The 2025 – 2026 Upper Montgomery Lightning junior varsity began play last Friday evening against the Silver Spring Blazers. Coming into the season, the Lightning’s coaching staff knew that the junior varsity roster would be young and inexperienced. The team’s long standing systems were changed to make it easier for the nine incoming students to adapt to high school hockey. A physical, defense first mindset has been instilled since the first day of off ice practice sessions. Silver Spring entered the contest having won its first two games of the season led by 16U Upper A defender Rodrick Hobbs. Hobbs entered the contest having scored four of the Blazers six goals and having six of the Blazers eight total points. The task was easy for Upper Montgomery, stop Hobbs, stop the Blazers.
Upper Montgomery knew it would have to rely heavily on sophomore 16U Lower A netminder Porter Stutsrim-Lyons to remain competitive with the undefeated Blazers. Stutsrim-Lyons did not disappoint. From the outset of the game, Silver Spring’s top defenders, Hobbs and sophomore Ethan Hedberg led rushes into the offensive zone. Upper Montgomery’s young skaters were nervous at the outset of the game which was not unexpected. The Lightning had several misplays early. It took some time for the team to settle down and get used to the speed of the game. Several of the students were chasing the puck getting caught out of position. Hobbs particularly had several end to end rushes where he cut to the left entering the Upper Montgomery defensive zone. His speed allowed him to skate around the Lightning defense getting in alone on Stutsrim-Lyons. Stutsrim-Lyons stood tall making three saves early on point blank grade A Silver Spring chances in the slot area.
Five and a half minutes into the first period, Silver Spring jumped out in front on Hobbs’ fifth goal of the season. Upper Montgomery cleared the puck to the Silver Spring defensive blue line. Hobbs picked up the puck and curled up ice. He took the puck all the way up ice into the Upper Montgomery defensive zone. He cut left skating down the left wing around the Lightning defense. Upper Montgomery’s defensive pressure forced him deep this time. With no angle, Hobbs took the puck around the net from left to right. With traffic in front of the net, Hobbs’ attempted pass rolled off his stick. Recovering nicely, Hobbs stuffed the puck between Stutsrim-Lyons’ left skate and the near right goal post putting the Blazers in front early in the contest.
With about five minutes remaining in the opening period, Upper Montgomery began to find their legs. Passes turned crisper. The team was able to get the puck out of the defensive zone easier. There was less scrambling around chasing after the puck. As Upper Montgomery’s play began to increase, Silver Spring was called for the game’s first penalty, a too many skaters on the ice minor penalty. Minor penalties in high school hockey for this season have been reduced from two minutes each to a minute and a half per infraction.
The Lightning wasted the first half of the penalty having difficulty exiting their own defensive zone. Then, after the latest Blazers clear of the puck to the Upper Montgomery defensive zone, Lightning sophomore forward Max Israfilbek picked up the puck behind his own net. He proceeded to send an outlet pass to Upper Montgomery ninth grade forward Tima Zamaray at his defensive blue line. Zamaray bobbled the puck into center ice before re-collecting possession. He proceeded to skate the puck into the offensive zone down the opposite left wing. Silver Spring’s defenders backed off of the play allowing Zamaray to cut to the slot with the puck. His wrist shot was deflected wide of the net to the left of the goal. Along the backboards behind the net, Zamaray was first to the puck winning a puck battle. He passed the puck to Israfilbek behind the net from outside the left goal post to the right goal post. Israfilbek curled out in front of the net trying to stuff the puck into the goal on a wrap around chance. His attempt hit the skates of Lightning senior forward Jason Woodman, whose role on the powerplay is to cause havoc and chaos in front of the goal. The puck squired free into the slot where Israfilbek sent a backhand shot low along the ice. The puck slid past Blazers ninth grade backup netminder Aden Cohen’s right leg pad for Upper Montgomery’s first goal of the season.
At the end of the next shift Upper Montgomery sophomore forward Decklin Hughes was called for a roughing minor penalty. With one of the Lightning’s primary penalty killers in the penalty box, the team struggled to kill off the Blazers powerplay. The team was consistently out of position which allowed Silver Spring to generate great chances from in close. Stutsrim-Lyons made several big saves while other shots were fired wide of the net. After getting through the penalty kill, the Lightning focused exclusively on defensive play to get through to the end of the opening period of play. Shots on goal in the first period were slanted in favor of Silver Spring twelve to five.
Upper Montgomery did a much better job in the second period of staying in position defensively. The physical play continued. Off of a faceoff in the left faceoff circle in the defensive end, Lightning ninth grade center Wyatt Ostrander pushed the puck forward. He beat the incoming Blazers defense to the puck pushing it forward and to the right. Israfilbek grabbed the puck and raced up ice down into the Silver Spring defensive zone on a breakaway. Blazers defender Timothy Newman skated hard on the back check but could not catch up to Israfilbek. Newman dove, pushing out his stick to interrupt the Lightning forward. When his stick came out of his grip, Newman was called for throwing his stick at Israfilbek. The Upper Montgomery coaching staff was given a choice of either a powerplay opportunity or a penalty shot. It was an easy choice. On the penalty shot Israfilbek came down the ice in alone on Cohen. He skated just outside the left goal post getting into the high slot before snapping a sharp wrist shot. The puck flew to the right over Cohen’s left leg pad and below his glove hand. It was the first successful penalty shot in Upper Montgomery junior varsity program history. More importantly, it gave the Lightning a 2-1 lead.
