Author: chucklevine

The Upper Montgomery Lightning junior varsity have advanced to the Montgomery Hockey Conference junior varsity semifinals where they will will faceoff against an unexpected opponent, the DC Stars. The Lightning advanced to the final four of the county playoffs by virtue of an enormous upset victory over the combined Northwest / Quince Orchard / Wootton squad. Sophomore 16U Lower A defender Matt Rivera was the offensive hero in the game with a junior varsity program record for goals in a playoff game with four, and also a program record for goals by a defender. He propelled Upper Montgomery to a 5-3 win that trampelled the expected outcome. The DC Stars advanced in the unlikeliest of ways. Playing against third seeded Silver Spring, the Stars scored three empty net goals at the beginning of the game when Silver Spring’s goalie was late to the contest. Knocking home another empty net goal late in the game as well, the DC Stars came out on top setting up a ‘home’ game on Friday evening against the seventh seeded Lightning. Game time is 5:00 pm at Rockville Ice Arena.

Upper Montgomery defeated the DC Stars by a score of 7-2 at Medstar Iceplex in mid-October. While that game was months ago, the teams rosters should be very similar this Friday. The Stars have wins over both of the winless junior varsity programs, Walter Johnson and Richard Montgomery, and did not beat a team with a victory during the entire regular season. If Upper Montgomery believes that this game will be a cake walk, the DC Stars will win and advance to the junior varsity championship. If the Lightning enter the game with the correct mindset, Upper Montgomery has a decent chance to be victorious. The playoff game will certainly not see the Lightning once again tally seven goals.

In net for the Lightning will be starting junior varsity goalie sophomore 16U Lower A Porter Stutsrim-Lyons. He has been solid this season with a .908 save percentage and a 3.01 goals against average. Against the Stars the first time out, he made 24 saves on 26 shots on goal (.923 save percentage). If he plays well again on Friday, Upper Montgomery will have a lot of confidence to send their defense up ice looking to create offensive odd-skater rushes. Ninth grade goalie George Schickler will backup Stutsrim-Lyons. Schickler was in net for the game against Northwest / Quince Orchard / Wootton and earned his first career junior varsity playoff victory.

The DC Stars have been rotating their goalies. Starter, 14U Upper A Peter O’Shaughnessy has an .897 save percentage and a 2.85 goals against average. He replaced Stutsrim-Lyons on the Caps Academy external travel team when Stutsrim-Lyons aged up into the 16U age group. O’Shaughnessy’s backup, Rhys Seiden-Maloney has been much less successful this year with a .799 save percentage and a soaring 7.98 goals against average. If the Stars split their goalies during the game, Upper Montgomery will need to take advantage of their offensive chances when Seiden-Maloney is in the game. He played the entire game in October and was tagged with the loss after giving up the seven goals Upper Montgomery scored.

On defense Friday night, the Lightning will play two consistent defensive pairings. Rivera (9GP, 8G, 2A) will play with ninth grade defender Dylan Kim. Rivera will need to join the scoresheet Friday evening for Upper Montgomery to prevail. He will quarterback the powerplay and is likely to play every other shift. He is tied for second on the team in scoring with his ten points. With junior hard nosed defender Max Curtusan missing the game, this will be another opportunity where Upper Montgomery senior captain Jason Woodman (10GP, 4A) will drop back to play on defense. He will pair with smooth skating ninth grade defender Lenny Roth. The young defenders played very well in the playoff opener. Consistency is critical. If the defense limits the DC Stars forwards as well as they did against the combined team in the quarterfinal round, Upper Montgomery should be well positioned to continue its playoff march. Unlike Upper Montgomery, the DC Stars deploy their student athletes at both forward and defense at the junior varsity level. Students who should see the majority of their game action on defense are Roman Stoinski and Alexander Smith.

Ninth grade forward Tima Zamaray leads the junior varsity in scoring with (10GP, 9G, 3A). Zamaray had two goals and two assists in the regular season meeting against the Stars. He played with junior forward Mason Jagoz (9GP, 4G, 6A). Jagoz scored his first career hat-trick against the DC Stars in that game. Jagoz’s six assists lead the Lightning. Ninth grade center Wyatt Ostrander (10GP, 2G, 3A) is still basking in scoring the game winning goal in the final minute against Walter Johnson to help push Upper Montgomery into the playoffs. His play away from the puck and on the defensive side of the ice is getting better and better as the season has gone along. The return of junior forward Jackson Schickler has provided more balance to the Upper Montgomery forward group. He has four points in the four games he has played since returning to the lineup (4GP, 2G, 2A). Sophomore 16U Upper A Max Israfilbek (8GP, 3G) needs to assert himself all over the ice every shift that he receives.

