Author: chucklevine

The Upper Montgomery Lightning concluded the early portion of their 2023 season schedule having played four of the top six teams in the state. Now that the early season gauntlet is over, Upper Montgomery took out their frustrations hammering the Northwest Jaguars by way of a convincing 13-0 bludgeoning. The game was non-competitive right from the start. Many of the Lightning student athletes set personal records in the game. Landon Bernard saw very little action in earning his first career varsity shutout victory, making only six saves the entire game.

On the very first shift of the game the Jaguars star defender, Brady Graham, was called for a high sticking penalty. The Lightning powerplay wasted no time in capitalizing. Bradley Cupples had the puck in the lower left corner. He passed back to the point to where George Benedick let loose with a one time slapshot. Benedick’s shot was redirected by Chris Hassett who was standing alone a few feet in front of Northwest goalie Joseph Dean. The puck zipped past Dean for the only goal that the Lightning would ultimately need.

Although being widely outplayed, Northwest would hold the Lightning off the scoreboard for the next five minutes. Philip Shkeda started the Lightning’s second scoring play by passing the puck down the boards into the lower right corner to Hassett. Hassett skated around the net and fed a nice backhand pass to Nathan Cassel alone in the slot. Cassel’s wrist shot went far side high and beat Dean’s glove hand. The second goal gave Upper Montgomery the confidence to relax and allow their highly talented skaters to be creative offensively.

Shortly thereafter, the game got chippy. First, Jaguars forward Josh Podsiadlik was called for roughing after throwing an unnecessary check far away from the play. While the Lightning were on the powerplay, Benedick was called for hooking. Then, while four on four play was continuing, Brandon Bernard was called for this third tripping penalty in the last two games. Podsiadlik’s penalty ended and Northwest had a 5-3 powerplay for 1:25. It was a critical juncture in the game with Northwest looking to get back into the game.

Instead, Graham would take another penalty, this time for roughing. The Northwest skater advantage was reduced to a four on three powerplay. Upper Montgomery would score a shorthanded goal to further deflate the Jaguars. Hassett had the puck and skated deep into the right corner. He passed back to the right point to Brady Berkhammer. Berkhammer sent the puck across the blue line to Ethan Hockey at the left point. Hockey’s long range wrist shot hit off Dean’s glove and bounced down toward the ice where it trickled just over the goal line five hole and between his legs. Just at the end of the first period, Matthew O’Brien would take yet another Jaguars roughing penalty putting the Lightning back on the powerplay to begin the second period. Showing how dominant a period it was for the Lightning, the shots on goal totals were Upper Montgomery fourteen and Northwest with just two.

Three minutes into the second period, Hockey would score his second consecutive goal. Shkeda collected the puck behind the net. He passed the puck to Brandon Bernard in the low left circle. Bernard sent the puck back to the left point to Hockey. Hockey skated in two strides and ripped a wrist shot high glove side past Dean. A minute later Benedick would end the competitive portion of the game with his first goal of the season. A weak clearing attempt by the Northwest defense along the left wing boards was kept in at the point by Benedick. He skated around the net and roofed the puck high short side for an unassisted goal.

On the very next shift, Upper Montgomery would score again to extend the lead to 6-0. Hassett chipped the puck up the boards past the Northwest defender pinching in at the point. The puck banked off the boards into the neutral zone to Cassel. Cassel skated into the offensive zone drawing the attention of the other Jaguars defender. He laid a pass across to Shkeda. Shkeda’s slap shot low along the ice went to the empty side of the net past Dean.

Up six, the Lightning coaching staff began rolling all four forward lines. The fourth line would have an immediate impact. Andrew Botti had the puck at the left point. He played the puck forward with one hand on his stick to Josh Nadler in the left circle. Nadler quickly shot the puck toward the net. His shot went wide short side. The puck was collected by Adam Levine behind the net. Levine backhanded the puck into the left corner looking for Henry Honacki. Honacki’s centering pass hit a skate and laid in the crease area. Levine reached the puck first and shot over Dean’s leg pad before he could locate the loose puck. For his effort, Levine was crushed and cleared out in front by Graham on a dirty late hit. For Levine, it was a tough, gritty way to score his first goal of the season.

Upper Montgomery’s eighth goal was aided by Northwest. A bad clearing attempt was kept in at the right point by a lunging Berkhammer. He flung the puck down the boards and behind the net. Cassel won a puck battle behind the net and circled all the way around the net to the top of the far left wing faceoff circle. As he approached the slot, he fired a pass into the low slot. Hassett opened the blade of his stick and directed the puck past Dean five hole. The long second period for the Jaguars mercifully ended with the score 8-0. The Lightning had scored on five of their seven shots on goal during the period.

