/Magruder defensive zone. Shkeda then returned the puck to Hassett stationed at the left side of the slot. Hassett fired a forehand shot across his body off the right leg pad of Connelly. The puck bounced over Connelly’s pad into the wide side of the net.
With Upper Montgomery now trailing only 2-1, the Rams parade to the penalty box began. First, it was Rams forward Connor Casp who was called for tripping chasing the puck and a Lightning defender into the corner. Then, a minute and a half later Rams defender Aiden Ward was called for roughing. The Lightning were going to have a short five on three advantage and then back to back powerplays. But that was not what transpired. Just twelve seconds after Ward’s penalty, Lightning forward Henry Honacki was called for checking from behind on a bad hit into the boards. The Lightning’s five on three advantage disappeared as did the second portion of the back to back powerplays. Honacki was also assessed the automatic ten minute misconduct penalty that comes after the checking from behind minor penalty.
Once the penalties cycled through, there was four minutes of five on five action where the Lightning were pushing play and came close to tying up the game on several occasions. With two and a half minutes left in the period Upper Montgomery would find the equalizer. Off of a faceoff in the left faceoff circle in the offensive zone, Hassett won the draw to Cassel in the slot. The bouncing puck was played back into the left faceoff circle. Cassel controlled the puck and sent it down low to Hassett at the side of the net. With no angle to get off a quality shot on net, Hassett spun and centered the puck to Shkeda on the right side of the slot. Shkeda fired a quick shot on net from the crease area. The puck sailed past Connelly to tie up the game. Just before the buzzer sounded to end the period, Rams forward Toyin Okunseinde was called for tripping for dropping a Lightning skater in the corner. A dominating second period saw Upper Montgomery score both goals of the period to draw even with the Rams while outshooting Rockville/Magruder by a wide fourteen to five margin.
The third period started with the Lightning on the powerplay. For the fourth time in the game, Upper Montgomery came up empty on the powerplay. There were good signs with better puck movement, but just not enough rubber being directed on net. Five minutes into the period it was the Rams turn on the extra skater advantage with Honacki being whistled for cross checking, his third penalty of the game. Rockville/Magruder also failed to capitalize with the powerplay leaving the game tied halfway through the third period. Then, the scoring explosion began.
Upper Montgomery would briefly jump to its first lead of the night. Off of a faceoff win at neutral ice, Lightning ninth grade defender Miles Wendland dumped the puck into the offensive zone. Shkeda applied hard pressure on the Rams defense. He followed the play around the net and took possession of the puck. Shkeda then reversed the play back to Hassett who was intentionally trailing the play. From behind the net Hassett cut to the right corner, then continued around the right faceoff circle. Nearing the center of the faceoff circle dot, he snapped a wrist shot that went five hole past Connelly. With seven minutes remaining in the third period, the Lightning finally had a lead at 3-2.
Thirty seconds later the scored was again tied. Upper Montgomery turned the puck over in the neutral zone. Pfeufer skated into the Lightning defensive zone down the right wing boards. He sent a snapshot on net from a bad angle along boards. Once again the puck went far side over Bernard’s right arm and blocker.
After Pfeufer’s goal, Upper Montgomery was gifted a fifth and final powerplay of the game. Rams highly talented ninth grade center Rowen Pierson was called for hooking trailing the play. Upper Montgomery controlled possession of the puck in the offensive zone, but did not generate many quality looks. Another 0-for on the powerplay against the Rams has Upper Montgomery sitting at 0-42 while on the powerplay for the season.
On the shift after Pierson’s penalty expired, Hassett put Upper Montgomery in front once again. His unassisted goal was his third goal of the game for a hat-trick. Hassett pick pocketed a Rams defender who had control of the puck in the lower portion of the left faceoff circle. He cut to the slot and then shot back toward the side of the ice from which he had come from. His wrist shot got past Connelly’s right leg pad to push Upper Montgomery once again into the lead at 4-3. With three and a half minutes remaining in the period, Lightning defender Owen Robbins and the Rams Casp got into it. Robbins was called for roughing and Casp was called for slashing. Once again while playing four on four hockey the Rams would score.
In his defensive zone, Rams defender Max Yuen passed the puck to his defensive partner Ward. Ward looked up ice and found Pfeufer who was playing forward this shift in the neutral zone. Pfeufer flew up ice along the left wing into the Lightning defensive zone. He continued with possession of the puck behind the Upper Montgomery goal. From the right wing boards he found Ward trailing the play entering the offensive zone. Ward collected the puck at the top of the slot and fired a long range shot. The puck moved through traffic in front and beat Bernard low along the ice past his leg pads.
The final two minutes and twenty seconds of regulation action was played to a stalemate necessitating overtime to determine the game’s outcome. The three on three overtime session was evenly played. Both teams had good chances with Bernard making a fine right toe save on Pfeufer’s blast from the top of the circles. The puck traveled through a Lightning defender’s legs obscuring the shot and making the save more difficult. Then Upper Montgomery’s experience took over. Being able to run two full three skater units with upper class skaters turned out to be the difference.
With plenty of open ice Hassett controlled the puck in the neutral zone. He proceeded to enter the Rockville/Magruder defensive zone down the right wing. His wrist shot was saved by Connelly’s left shoulder and the puck was batted over to the right wing boards. Botti won the puck battle along the boards and flipped the puck to Cassel coming towards him circling out of the right corner. The Rams defender stole the puck and put it directly back into the scrum along the right wing boards. Botti dislodged the puck one more time and sent it back to Cassel now covering the right point at the blue line. Cassel then passed the puck into open space where he knew Hassett would gather the puck and he took off and cut to the net. Hassett skated to retrieve the puck in the right faceoff circle. Cassel’s sudden flip of the puck and charge down the slot put him in front of Pierson who had overcommitted coming out to challenge Cassel at the point. Hassett hit Cassel in stride with a return pass. Cassel wasted no time uncorking a wrist shot from the middle of the slot that raced past Connelly’s glove into the top corner of the net.
A wild overtime game winning celebration ensued as the Lightning swarmed Cassel. Upper Montgomery had just locked up an easier first round playoff matchup against Blair, a team that the Lightning had shutout 5-0 earlier in the week. The rematch will be this upcoming Friday night with the rink location and start time of the game to be determined.
Game Notes:
- Shots on goal for the game were Upper Montgomery with 30 and Rockville/Magruder with 23. Upper Montgomery had a healthy fourteen to five shots on goal advantage in a dominant second period.
- Upper Montgomery’s epic futility on the powerplay continued. Five more failed powerplay opportunities versus the Rams has extended the Lightning’s season long drought with the extra skater which now stands at 42 straight unsuccessful powerplays. Upper Montgomery is 0-42 for the season on traditional powerplays with one regular season non-conference game remaining, excluding Nathan Cassel’s penalty shot goal which technically counts as a powerplay marker.
- The Lightning are now 2-0-2 in overtime in the history of the program with all four overtime contests coming in the last two seasons beginning with the program’s first playoff victory last year versus St. Johns.
- Upper Montgomery returns to action on Monday afternoon, January 29th for their last regular season non-conference game of the year. The Lightning will take on private high school powerhouse Bullis. The matchup will be the first ever contest between the schools. Game time is 3:15 pm at Rockville Ice Arena.
Three Stars of the Game:
First Star—Chris Hassett—Upper Montgomery Center—3 Goals, 2 Assists
Second Star—Drew Pfeufer—Rockville/Magruder Defense—2 Goals, 2 Assists
Third Star—Philip Shleda–Upper Montgomery Forward—1 Goal, 2 Assists