The DC Stars forward group is led offensively by junior Harry Fishman (5GP, 4G, 2A). He is complemented by junior classmate Gabriel Ingram who has three goals in four games. Since the initial meeting between the teams, ninth grade 14U Lower A forward Robert Joachim has gained traction offensively. He is second on the DC Stars in scoring with (6GP, 5G, 1A). Sophomore Oliver York (5GP, 2G, 3A) is the only other Stars skater with more than five points on the season. However, Upper Montgomery should not be deceived into thinking that the game will be easy. For teams that play a defensive style, sometimes only one or two goals are enough to secure victory.

This game is likely to come down to which team wants it more. With each team’s surprising win in the quarterfinal round of the playoffs, this semifinal matchup is a toss up. Either team has a strong chance to advance to the Montgomery Hockey Conference junior varsity championship game. It will be a matter of which team executes better and which team receives the better goaltending play. Upper Montgomery won the the program’s only junior varsity championship four years ago during the 2021 – 2022 season. Friday evening is a terrific opportunity for the Lightning to return to the finals. Another big playoff win and the team will be one win away from being called champions forever.

#Make the Championship Game, #UML, #Bleed Green, #Go Bolts!

The Upper Montgomery Lightning varsity squad looks to spring a second straight playoff upset when the team faces off against the second seeded Walter Johnson Wildcats on Friday evening. Puck drop is scheduled for 9:00 pm at the Rockville Ice Arena. The Wildcats had a tough start to their season beginning the 2025 – 2026 campaign with a 1-3 record before reeling off eight straight victories. The winning streak included a 9-3 throttling of Upper Montgomery back in early January just after the turn of the new year. As the number two seed in the Montgomery Hockey Conference playoffs, the Wildcats had a first round bye last Friday and rested up.

Meanwhile, Upper Montgomery pulled off the first playoff upset of the season beating seventh seeded Whitman by a score of 3-2. Upper Montgomery trailed 2-1 entering the third period and rallied behind the stellar goaltending of junior 16U AAA Ilan Shterenberg and the offensive prowess of senior 18U AA high scoring defender Brady Berkhammer. The Lightning’s victory came one year after the Vikings mauled Upper Montgomery 8-0 with running clock before the halfway point of the game.

The three goals Upper Montgomery scored in the first meeting with Walter Johnson was the most goals that the Wildcats have given up to a county team in their last seven games. The top seeded Churchill Bulldogs scored two goals and one goal in their games against Walter Johnson. While the Lightning appear to be at a significant disadvantage, the early January game saw Upper Montgomery play without Shterenberg in net and without two key skaters also not available for the game. Friday night will mark one of the few times this season that the team will have its full roster available for the game. Walter Johnson will be ready. They have the same lineup as in the first matchup minus an injured second line forward. The Wildcats had their entire squad on the ice during the team’s regular season game.

Walter Johnson enters the game with a 9-4 record having given up only 32 goals on the season (2.46 goals against per game) which is 43 goals less than what Upper Montgomery has given up (5.77 goals against per game). However, over the past three outings with Shterenberg in net for all three games, the Lightning’s goals against average is far fewer at 3.33 goals per game.

Shterenberg was excellent times a hundred last week in the team’s 3-2 upset win over Whitman. He made 53 saves on 55 shots, (.963 save percentage) and both goals Whitman scored were gifts provided by Lightning misplays in the crease. The 53 saves were a personal career high and are also an Upper Montgomery playoff record. He was easily one of the two most impactful students on the ice last week. Shterenberg will need to be just as good, if not better, this week for Upper Montgomery to remain in the game and have a chance to win. Shterenberg’s year to date statistics are a 3-4-1 record, a .910 save percentage, and a 3.30 goals against average. Walter Johnson’s primary varsity goalie is junior 18U AA Isaac Russ. Russ has been fantastic this season with a 9-4 record, an .883 save percentage, and a 2.46 goals against average. Provided he is in town, he will get the start in net. Against Upper Montgomery, Russ stopped fourteen of seventeen shots on goal, well below his season averages. If Russ is unavailable, the Wildcats will be forced to start a position skater in goal which might be senior John Abrams who played goalie years ago as a youngster.