The third period had the intensity of a scrimmage with running clock. Even so, there was a lot of action. Two minutes into the third period, Upper Montgomery would increase the lead. Another bad Northwest clearing attempt was kept in at the blue line, this time by Hockey who used his skates to stop the puck. He directed the puck forward to Cupples. Cupples curled to the top of the left circle and fired a wrist shot that was blocked in front. Stephen Shkeda located the puck and passed across the goal mouth to Brandon Bernard who tapped the puck into the wide open empty net. For Bernard it was goals in back to back games to start his season.

On the next shift the fourth line would key the Lightning’s tenth goal of the game. Stephen Shkeda blocked a Northwest pass just outside the offensive blue line. He waited for the Upper Montgomery skaters to get back onside. He then skated the puck into the zone down the right wing and fired the puck high and wide of Dean. The puck went around the boards to the left wing corner as he made his way to the bench for a line change. Levine outraced the Northwest defense to the puck and one hand shoveled the puck past the oncoming Northwest winger to Hockey at the left point. Hockey skated in a few strides and fired a wrist shot short side above Dean’s blocker into the net. For Hockey, it was his first career hat trick.

At the end of the next shift, a dominating one by Upper Montgomery’s top line, Graham charged Hassett after the whistle. The unnecessary play earned Graham his fourth penalty of the game and an automatic game misconduct. Off the ensuing faceoff, the Lightning would cash in. Hassett won the faceoff back to Berkhammer at the right point. Berkhammer sent the puck across the blue line to Benedick at the middle of the blue line. Benedick’s cross ice pass back over to the right wing boards went to Philip Shkeda. Shkeda’s wrist shot, short side, went seven hole past Dean’s body for the Lightning powerplay goal.

With eleven minutes left, the attention turned to whether Landon Bernard could record the shutout. It was never really in doubt as the Jaguars generated next to no offense the entire game even with their three powerplay opportunities. With Cupples in the penalty box for interference, Benedick passed the puck from the Lightning defensive zone to Hassett at the Northwest defensive blue line. Hassett and Cassel crossed entering the offensive zone with Hassett leaving the puck for Cassel. Cassel’s wrist shot went wide of the net but was collected by Hassett who beat the Jaguars defense to the puck. Hassett wrapped the puck around the net from right to left, pushing the puck into the empty net before Dean could come across the goal mouth.

The Lightning’s final goal came with four seconds remaining in the game. Landon Bernard stopped the puck behind his net. Hockey swung around the net up the left wing boards clearing the zone. He dropped a backhand pass to Cassel in the neutral zone. Cassel skated a few strides to the Northwest defensive blue line and fired a snapshot from long range at Dean. The puck went high blocker past Dean just before the final buzzer at the end of the game.

For Upper Montgomery, it was a feel good win. The trying start to the season with the outrageously rough schedule now behind the team. The Lightning will be looking to claw back toward a .500 record over the next several weeks. Up next is a week off before a very important clash with fourth ranked Whitman.

Game Notes:

• Upper Montgomery throttled Northwest outshooting the Jaguars 30-6 for the game, and 14-2 in the first period.
• Ethan Hockey scored his first career hat-trick. He added an assist for a career high four point game.
• George Benedick had a four point game with one goal and three assists. The four points are a career high.
• Chris Hasset had a six point game with three goals and three assists.
• Nathan Cassel had a five point game with two goals and three assists.
• Philip Shkeda had his first career multi-goal game. He added two assists for a four point game.
• Adam Levine had his first career varsity multi-point game with a goal and an assist.
• Brady Berkhammer had a three assists game for a career high three point game.
• Landon Bernard earned his first career varsity shutout. He also added an assist.
• Upper Montgomery’s penalty kill held off Northwest on all three Jaguars powerplays. The Lightning PK which has struggled all season is now ten for eighteen on the season, 55.5%.
• The Lightning scored two shorthanded goals.
• After a week off for the Thanksgiving holiday, Upper Montgomery looks to continue its season turnaround against the Whitman Vikings. Game time is 8:45 pm on Friday, December 2nd at Rockville Ice Arena.

Three Stars of the Game:

First Star—Chris Hassett—Upper Montgomery Center—3 Goals, 3 Assists
Second Star—Ethan Hockey—Upper Montgomery Defense—3 Goals, 1 Assist
Third Star—Nathan Cassel—Upper Montgomery Forward–-2 Goals, 3 Assists

Fresh off the emotional high of Monday’s unexpected tie against BCC, the Upper Montgomery Lightning were looking forward to Friday evening’s clash versus “the team” in Maryland high school hockey. The Churchill Bulldogs have won seven of the last eight state championships. The only year Churchill did not win the state championship was during COVID when too many of their student athletes came down with the virus just before the start of the state championship tournament. Tournament officials then ruled Churchill ineligible and they were prevented from defending their title.