The Lightning began to feel more confident playing with the lead. It showed as the physical play continued sometimes going over the line. With five minutes remaining in the period Woodman was called for an interference penalty. Again, the Lightning’s penalty kill scrambled all over the ice opening up wide lanes for the Blazers. Stutsrim-Lyons stood tall turning aside every Silver Spring chance. Three minutes later, Hughes was back in the penalty box, this time for high sticking. The pattern repeated. Blazers chance after chance were stonewalled by Stutsrim-Lyons. Upper Montgomery’s coaches began searching the bench for forwards that would play the Lightning’s desired penalty killing system. A sigh of relief as the buzzer sounded to end the second period with the Lightning ahead 2-1, even though outshot by Silver Spring 23-12 through two periods.
Entering the third period behind, the Blazers went full tilt trying to get the game tied. Upper Montgomery continued to play physical defensive hockey. Hughes was called for his third penalty of the game for a massive hit in the neutral zone. While the official penalty designation was elbowing, the referees could have called several different infractions. Thirty seconds later while killing the Blazers powerplay, Woodman was called for tripping trailing behind a Blazers defender as the skaters went into the left corner of the Upper Montgomery defensive zone. Now down two skaters the Upper Montgomery penalty kill would be challenged. Ninth grade center Wyatt Ostrander paired with experienced defenders, junior Max Curtusan and sophomore 14U Lower A Matt Rivera to thwart the Blazers two skater advantage. Unlike the prior five on four traditional penalty kills where the Lightning struggled to remain in position, the Upper Montgomery trio thrived keeping the Blazers to the perimeter. Stutsrim-Lyons made big saves. The Lightning trio of skaters repetitively sent the puck down ice into the Blazers defensive zone. Hughes’ penalty expired leaving the Lightning with forty seconds left shorthanded.
Silver Spring maintained control of play in the Lightning defensive zone. The puck kept in at the offensive blue line by Hedberg. Hedberg used his skate to stop the puck before it exited the Lightning defensive zone. He then sent a cross ice pass to the right faceoff circle for Hobbs. Hobbs’ shot was a routine stick save for Stutsrim-Lyons. Hobbs controlled the rebound taking the puck low into the corner before travelling around the net from right to left. He curled out past the goal line to the bottom of the left faceoff circle. He fired the puck far side to the top right corner of the net. It was a perfectly placed shot for his sixth goal of the season.
Over the next eight minutes of play, Upper Montgomery had the better of the chances even though the Lightning were outshot by Silver Spring nineteen to two in the third period. With just under six minutes to play, Israfilbek had another clean breakaway in alone on Cohen. Unfortunately for Upper Montgomery he lost possession of the puck into the corner as he maneuvered in the low slot to shoot. Then, with four and half minutes to play, Upper Montgomery ninth grade forward Nolan Veillette won a puck battle along the left wing boards in the offensive zone. He sent a pass into the slot to Zamaray. Zamaray, known as a shooter, inexplicitly turned down the point blank shot. Instead he fed the puck to the left goal post looking for Curtusan who had charged into the goal mouth from his left defensive position.
As the clock ticked under two minutes left in regulation, the puck was deep in the Silver Spring defensive zone. Silver Spring defender Joseph Seibert tapped the puck to Hedberg. Hedberg took off skating up ice. He traversed out of the Silver Spring defensive zone, through neutral ice, and into the Lightning defensive zone down the left wing. He was bumped into by the Upper Montgomery defense. Absorbing the hit, he was forced wide into the bottom of the left faceoff circle where he then cut to the net. He fired a backhanded shot from in close at Stutsrim-Lyons. The Lightning goalie made the save, and then another save on the rebound before he swatted the puck out of the crease area. Hobbs grabbed the puck behind the goal. As he came out from behind the goal line, Hobbs banked the puck into the net off of Stutsrim-Lyons left skate short side.
Upper Montgomery had difficulty gaining possession of the puck off the ensuing center ice faceoff. It took over a minute for the Lightning to have an opportunity to pull Stutsrim-Lyons for an extra skater. Once the Lightning finally entered the offensive zone, there were a few long range flings of the puck toward the net, none of which went on goal. As the buzzer sounded the Blazers swarmed Cohen congratulating him on his first career high school victory.
In practice this upcoming week, the Lightning will look to correct some of the issues from their first outing. Look for the team to bring high energy and an even more physical approach into next week’s game against Rockville / Magruder. The Rams may have a bit of an advantage having already played four games entering the contest versus Upper Montgomery.
Game Notes:
- Upper Montgomery was badly outshot. Silver Spring had the advantage 42-14. Upper Montgomery netminder Porter Stutsrim-Lyons was forced to make many outstanding saves while finishing with 39 on the evening.
- The Lightning were two for two on the powerplay, with one of the goals coming by way of a penalty shot. It was the first converted penalty shot in the six years that Upper Montgomery has fielded a junior varsity team.
- The Lightning killed off an extended five on three shorthanded situation. The Upper Montgomery penalty killers were four for five on the evening.
- Upper Montgomery sophomore forward Max Israfilbek had his first career two goal game.
- Lightning forward Tima Zamaray notched his first career high school point in his first high school game with an assist on Israfilbek’s first powerplay goal of the evening.
- Upper Montgomery had seven students playing in their first career high school game.
- Upper Montgomery junior varsity plays their next game on Friday evening, October 10th against the Rockville / Magruder Rams. This will be the Rams’ fifth game of the season. Game time is 8:50 pm at Rockville Ice Arena.
Three Stars of the Game:
First Star—Porter Stutsrim-Lyons—Upper Montgomery Goalie—39 Saves, .929 Save Percentage
Second Star—Rodrick Hobbs—Silver Spring Forward—3 Goals, GWG
Third Star—Max Israfilbek—Upper Montgomery Forward—2 PP Goals, Including PS Goal