On defense, the Lightning will have their full complement of defenders for the game. Anticipate that the defensive pairings will remain Upper Montgomery’s regular quartet. But, the coaching staff is ready to change at a moment’s notice if Walter Johnson has a stacked first forward line and two other lines that have significantly less talent. The Lightning’s leading scorer, also the leading defensive scorer for all of Montgomery County, as well as the second leading defensive scorer throughout the entire Maryland Student Hockey League, senior 18U AA Brady Berkhammer will once again lead the Lightning’s backline. He has been superb offensively this season averaging 2.38 points per game with (13GP, 14G, 17A). Berkhammer is also within a few points of the outright lead for the entire Montgomery Hockey Conference in scoring with his 31 points. His 14 goals, 17 assists, and 31 total points this season are all personal single season career highs. He reached high school hockey immortality last week in recording his 50th career assist. This milestone achievement automatically qualifies him for induction into the Maryland Student Hockey League Hall of Fame. He had a hand in all three Upper Montgomery goals last week including scoring the game winning goal with 2:04 remaining in the game.

Sophomore 16U Lower A Matt Rivera (11GP, 1G, 4A) has played better as the season has gone along. His progression this year into a full time varsity defender has allowed the Lightning to play with two full sets of defenders in every game. The Lightning defense will be instructed to rush up ice and contribute offensively as the team is short on experienced forwards. Two games ago, Rivera scored four goals in the junior varsity’s upset come from behind playoff victory. He has set many junior varsity program records this season for goals scored by a defender. Lightning junior defender 16U Upper A Miles Wendland (12GP, 1G, 2A) has embraced his defensive defender role. Always positionally sound, a smooth skater who moves the puck up ice quickly, Wendland has matured into quality varsity skater on the left side of the ice. Last week against Whitman was the best game he has played in his high school career with eight blocked shots and six hits. He will team up with fellow junior Max Curtusan. The more physical Curtusan plays, the more his game stands out. The more in control and fiercely competitive he plays, his size and reach permit him to block several shots each game. Ninth grade defender Lenny Roth (9GP, 3A) has played hard and well in limited action. He will dress for the game and may see shifts along with Berkhammer or Wendland throughout the evening.

The Wildcats have a very experienced and mobile defensive corps. Junior 18U AA Matthew Corwin has three years of varsity experience. He is playing this season without his older brother who has graduated. Corwin is still one of he leaders for Walter Johnson (12GP, 4G, 10A), putting up a goal and three assists in the early January romp over the Lightning. Senior 18U AAA Oliver Curtis has four years of varsity experience (12GP, 6G, 7A). He tallied two assists against Upper Montgomery in the first matchup. Senior 19U AA Sophie Pyott is a very mobile defender whose skating ability allows her to get to loose pucks first and skate the puck out of danger. Junior 16U Upper A Owen Sievers is seeing more playing time this season and will likely be paired with Corwin or Curtis during the game. The Wildcats also have depth on the back line. Junior 16U Upper A Sebastian Fries and ninth grade 14U AA Kiran Buttazzoni will receive playing time throughout the game. With the playoff games containing seventeen minute periods instead of the usual fifteen minute periods, the depth of the Wildcats defenders will come into play. Upper Montgomery will need to take advantage of line mismatches.

Upper Montgomery’s top line of senior 18U AAA center and team captain Owen Robbins (7GP, 4G, 11A), flanked by fellow senior and last year’s leading scorer Philip Shkeda (7GP, 6G, 5A), paired with ninth grade 16U AA Miles Gleason (8GP, 17G, 7A) has been DOMINANT. The problem has been the Lightning have had this line available only three times this season. Robbins has missed time with his external travel team including last week’s playoff win. Shkeda recently returned from an extended absence with an upper body injury. The good news is that Gleason returned from his own recent month long absence due to a medical issue. In his return, Gleason provided instant offense with two goals and two assists. He is averaging three points per game on the season and has scored the second most goals in the county. He put two behind Russ in the early January game. Junior 16U Upper A forward Aiden Zheng (12GP, 3G, 6A) has stepped up and provided a spark. His hustle, energy, and defensive backchecking are examples for the younger students who should be watching how hard Zheng plays away from the puck.