The Lightning’s anticipation turned out to be for naught as half the team became ill with the non-COVID virus circulating throughout Montgomery County. Instead of a challenging game to see how close the program was to the top of the Montgomery Hockey Conference, Upper Montgomery faced Churchill with half a squad including two junior varsity defensive call ups.

With the depleted lineup, the game went as expected. A minute and a half into the contest, Churchill would jump to the lead. Expected all conference forward Zach Silver took a pass from Asher Wang in the Churchill defensive zone. He raced up ice and fired a wrist shot from the top of the circles past Lightning netminder Landon Bernard. On the next shift, Landon’s twin brother Brandon, who was making his season debut, was called for tripping. The Bulldogs easily broke down the Lightning’s overmatched penalty kill with Silver scoring his second goal within the first four minutes of action. Dalton Esko-Himmelfarb assisted on the goal.

Upper Montgomery went on the powerplay halfway through the period when Bulldogs forward Joshua Wong was called for boarding. Even with Upper Montgomery on the powerplay, it looked as if the Lightning were shorthanded. Churchill controlled play even while down a skater and Bulldogs goalie Avery Schiff had an easy relaxing time of it. With three minutes remaining in the period, Churchill’s other expected all conference standout, defender Samuel Strand took control of the puck in his defensive zone and individually rushed up ice. As he reached the top of the left circle, he unleashed a high wrist shot that beat Bernard glove side. The unassisted goal capped off a dominating period in which Churchill outshot Upper Montgomery fourteen to three.

The second period was more of the same. Two early Churchill goals opened up the score to 5-0. Brook Chapman scored off a feed from Strand. Strand scored again from Silver. Halfway through the second period Brandon Bernard was again in the box for tripping. Wang scored from Silver on the powerplay continuing the Lightning’s horrible penalty kill performance to begin the season. Up six at this point, Churchill’s coaches began to provide more ice time to the bottom half of their roster. Dalton Esko-Himmelfarb scored off a pass from his brother Kobe to increase the lead to 7-0.

Toward the end of the second period, the Upper Montgomery would be rewarded for continuing to compete. Lightning forward Hunter Cameron went in hard on the forecheck. He forced the Bulldogs to dump the puck to center ice. Off of a Churchill miss play of the puck, Cameron gained possession. While still in the neutral zone, he sent the puck up ice to Brandon Bernard approaching the offensive blue line. Bernard made a move to the center of the ice and fired a wrist shot on net from the top of the slot. His shot beat Schiff cleanly putting the Lightning on the board. Immediately after the goal, Upper Montgomery began to play with more intensity. Center Chris Hassett was called for roughing and the Lightning penalty kill responded by snuffing out the Bulldogs powerplay. Then, a flurry of Upper Montgomery shots made the final shot totals for the period respectable, Churchill with thirteen more shots on Landon Bernard, while Upper Montgomery managed ten on Schiff.

The start of the third period saw Upper Montgomery head to the powerplay as Dalton Esko-Himmelfarb was called for interference. Upper Montgomery converted to make the score 7-2. Cameron fired a shot toward the net which was blocked in front. Hassett found the puck, spun, and fired the puck far side high past Schiff for his first goal of the season. Strand would finish the scoring with two minutes left on an individual end to end rush to complete his hat trick.

While disappointing that the Lightning did not have their full complement of student athletes available for the game, the team is looking forward to the rest of the regular season and achieving success never before accomplished by the program. The team is looking to put forth the effort needed to go on a prolonged winning streak, beat Wootton for the first time ever, and advance in the Montgomery Hockey Conference playoffs for the first time ever.

Game Notes:

• Upper Montgomery played without Andrew Gean, Adam Levine, Nathan Cassel, Josh Nadler, George Benedick, Andew Botti, and Ryan Jacobson.
• Churchill outshot Upper Montgomery 34-17 for the game. Upper Montgomery mustered only three shots on goal in the first period and four shots on goal during the third period.
• Upper Montgomery’s penalty kill which was so good last season at 87.9%, was again porous yield two more powerplay goals. In four games this year, the squad had already given up eight powerplay goals, one more than over the entire season last year.
• Upper Montgomery’s penalty kill is now seven for fifteen on the season, 46.7%.
• Brandon Bernard scored in his season debut.
• After a week off, Upper Montgomery looks to turnaround the season against last place Northwest. Game time is 8:45 pm on November 18th at Rockville Ice Arena. The game against the Jaguars will begin a stretch where Upper Montgomery should be able to put together a stretch of wins to climb out of the 0-3-1 start to the season.

