The Upper Montgomery Lightning varsity returns to action on Friday night to face the Rockville / Magruder Rams in a game of unbeaten programs. Continuing an early season theme for the Lightning, game time is late night, 10:00 pm at Cabin John Ice Rink. Upper Montgomery successfully kicked of its 2024 – 2025 regular season campaign with the program’s first ever victory over BCC, 4-3. The Rockville / Magruder Rams began the season easing to a 6-2 win over Richard Montgomery. Historically, games between the two programs have been extremely close. Upper Montgomery defeated the Rams 5-4 on Nathan Cassel’s goal in overtime to close out the Montgomery Hockey Conference regular season last winter. The team’s prior meeting was a 3-2 decision in favor of Rockville / Magruder with the game winning goal scored in the final minute of regulation. This game will likely be decided by the presence of Rockville / Magruder senior defender Drew Pfeufer. Pfeufer (10GP, 18G, 9A) last season will be the most talented student athlete on the ice if he plays. The big question will be if he is in town or out-of-town with his AAA external travel team, Team Maryland.
Upper Montgomery’s goaltender, 16U AA Ilan Shterenberg was really good in last week’s win over BCC. Shterenberg made 31 saves, with a .912 save percentage, and did not give up a goal while the Lightning were at even strength. BCC scored two powerplay goals and a goal with the goalie pulled for an extra attacker. Shterenberg will need to be sharp once again for the Lightning to be competitive against the Rams. He will be backed up by ninth grade netminder Porter Stutsrim-Lyons. Stutsrim-Lyons plays for the Caps Academy 14U Lower A external travel team and has started off his high school career strongly playing for the junior varsity. Stutsrim-Lyons is 1-1-2 on the season with a 2.18 goals against average and a .927 save percentage. He began his high school career with a shutout of Richard Montgomery and followed up that performance with a career high and junior varsity program record 47 saves against Wootton.
In net for Rockville / Magruder will be senior Sean Connelly. Connelly had an impressive outing against the Rockets last week stopping 27 of 29 shots. Last season, Connelly backstopped the Rams to the seventh seed in the county rankings. He has experience playing at the varsity level and is a steady, unspectacular netminder. Upper Montgomery has an advantage in net with Shterenberg.
On defense, the Lightning have most of their backline returning with the exception of junior defender Andrew Botti who chose not to play high school hockey during his season year of high school. Returning are top rising juniors, rugged defensive defender 16U AAA Owen Robbins (14GP, 3A) and smooth skating cool customer 16U AA Brady Berkhammer (21GP, 1G, 12A). They will be joined in the regular defensive rotation by sophomore 16U Lower A Miles Wendland (18GP, 6A) and senior Cole Howerton. Anticipate the Lightning defense to be more offensive minded this season after the defenders scored only five goals in 91 total defensive games played last year. In the season opener, the defense contributed four assists with Wendland involved in two of the scoring plays. Rounding out the defensive corps will be a rotation of junior varsity call ups; 14U AA Lillian Robbins, 14U Lower A Matt Rivera, Patrick Sell, Luke Hudson, and 19U AA Avery Evans. With the loss of so many experienced skaters off last season’s roster, almost every skater in the program is likely to see some some playing for the varsity this season. Rivera and Sell look to be in line to dress out for this game.
With Pfeufer alone the Rams are all set on defense. They will also deploy tough customer senior Aiden Ward, an 18U AA wide body defender who hits like a mack truck. Juniors Max Yuen, 16U Lower A and Lincoln Herrick are entering their third season of varsity competition and they will provide excellent depth on defense. Ninth grade defender 16U Lower A Lukas Aagaard and Senior Calder Wilcox will see game action this week against the Lightning as well. The Rams defense will be much more experienced than what Upper Montgomery faced last week against BCC.
Offensively, Upper Montgomery returns its second and third leading scorers from a season ago. Senior 18U AA forward Nathan Cassel (15GP, 11G, 18A) and junior forward Philip Shkeda (20GP, 13G, 12A). This duo will be relied upon to lead Upper Montgomery offensively and they both will need to produce just like last year after loosing their center for the past two seasons, Chris Hassett to graduation. Cassel has an opportunity score enough goals (17) or hand out enough assists (11) to qualify for induction into the Maryland Student Hockey League Hall of Fame. Senior center, Henry Honacki 18U Upper A (21GP, 7G, 8A) elevated his game last year and if he can increase his scoring production it will help supplement Cassel and Shkeda. With Shkeda missing the game while he is out of town, anticipate that Owen Robbins will again play center this week coming off his career best hat-trick plus an assist performance against the Barons.
After these three students, there is a drop off in production to sophomore 16U Lower A Aiden Zheng (9GP, 3G, 5A) who contributed two assists last time out, and senior Josh Nadler (13GP, 4A). Both Zheng and Nadler will play heavy minutes with the varsity this season and both will need to increase their offensive output. Nadler is the junior varsity’s all-time leading goal scorer with 20 career junior varsity goals. He will miss the game on Friday as he is currently out of the country. Joining them on the varsity roster are forwards; TJ Gottesman, the junior varsity’s career points leader with 32 points, sophomore newcomer Jake Hudson, and ninth grade 14U Lower A forward Siddy Bhasin. Bhasin and Hudson currently lead the junior varsity in scoring so far this season. AJ Marks and his big frame will get a look in varsity competition as well. Other junior varsity student athletes may get called up as the season progresses when the core of the varsity squad is missing due to external travel team out-of-town game conflicts.
The Rams top returning forward scorer is senior Brendyn Iliff (14GP, 7G, 12A). He scored in the Rams’ season opener and he will play plenty with junior Toyin Okunseinde (13GP, 4G, 3A) who scored twice versus the Rockets. Cameron Gifford, a 14U AAA skater, chipped in with two assists in his first varsity game. Rowen Pierson and Ryan Hurley, two 16U Lower A sophomores with a full year of varsity experience last season will be teamed up on the second line. Ninth grade 14U AA Alexander Johnston scored in his first career high school game against Richard Montgomery. Upper Montgomery will have to contend with these talented skaters while at the same time being hyper aware of where Pfeufer is at all times.
The 2024 – 2025 season will be one of growth and development for the green and gold’s younger student athletes. It should be exciting and rewarding as the younger skaters grow and blossom. How quickly the team develops the defensive habits necessary to lead the program forward will determine if the Lightning can again challenge the upper echelon varsity teams in the county. Or, is the team simply too young to compete right now this season. Friday night will give us some additional answers against another quality opponent. Come along for the ride, (if you can stay up that late). It should be an entertaining and close contest between two evenly matched squads.
#UML, #Bleed Green, #Go Bolts!