The Wildcats have offensive weapons but are more focused on playing a strong two way game. They are less potent offensively than in prior years, but have strung together seven straight impressive league games including smothering top seeded Churchill 4-1 in their most recent game within the league standings. Senior 18U AA forward Henry Horwell leads the Wildcats in scoring with (13GP, 10G, 13A). Horwell is a small speedy winger who will fly past defenders not prepared for his speed. He scored twice and added an assist in the team’s earlier matchup. Walter Johnson’s second leading scorer is sophomore 16U AA Tyler Pappafotis (11GP, 10G, 8A). He provided four assists against the Lightning in the regular season meeting. Fellow sophomore 16U AA Lukas Anderson (13GP, 10G, 6A) is tied with Horwell and Pappafotis for the Wildcats team lead in goals. The Wildcats second line has another sophomore 16U Upper A Finnian Carr (11GP, 9G, 2A) playing with a rotation of depth forwards. Carr scored a hat-trick against Upper Montgomery but may be on the injured list Friday night. The lack of scoring depth is one of the reasons that Walter Johnson has been in so many tight low scoring games this season. If the top line is not on, the Wildcats have had difficulty stretching games into running time even against weaker competition.

As was the message last week, it’s playoff time. It’s win one game and qualify for the Maryland Student Hockey League State Playoffs or go home. If the Lightning wish to extend their season, the team will have to fight through adversity and bring it against the Wildcats even better than the team did last week against Whitman. If the team adheres to the coaches’ game plan, Upper Montgomery is likely to shock the Maryland high school hockey world and make the state playoffs. If the team fails to commit to the defensive habits necessary to play effective hockey, Walter Johnson will be jumping out of their skin to pounce all over the Lightning. If Upper Montgomery refuses to engage defensively, or has a lapse in its defensive play, Friday’s game could turn into a long night with Walter Johnson’s top end students skating through and around the young Lightning skaters. But, Upper Montgomery is a frightening team to play in a one and done playoff scenario. If Shterenberg plays well once again, coupled with Berkhammer and the top forward line being on, the Lightning can storm through any team in the county, just ask Whitman. It’s time for the senior leaders and Shterenberg to lead the way and carry the program to an historic playoff win. Hopefully, the third time is the charm and Upper Montgomery and its faithful spectators will celebrate late into the night (and early morning) as the team pushes through and makes the state playoffs for the first time in program history.

#Historic Upset, #State Playoffs, #UML, #Bleed Green, #Go Bolts!

The Upper Montgomery Lightning skate into the opening round of the varsity playoffs coming on the heels of one of the team’s best defensive efforts of the season in the regular season finale last week against BCC. The Lightning controlled play throughout the opening two periods holding the Barons to only nine shots on goal in the opening thirty minutes of the game before eventually falling 3-2 in overtime with four seconds remaining. The team is prepared for another tight checking contest in the opening round of the Montgomery Hockey Conference playoffs when Upper Montgomery plays the Whitman Vikings on Friday evening at Cabin John Ice Rink. Game time is 8:15 pm provided that the rink opens and has no mechanical issues as a consequence of the winter storm that has shut down the entire Washington, DC Metro area.

The Lightning have not faced the Vikings this season. However, the teams rosters are mirror images of one another. Over the past six seasons, the teams have alternated victories with Upper Montgomery winning three low scoring games and Whitman prevailing four times in high scoring affairs. So, the task seems simple. Keep the game tight checking and low scoring giving the Lightning an excellent chance at pulling the upset, just like the junior varsity did two weeks back in beating the second seeded Northwest / Quince Orchard / Wootton combined team. Whitman enters the contest as the seventh seed while Upper Montgomery is seeded tenth. Over the past several seasons, there has been at least one upset in the opening round of the playoffs, sometimes two upsets. The Montgomery Hockey Conference playoff games always seem to be very tight giving both programs an opportunity to advance to the quarterfinals.

There are a few changes in high school playoff hockey. The periods will be seventeen minutes long instead of the typical fifteen minutes during the regular season. Penalties revert back to the usual two minutes for a minor penalty, five minutes for a major penalty, and ten minutes for a misconduct rather than the silly changes implemented during the regular season of shortened penalties. Overtime remains three on three play for five minutes, but with a stopped clock rather than running time. And, since playoff games can’t end in a tie, a five round shootout determines the victor if the game remains tied after overtime has not determined a winner.