Three Stars of the Game:

First Star—Samuel Strand—Churchill Forward—3 Goals, 1 Assist
Second Star—Zack Silver—Churchill Forward—2 Goals, 2 Assists
Third Star—Hunter Cameron—Upper Montgomery Forward–-2 Assists

Halloween afternoon almost turned into a nightmare for highly ranked BCC. A late six on four powerplay goal with one minute remaining in the game, and the goalie pulled for an extra attacker allowed the Barons to salvage a 2-2 tie against Upper Montgomery. The Upper Montgomery coaching staff has long been waiting for the team’s potential to translate into a complete game against one of the top teams within the Montgomery Hockey Conference. Hopefully, Monday afternoon’s outcome was the start of positive things to come as the Lightning battled toe to toe with BCC earning a tie in a game in which the team was one minute away from a program defining upset victory.

Make no mistake, the game was not an artistic masterpiece. Anyone viewing a hockey game for the first time would not fall in love with the sport. The entire game felt as if it was played in quicksand. There was a tremendous amount of dump and chase hockey. Each team spent a large portion of the game retrieving the puck in their defensive zone and simply chipping the puck back into the neutral zone. Other times, the defense gained the neutral zone, reached the red line and dumped the puck deep into the other team’s defensive zone. There were extended puck battles and scrums along the boards where the Lightning were able to body up and control the high scoring Barons taking away time and space. The Lightning adhered to the game plan established by the coaching staff and executed in fine style.

The first period was filled with a lot of whistles and stop and start hockey. There was not much action. It seemed as if every fifteen to twenty seconds the teams were lined up for yet another faceoff. An early interference penalty to BCC forward Matthew Duffy was easily killed by the Barons. There was very little Upper Montgomery offensive zone time with puck possession. The gritty hard fought period ended scoreless. BCC fired nine shots on Lightning netminder Landon Bernard and Upper Montgomery sent six shots at BCC goalie Graham McGrath-White.

The second period was just a bit more aesthetically pleasing at least from BCC’s standpoint. The Barons began generating more offensive chances and played with more flow to their game. Upper Montgomery continued to play excellent defensive hockey all over the ice chasing the Barons. The Lightning’s game plan was to prevent BCC from getting into their up tempo, high octane offensive style. The defensive structure did limit Upper Montgomery’s offensive thrusts and the Lightning managed only three shots on goal during the period.

Halfway through the second period, BCC would jump out in front. Star BCC center, senior Henry Caldicott would finally beat Bernard. Barons’ defender Jake Williams collected the puck in the BCC defensive zone just inside his blue line. He skated a few strides up ice and passed the puck over to Caldicott. Caldicott entered the offensive zone and fired a wrist shot from the left circle high past Bernard’s glove hand. The BCC goal seemed to energize the game. Over the next several minutes BCC buzzed in the Upper Montgomery defensive zone with Bernard making several fine saves to keep the score 1-0.

On a delayed penalty to Williams, Upper Montgomery would use the extra attacker to even the score. Lightning defender Ethan Hockey had the puck in the left corner of his defensive zone. He swatted the puck backhand around the boards behind the empty Lightning net. The puck clicked off Lightning center Ryan Jacobson on the far side wall. Upper Montgomery forward Philip Shkeda coming back into the defensive zone for a controlled breakout collected the puck. He was able to nudge the puck out of the defensive zone to his opposite winger Nathan Cassel. Cassel skated up ice into the offensive zone. At the left edge of the left faceoff circle, he ripped a low wrist shot past the skates of the BCC defense and past McGrath White five hole to tie up the game.

BCC immediately began pressing after the Cassel goal. Barons’ defender Marlowe Curalli took a retaliatory roughing penalty after a hard clean check along the boards. Once again, Upper Montgomery was unable to generate any offensive threat while with the powerplay advantage. At the end of the powerplay, Lighting captain, senior defender, George Benedick took a boarding penalty. The Lightning powerplay was gone and more importantly Benedick would miss the end of the second period. He would also miss the first ten minutes of the third period while serving the ten minute misconduct penalty that is automatically assessed with any boarding minor. Upper Montgomery was able to thwart the BCC powerplay to end the period and the Lightning entered the third period tied with BCC.

