The Upper Montgomery Lightning are poised to earn their first ever home playoff game in the upcoming Montgomery Hockey Conference season ending playoff tournament. Coming off the team’s biggest victory in program history, a 5-3 win against second ranked Quince Orchard, the stakes are even higher on Friday night against Richard Montgomery. Upper Montgomery will have to contend with a hostile environment as a large crowd is expected to be on hand to celebrate and honor the eight Richard Montgomery senior student athletes on senior night.
Riding a five game winning streak and having won six of their past seven games, the Upper Montgomery Lightning will need to manage expectations and respond appropriately. An almost full roster is expected to be present for the game, something that has occurred very infrequently this season. The game is extremely important as Richard Montgomery is the team ranked just behind the Lightning in the conference rankings. An Upper Montgomery win will solidify a top six seed in the conference playoff tournament, bringing a more favorable path to a potential spot in the state playoff tournament, something not thought possible just three short years ago.
Upper Montgomery’s leading scorer Chris Hassett (10GP, 9G, 14A) will have his regular linemates available; Nathan Cassel (8GP, 9G, 12A) and Philip Shkeda (10GP, 5G, 5A). The second line will likely be centered by Ryan Jacobson (7GP, 8G, 3A). The wing pairs for that line are likely to fluctuate throughout the game based upon matchups and the flow of the game. Expect Olivia Robbins (7GP, 5G, 4A), Brandon Bernard (8GP, 6G, 2A) and Hunter Cameron to see plenty of ice time. Bradley Cupples is likely going to slot in as the third line center with Stephen Shkeda and Henry Honacki.
Defensively, the team will have most of its core defenders available for the game against Richard Montgomery. George Benedick (9GP, 4G, 9A), Andrew Botti (8GP, 3G, 4A), and Ethan Hockey (10GP, 3G, 6A) will need to pay particular attention to Richard Montgomery’s premier and highly talented star student athletes. Benedick is coming off of what likely was his best overall game as a member of the program against Quince Orchard. Richard Montgomery has had no difficulties scoring on teams this season and it is incumbent upon the Lightning defenders to play a hard physical style to slow down the Rockets’ offensive rushes.
In goal, Landon Bernard will be looking to continue his string of strong performances. He has been a rock the past couple of weeks helping the team secure victory after victory. Similar to last season’s run to the junior varsity championship, when hot, Bernard has the ability to be a difference maker. Richard Montgomery will likely start senior netminder Ian Hutchinson. Hutchinson has been very good this season with a 4-0-1 record, a 2.70 goals against average, and a .902 save percentage. However, those wins and statistics have come against division two caliber teams. Will he be able to hold up against the Upper Montgomery attack?
Like last week when Upper Montgomery faced a team with arguably the best single ice hockey student athlete in the county, this week the Lightning square off against one of the two best defenders in the county in senior (18U AA) Luke Guttman. Guttman has scored 21 goals in nine games this season while adding twelve assists. He is literally a one person wrecking ball with three or more points in every game but one this season. He has five hat-tricks on the season. Guttman currently ranks number one in goals in the Maryland State Hockey League and his 33 points is tied for third.
Running right alongside Guttman is senior center Daniel Martella. Another 18U AA student athlete, Martella has had a fine senior season with (10GP, 14G, 9A). Second line center Tom Stone has had a breakout season. His play has elevated in his sophomore year, becoming the Rockets’ third leading scorer (9GP, 11G, 9A). This trio has produced 46 of Richard Montgomery’s 62 goals on the season. The Lightning must stay out of the penalty box at all costs. The Richard Montgomery powerplay has been awesome, clicking at a 44% success rate.
Controlling these three very talented student athletes is critically important to a Lightning victory. On defense, the Rockets have a very experienced shut down defender in Paulina Utochkin. Utochkin holds down the fort while Guttman rushes up ice creating odd skater opportunities. When Upper Montgomery has played a strong team defensive game, smothering the opponent and blocking shots, the Lightning have been successful. When the team tries to get involved in up and down flashy shootout style games, Upper Montgomery has lost in all four of those games.
The Lightning continue to pile up victories. After last week’s huge victory another challenge awaits in the Rockets. A win on Friday night would lock up a top six seed in the upcoming conference playoffs. The atmosphere in Rockville should be great. A full team effort for all 45 minutes will be necessary to snag yet another important victory. Upper Montgomery needs to play with a hunger, adhere to the little details, and win battles all over the ice to secure the win. Bring it home again this week Lightning and run the winning streak to six straight games and seven of the last eight. Go Bolts!