Friday’s game will mark just the second time all season that Upper Montgomery’s primary varsity goaltender junior 16U AAA Ilan Shterenberg will be in net for consecutive games. He enters the game with a 2-4-1 record, an .897 save percentage, and a 3.57 goals against average. He played very well last week in the third period and overtime making 21 saves on 23 shots. Several of the saves were amazing robberies of Barons’ ten bell offensive opportunities. Opposite Shterenberg in net, Whitman is likely to start junior Tsukumi Tsuruda. Tsuruda has played in most of the Vikings games this season and has a 5-3 record. He is coming off a 21 save shutout over the Richard Montgomery Rockets in his last outing. Tsuruda has an .881 save percentage and a 3.20 goals against average. If Tsuruda is unavailable to play, Whitman backup goalie Alexander Minkoff will get the starting nod. Minkoff shutout the Lightning last season.

On defense, the Lightning will have their full complement of defenders for the game. Anticipate that the defensive pairings will remain Upper Montgomery’s regular quartet. But, the coaching staff is ready to change at a moment’s notice if Whitman has a stacked first forward line and two other lines that have significantly less talent. The Lightning’s leading scorer, also the leading defensive scorer for all of Montgomery County, as well as the second leading defensive scorer throughout the entire Maryland Student Hockey League, senior 18U AA Brady Berkhammer will once again lead the Lightning’s backline. He has been superb offensively this season averaging 2.33 points per game with (12GP, 12G, 16A). Berkhammer is also within a few points of the outright lead for the entire Montgomery Hockey Conference in scoring with his 28 points. His 12 goals, 16 assists, and 28 total points this season are all personal single season career highs.

Sophomore 16U Lower A Matt Rivera (10GP, 1G, 4A) has played better as the season has gone along. His progression this year into a full time varsity defender has allowed the Lightning to play with two full sets of defenders in every game. Anticipate the Lightning defense will be instructed to rush up ice and contribute offensively as the team is short on experienced forwards. In his last game, Rivera scored four goals in the junior varsity’s upset come from behind playoff victory. He has set many junior varsity program records this season for goals scored by a defender. Lightning junior defender 16U Upper A Miles Wendland (11GP, 1G, 2A) has embraced his defensive defender role. Always positionally sound, a smooth skater who moves the puck up ice quickly, Wendland has matured into quality varsity skater on the left side of the ice. He will team up with fellow junior Max Curtusan. The more physical Curtusan plays, the more his game stands out. The more in control and fiercely competitive he plays, his size and reach permit him to block several shots each game. Ninth grade defender Lenny Roth (8GP, 3A) has played hard and well in limited action. He will dress for the game and may see shifts along with Berkhammer or Wendland throughout the evening.

Without a doubt, Whitman’s leading defender is junior 16U Upper A Stephan Mah. With the graduation of most of Whitman’s varsity roster after last season, Mah has stepped up his game this year scoring a Montgomery Hockey Conference leading fourteen goals by a defender, just ahead of Upper Montgomery’s Berkhammer. He will lead the Vikings in time on ice and is the team’s leading offensive threat from the blue line (14GP, 14G, 4A). Five of his goals have been unassisted markers. Sophomore and fellow 16U Upper A William Bentancourt has seen much more ice time in his second high school season. He is the Vikings second leading defensive scorer with (14GP, 2G, 3A). Ninth grade 14U AA defender Justin Veron (14G, 2G, 2A) will see plenty of ice time in the game paired with sophomore 16U Upper A Dash Caruso. Other depth defenders may see time on ice as well especially with the elongated period times making it nearly impossible to have a condensed rotation of only four defenders play effectively at the end of the game.

Upper Montgomery’s top line of senior 18U AAA center and team captain Owen Robbins (7GP, 4G, 11A), flanked by fellow senior and last year’s leading scorer Philip Shkeda (6GP, 6G, 5A), paired with ninth grade 16U AA Miles Gleason (7GP, 16G, 7A) has been DOMINANT. The problem has been the Lightning have had this line available only three times all season long. Robbins has missed time with his external travel team. Shkeda recently returned after being out long-term with an upper body injury. Gleason returned from his own month long absence due to a medical issue. Gleason has provided instant offense this season with three points or more in four of the seven games he has played in during his inaugural season. Robbins led the way in the Lightning’s game against the DC Stars with two goals and two assists. Junior 16U Upper A forward Aiden Zheng (11GP, 3G, 5A) has stepped up and provided a spark. He was hot during the middle of the year but has cooled recently. His hustle, energy, and defensive backchecking are examples for the younger students who should be watching how hard Zheng plays away from the puck.