Six minutes into the third period, Upper Montgomery would jump to the lead. Forward Stephen Shkeda battled for the puck along the side boards on the left wing of the Lightning defensive zone. Upper Montgomery defender Andrew Botti came charging into the scrum and laid a big check, unfortunately catching more of Shkeda than any BCC skater. The puck came loose to Botti who banked the puck off the boards and around the pile into the neutral zone. Botti outskated the BCC defense to the puck and took the puck down the wing before cutting hard to the front of the net. Botti’s initial shot bounced around off bodies in front of the goal. He stuck with the play and eventually jammed the puck low stick side past McGrath White to give Upper Montgomery a 2-1 lead.

The real story of the third period was the outstanding play of Lightning goalie Landon Bernard who shined. His third period play was the singlehanded reason for the Lightning gaining standings points by virtue of tie. With twelve minutes remaining, he stopped high scoring BCC forward Aleksandr Talty on a partial breakaway. With ten and a half minutes remaining, he made a point blank save on BCC forward Henry Blumberg. After a questionable elbowing penalty to Lightning defender Owen Robbins (just after Botti’s goal), Bernard stoned Talty in close on the powerplay, and again robbed him on the follow up stuff attempt. Upper Montgomery was clearly scrambling to hold on to the lead. Whenever the Barons broke down the Lightning defense, Bernard was there to keep the puck out of the net.

With under three minutes left in the game and Upper Montgomery fighting to hold on, a really unfortunately situation would lead to one final BCC powerplay. Botti took the puck down the left wing boards in the BCC defensive zone. He over skated the puck. As he turned back to regain possession, his stick got caught under the skates of Barons’ forward Collin Eccles. Eccles lost his footing, and the Barons had a powerplay advantage with 2:49 left in the game.

BCC buzzed on the powerplay with the momentum turning, but Bernard was there to make more high quality saves. Off a cross ice pass, Eccles’ slapshot was snagged by Bernard’s glove. With a minute twenty to go in the game BCC pulled McGrath White for an extra skater. When Bernard made another save and froze the puck by the side of the net just 1:13 was left on the clock. BCC used their time out to set up a final push. The ensuing faceoff came with 24 seconds left on the BCC powerplay.

Caldicott won the faceoff to Eccles at the right point. Eccles passed the puck to Graham LeBlanc at the center of the blue line. LeBlanc sent the puck back across the ice to Caldicott along the right wing board outside the faceoff circle. Caldicott swung and fired a wrist shot on net from the bad angle. Caldicott’s shot snuck through Bernard seven hole, short side with just ten seconds remaining on the powerplay. With all of the tremendous saves that Bernard made leading up to that point in the third period, the game tying shot was one he wanted back.

For Bernard there was no time to sulk. A defensive breakdown off the ensuing faceoff at center ice left Talty once again alone in front of Bernard. With forty seconds remaining in the game, Bernard reacted quickly, stoning Talty once again. Bernard’s thirteen save of the period allowed Upper Montgomery to leave with a hard fought tie.

While a disappointing end for the student athletes, the game’s result will raise the program’s profile within the Montgomery Hockey Conference. The Barons were thought to be one of the top three teams in the league this season. The tie against Upper Montgomery will be looked down upon. While disrespectful to the Lightning, Upper Montgomery will need to continue to push the historical top programs in the county (Churchill, Walter Johnson, BCC, and Wootton) before the well deserved credit will be given to the team.

Game Notes:

• The tie was Upper Montgomery’s first ever game in which they did not lose to BCC.
• BCC outshot Upper Montgomery 30-17 for the game. Upper Montgomery mustered only three shots on goal in the second period.
• Upper Montgomery’s penalty kill which was so good last season at 87.9%, faltered when it mattered most against the Barons allowing the game tying goal with a minute remaining in the game. The Lightning are now five for eleven on penalty kill for the season. Last season, Upper Montgomery only gave up seven powerplay goals all season. In three games this year, the squad had already given up six powerplay goals.
• Upper Montgomery continues the brutally hard initial part of their schedule on Friday evening against perennial state champion Churchill. Game time is 9:00 pm at Rockville Ice Arena.

Three Stars of the Game:

First Star—Landon Bernard—Upper Montgomery Goalie—28 Saves, .933 Save Percentage
Second Star—Henry Caldicott—BCC Center—2 Goals
Third Star—Andrew Botti—Upper Montgomery Defense–-1 Goal

The Upper Montgomery Lightning have a reputation as a program that will play any team, at any time. When the Urbana Hawks had a last minute cancellation, Upper Montgomery happily filled even knowing they would play only with half of the roster available to compete. As with last Friday’s game against top ranked Walter Johnson, the Lightning knew they would be in for another tough test, this time against the top team in Frederick County. Upper Montgomery played with only twelve skaters and that included a couple of junior varsity call ups.

Upper Montgomery started off strong. Philip Shkeda scored his first career high school varsity goal three minutes into the contest. Olivia Robbins won a puck battle with the assistance of Chris Hassett behind the net to the left of Hawks goaltender Ethan Truszkowski. She centered the puck to Shkeda. Shkeda’s first shot was saved by Truszkowski. He then transferred the puck from his backhand side to his forehand and popped the puck into the open side of the net. Shortly thereafter, Upper Montgomery went on two back to back powerplays after interference penalties were called on Hawks forward Cody Keegan and Hawks defender Brady Gardiner. With an opportunity to extend the lead, Upper Montgomery could not convert on either powerplay opportunity. The first period ended with the Lightning ahead 1-0. Shots in goal in the opening frame were Upper Montgomery eleven and Urbana nine.

As Upper Montgomery short bench tired in the second period, the game began to unravel. First, a mental error led to a too many skaters on the ice penalty. With last season’s excellent penalty kill a far distant memory, Urbana would tie the game with the extra skater. Hawks defender Seamus McGee won a puck battle on the left side boards. He passed the puck down the boards behind the net to Drew Renzi. Renzi’s pass to the middle went through to the right circle where Hayden Grapes had snuck in from the right point. Grapes’ shot through traffic beat Lightning goalie Landon Bernard high to the stick side.

Fifty seconds later, Urbana would jump to a lead they would not relinquish. A poor decision by the Upper Montgomery defense to join the offensive rush backfired. The puck was turned over just inside the Urbana defensive blue line presenting the Hawks with a three on two rush. Brady Gardiner passed the puck up to Henry Scriven. Scriven left a drop pass to defender Tommy Alexander who had joined the rush. Alexander’s wrist shot from the right circle went far side, high, past Bernard’s stick and blocker.

Another Lightning penalty, and another opponent’s powerplay goal pushed Urbana’s lead to 3-1. With Lightning senior defender Ethan Hockey in the box for a very marginal roughing call, the Hawks cashed in for their second powerplay goal of the period. Nine seconds after Hockey wound up in the penalty box the Hawks would score off the ensuing faceoff. Keegan won the faceoff in the right circle back to Grapes at the point. Grapes slapshot was deflected in front by Zachary Thayer. The deflection sent the puck upward and it went past Bernard’s glove into the net. The Lightning penalty kill had now surrendered five powerplay goals in six chances to start the season. On the defensive for most of the period, Upper Montgomery only mustered three shots on goal during the second period.

The third period also started off rocky for the Lightning. Within three minutes the score had ballooned to 5-1. Urbana’s first goal of the third period was scored by Liam Grapes, Hayden’s brother. Alexander won possession of the puck at his defensive blue line. He stickhandled to center ice and backhanded a pass along the left wing boards. Liam Grapes accepted the pass and cut to the middle of the ice. Entering the offensive zone, he fired a wrist shot from the high slot across the grain and past Bernard high glove side.

The second Urbana goal came on the very next shift and was the result of a poor Upper Montgomery decision. A defensive pinch at the left point allowed the Hawks to exit the zone with speed. Colin Sweeney knocked the puck past the pinching Lightning defender along the boards springing a two on one rush. Katie McGee took the puck hard to the net where she was cross checked into the boards by Lightning defender Andrew Gean. The puck sat at the left post where Matthew Browning-Elam was all alone, and he knocked it past Bernard.

Two minutes later the lead would bulge to 6-1. Upper Montgomery had trouble exiting the defensive zone. The puck was sent low down the left wing boards. Keegan collected the puck in the left corner. He skated as if he was going around the net but centered the puck prior to doing so. His pass short side into the slot went to Max Dabruzzo. Dabruzzo fumbled the puck where it was immediately collected by Gardiner who fired a low shot stick side past Bernard.

At 6-1 the game became a bit chippy with penalties doled out to both squads. Gean was called for roughing putting Upper Montgomery back on the penalty kill. While shorthanded, Ryan Jacobson sent the puck to the left side boards in the defensive zone. Olivia Robbins scanned the ice and found Jacobson skating into the neutral zone. Her pass hit Jacobson in stride. He skated into the offensive zone around the Hawks defense, and then around the net from left to right. He swung out in front and scored on a forehand wrap around near side post past Urbana’s backup netminder Abby Tanner. Upper Montgomery then went on the powerplay when Dabruzzo was called for tripping but was unable to muster any prime scoring chances.