During the game against Whitman all of the team’s forwards are likely to play. With the extended period times, Upper Montgomery’s depth forwards will need to play hard, smart, and effective to allow every single forward to be fresh for what may turn out to be the game deciding third period.

Whitman’s top offensive forward has been junior Henry Herdman (13GP, 8G, 6A). He is joined up front by senior Andrew Kaplan (14GP, 7G, 5A). The Vikings most dangerous forward is 18U AA Benjamin Luo (6GP, 4G, 5A). Luo missed several games this season with a lower body injury before returning for the final two games of the regular season. The rest of the Whitman forwards have not lit up the scoresheet. That does not mean they are unskilled skaters, rather it speaks to the defensive style and nature of their team’s play. Sophomore 16U Upper A Tiger Lee would be next up in scoring with (13GP, 1G, 4A). Then, there is a significant drop off. As mentioned at the start of this game preview, both teams are very similar; good goaltending, one super talented offensive defender who leads a strong four deep defensive unit, one very good offensive forward grouping, and then a bunch of other forwards who round out the roster. These games usually have the top end talent cancel each other out, so the game could be determined by which team’s second or third lines play better and can provide the necessary effective ice minutes that will be needed on Friday.

We are done talking about how the 2025 – 2026 season was going to be one of growth and development for the green and gold’s younger student athletes. Now, it’s playoff time. Whitman, and the rest of the programs in the county do not care about Upper Montgomery building a solid foundation for the future. It is now a win one game or go home tournament. If the Lightning wish to extend their season, the team will have to fight through adversity and bring it against the Vikings. If the team adheres to the coaches’ game plan, Upper Montgomery is likely to shock the county and move on to the quarterfinal round. If the team fails to commit to the defensive habits necessary to play effective hockey, Whitman will pounce all over the Lightning. If Upper Montgomery refuses to engage defensively, or has a lapse in its defensive play, Friday’s game could turn into a long night with Whitman skating through and around the young Lightning skaters. But, Upper Montgomery may be a frightening team to play in a one and done playoff scenario. If Shterenberg plays well coupled with Berkhammer and the top forward line being on, the Lightning can storm through any team in the county. It’s time for the senior leaders and Shterenberg to lead the way and carry the program to another playoff win.

#Playoff Wins, #Advance to Quarterfinals, #UML, #Bleed Green, #Go Bolts!

The Upper Montgomery Lightning play their final regular season game this upcoming Friday evening against the BCC Barons. Game time is 8:45 pm at the Rockville Ice Arena. The Lightning and Barons are both looking to cement the highest seeding possible for the upcoming Montgomery Hockey Conference playoffs. No matter the outcome, neither team will finish higher than with the tenth seed in the regular season ending county rankings. Thus, both teams will open the playoffs as the visiting team in the opening round when the varsity playoff tournament commences the following week on January 30th.

Friday’s game will mark the third time all season and the second consecutive game that all of Upper Montgomery’s high end travel students will be present on the ice for the team. The other games, the first game of the season versus the DC Stars and Upper Montgomery’s last game also against the DC Stars. The Barons have been dismal this season. They enter the final game of the regular season with a 1-10 record having only scored seventeen goals in eleven games, an average of 1.54 goals per game. They are a minus 42 in goal differential, having given up an average of 5.36 goals per game. The Barons only victory this season was over the Northwest / Quince Orchard Jaguars, the team which occupies the bottom ranking in the county.

Upper Montgomery’s primary varsity goaltender junior 16U AAA Ilan Shterenberg will be in net for the second consecutive week. He enters the game with a 2-4 record, an .895 save percentage, and a 3.76 goals against average. Opposite Shterenberg in the cage, BCC will play their only varsity netminder, Sophomore 16U Lower A Blake Schoenebeck. Schoenebeck has 1-7 record, an .867 save percentage, and a respectable 3.64 goals against average. Playing in the upper division of the Montgomery Hockey Conference, the Barons have been outclassed by the premier teams in the county.