With less than a minute remaining in the game and the teams skating four on four, Jacobson would then score his second goal of the game. He won a defensive zone faceoff to the side boards. Andrew Botti poked the puck past the Urbana defense on the left wing over the defensive blue line. Botti carried the puck up ice and made a one handed pass to Jacobson cutting into the offensive zone. Jacobson cut toward center ice and shot back across his body from the deep slot. His wrist shot easily beat Tanner to the left side of the net making the final score a bit more respectable.

Two games into the season Upper Montgomery has played both games with half its roster. The team is much improved and tremendously more competitive than last season. Once the full squad is available to play, Upper Montgomery is poised to threaten the top teams in the Montgomery Hockey Conference. It is time for the Lightning to make a statement and upset one of the traditional powers. The next opportunity is on Monday afternoon when the gauntlet continues versus highly regarded BCC.

Game Notes:

• Upper Montgomery was missing a host of high level varsity skaters for the contest; Brandon Bernard, Nathan Cassel, Hunter Cameron, Josh Nadler, George Benedick, Brady Berkhammer, and Bradley Cupples.
• Urbana outshot Upper Montgomery 36-20 for the game, and 27-9 after the first period.
• Upper Montgomery had no shots on goal over the last 8:30 of the second period.
• Upper Montgomery’s penalty kill which was so good last season at 87.9%, was again bad allowing two powerplay goals in four chances to the Hawks. The Lightning are now three for eight on penalty kill for the season.
• Ryan Jacobson scored two goals for the second consecutive game, including a shorthanded goal.
• Upper Montgomery continues the brutally hard initial part of their schedule on Monday afternoon against BCC. Game time for the Halloween matinee is 5:10 pm at Rockville Ice Arena.

Three Stars of the Game:

First Star—Hayden Grapes—Urbana Defense—1 Goal, 1 Assist
Second Star—Ryan Jacobson—Upper Montgomery Center—2 Goals, Including Short-Handed Goal
Third Star—Landon Bernard—Upper Montgomery Goalie–-30 Saves

The Upper Montgomery Lightning began the season on Friday night facing what is expected to be one of their toughest tests of the season. Promoted to the top division in the Montgomery Hockey Conference, Upper Montgomery is going to face a tough gauntlet of opponents over the first month of the season. Against the top ranked Walter Johnson Wildcats, the team showed grit and a complete level that pleased the coaching staff. Missing four student athletes who receive regular playing time, including last season’s leading scorer, Chris Hassett, the game demonstrated not unexpectedly that the program is still a bit away from the top tier in the conference. A wild comeback ended just short as Walter Johnson withstood the Lightning’s furious third period push and then rallied back for a 7-4 victory Friday evening at Skate Frederick.

The game began ominously for the Lightning. Just two minutes into the contest, Lightning forward Olivia Robbins was called for tripping. On the ensuing powerplay, Walter Johnson would jump out to an early lead. Wildcats star forward Ethan Birndorf had possession of the puck in the left circle. He fired a pass cross ice to Patrick Murphy in the right circle. Murphy’s wrist shot went wide of the net short side. The puck caromed off the end boards to the opposite side of the net where Alex Chang was standing alone. Chang had an easy tap in goal before Lightning goaltender Landon Bernard could come across the crease and prevent the easy layup goal. After the early goal, the Lightning settled into the game plan really well and limited Walter Johnson during five on five play. Both teams did not generate much offense with the Lightning only mustering two shots on goal in the first period.

The second period started out as a carbon copy of the first period. An early Lightning penalty, this time to Andrew Gean for roughing, and a Wildcats powerplay goal to extend the lead to 2-0. Murphy finished off a nice passing sequence, Chang to Oliver Curtis, then over to Murphy stationed in the bottom of the left circle (similar to Walter Johnson’s first goal). This time, Murphy’s shot was on net and beat Bernard short side high blocker.

Upper Montgomery would battle back on a powerplay of their own. With Wildcats defender Jon Corwin in the penalty box for roughing, Bradley Cupples would score the Lightning’s first goal of the season. Upper Montgomery entered the offensive zone with possession of the puck. Philip Shkeda and Bradley Cupples worked the puck in the right corner. Cupples came away with the loose puck and circled the net right to left passing the puck into the slot to Olivia Robbins. Robbins sent a spinning pass down low to Shkeda at the right post. Shkeda’s shot was saved by Wildcats senior goalie Isabella Pharr with the puck bounding directly to Cupples alone at the back left post for an easy tap in. For Shkeda it was his first career high school varsity point.