On defense, the Lightning will have their full complement of defenders for the game as junior Max Curtusan returns to the lineup after missing the recent DC Stars game while serving his supplemental disciplinary suspension. He received a boarding major penalty and a game misconduct against Walter Johnson in the game prior. The Lightning’s leading scorer, also the leading defensive scorer for all of Montgomery County, as well as the second leading defensive scorer throughout the entire Maryland Student Hockey League, senior 18U AA Brady Berkhammer will once again lead the Lightning’s backline. He has been superb offensively this season averaging two and a half points per game with (11GP, 11G, 16A). Berkhammer is also within a few points of the outright lead for the entire Montgomery Hockey Conference in scoring with his 27 points. His 11 goals, 16 assists, and 27 total points this season are all personal single season career highs.

Lightning junior defender 16U Upper A Miles Wendland (10GP, 1G, 2A) will either play up with Berkhammer or with sophomore 16U AA Lillian Robbins. Robbins is key to the Lightning’s penalty kill unit which has suffered mightily when she has been out of the lineup. Her intellect and knowledge of the game makes her ideally suited to snuff out offensive sets and act as a third defender while playing at the top of the Lightning’s box penalty kill formation. The more physical she plays, the more her game will stand out. Sophomore 16U Lower A Matt Rivera (9GP, 1G, 4A) has played better as the season has gone along. His progression this year into a full time varsity defender has allowed the Lightning to play with two full sets of defenders in every game. Anticipate the Lightning defense will be instructed to rush up ice and contribute offensively as the team is short on experienced forwards. Ninth grade defender Lenny Roth has played hard and well in limited action. He will dress for the game and may see shifts along with Berkhammer throughout the evening.

The Barons leading returning defender is senior 18U AA Grady Jiggens who is anticipated to miss the season finale. Thus, the Barons will rely heavily on fellow senior 18U AA Ben Lyons. Lyons is tied for the team lead in scoring for BCC with (9GP, 4G, 2A). Sophomore 16U Upper A Jacob Reitz will also miss the matchup against the Lightning as he will be serving his supplemental disciplinary suspension for a game misconduct penalty received in the Barons last game against Wootton. The absence of Jiggens and Reitz will leave a revolving door on the back end that could be filled by seniors David High (11GP, 2G, 3A) and Jeronimo Castano-Tellez both of whom have played defense at the junior varsity level.

Upper Montgomery’s top line of senior 18U AAA center and team captain Owen Robbins (6GP, 4G, 11A), flanked by fellow senior and last year’s leading scorer Philip Shkeda (5GP, 6G, 5A), paired with ninth grade 16U AA Miles Gleason (7GP, 16G, 7A) has been DOMINANT. The problem has been the Lightning have had this line available only three times this season. Robbins has missed time with his external travel team. Shkeda returned last week after being out long-term with an upper body injury. Gleason just recently returned from his own month long absence due to a medical issue. Gleason has provided instant offense this season with three points or more in four of the seven games he has played in during his inaugural season. Robbins led the way in the Lightning’s last game against the DC Stars with two goals and two assists. Junior 16U Upper A forward Aiden Zheng (10GP, 3G, 5A) has stepped up and provided a spark. He was hot during the middle of the year but has cooled recently. His hustle, energy, and defensive backchecking are examples for the younger students who should be watching how hard Zheng plays away from the puck.

BCC’s top offensive forward has been junior 16U AA Leo Alley-Strocher (7GP, 4G, 2A). He is a natural offensive threat that has been limited by the talent joining him on the Barons top forward line. Only one other forward has more than one goal on the season, ninth grade center Bryce Kaminsky with two. Only one other forward has at least three points, senior center Peter Lanpher (8GP, 1G, 2A). As these meager statistics illustrate, BCC has been held to two goals or less in ten of their eleven games.

The 2025 – 2026 season has been one of growth and development for the green and gold’s younger student athletes. Now, as the season has reached the regular season finale, it is time for the team to ride a wave of good play heading into the playoffs. If the team will commit to the defensive habits necessary to lead the program forward, the Lightning may be a frightening team to play in a one and done playoff scenario. As the season opener versus the DC Stars illustrated, if Berkhammer and the top forward line is on, the Lightning can storm through any team in the county. If Upper Montgomery refuses to engage defensively, or has a lapse in its defensive play, every game could turn into a long night with the opposition skating through and around the young Lightning skaters. It’s time for the seniors and Shterenberg to lead the way and carry the program to several late regular season and playoff wins.

#Regular Season Finale, #Playoff Seeding, #UML, #Bleed Green, #Go Bolts!