Unfortunately for the Lightning, less than a minute after Upper Montgomery clawed back within one goal, Lightning captain senior defender George Benedick was called for a roughing penalty. Again, the Lightning were forced to try and kill the penalty. A much better penalty kill turned out to be for naught as the Wildcats converted with just three seconds left on their powerplay. Henry Horwell sent the puck back to Adam Greene at the right point. Greene’s shot was going well wide, but was redirected by Cameron Luskin in the high slot. The deflection significantly changed the trajectory of the shot and the puck beat Bernard who was moving to the far post to stop the initial shot. Three Wildcats powerplays and three goals given up by Upper Montgomery.

Upper Montgomery had two additional powerplays over the remainder of the second period but was unable to capitalize on either advantage. The Lightning had done very good job playing five on five hockey versus the Wildcats yet trailed 3-1 entering the third period. Shots on goal in the second period were 14-13 in favor of Walter Johnson, far different from in the initial period of action.

Walter Johnson changed goalies after the second period giving 9th grade AAA goalie Joseph Villatoro his first taste of high school varsity hockey action. The goalie change backfired right away as Upper Montgomery climbed back into the game. Off of a faceoff stalemate in the right offensive zone faceoff circle, sophomore center Ryan Jacobson found the loose puck and riffled a wrist shot high glove side past an unsuspecting Villatoro. Walter Johnson now led only 3-2 with almost the entire third period left to play.

Twenty one seconds later, Jacobson pulled Upper Montgomery even with his second goal of the game. Ninth grade defender Brady Berkhammer rewound the puck in the neutral zone just outside the Lightning blue line. He shoveled the puck up the left wing boards into space. Lightning forward Nathan Cassel swooped in and carried the puck into the offensive zone on a two on one rush with Jacobson. Cassel held the puck and froze Villatoro as he skated down the left wing side of the ice deep into the offensive zone. He slid a perfect backhand pass across the ice to Jacobson who finished into an empty net with a sweeping wrist shot. It was Jacobson’s second goal in twenty seconds, and for Berkhammer it was his first career high school varsity point.

In a blink the game was tied, and Upper Montgomery had all of the momentum. After the Lightning had come back, sophomore defender Andrew Botti was called for interference. After such a tremendous season last year killing penalties (Upper Montgomery was stellar with an 87.9% penalty kill rate), Walter Johnson had gone three for three to start the game. This time, the Lightning were up to the task and held strong. As the penalty to Botti was ending, Wildcats defender Patrick Adams was called for roughing. While Upper Montgomery did not score on the powerplay, the Lightning would take the lead just after the penalty to Adams expired.

Olivia Robbins had the puck just outside the left circle in the offensive zone. She unleashed a wrist shot that went wide of the net short side. The puck circled around the boards to the lower portion of the right corner where Bradley Cupples won possession of the puck. He took one stride forward as if he were going to skate around the net and found Robbins wide open in the slot. Robbins looked to shoot right away, but had to pause and stake around the screen set in front by Stephen Shkeda. In doing so, she froze Villatoro who lost track of his positioning allowing Robbins to fire a wrist shot past his blocker for her first goal of the season. Upper Montgomery now had a 4-3 lead over the top ranked Wildcats with 8:20 left in the game.

The goal sent the Lightning’s spectators into a frenzy. For a brief moment the Wildcats were stunned by Upper Montgomery’s three goal eruption over the first half of the third period. It took just 13 seconds for the Lightning’s bubble to burst. Birndorf collected a bouncing puck at the offensive blue line. He stickhandled around in the offensive zone before unleashing a left handed shot from the high slot. The puck went high stick side top shelf past Bernard. After the shot, Birndorf slashed a Lightning defender on his way to celebrate and drew a penalty putting the Lightning on the powerplay. However, the tying goal along with the effort put forth by the shorthanded Lightning roster to get back into the game seemed to drain all of the energy out of the team.

Upper Montgomery failed to mount much pressure while on the ensuing powerplay with disaster striking at the conclusion of the powerplay. Walter Johnson took the lead one second after Birndorf’s penalty expired. A bad turnover in the Lightning defensive zone led to the Wildcats regaining the lead. From the right wing side wall, a defensive pass toward the middle of the ice went off Horwell’s skate and directly to Chang high in the left circle. Chang’s wrist shot high stick side beat Bernard as he shuffled over to square up to the shot. Walter Johnson was back in front 5-4 with six minutes left in the game.

Energized after re-taking the lead, Walter Johnson picked up the pace and kept threatening. At the same time, it appeared that Upper Montgomery had just run out of steam with the short bench of available skaters. With five minutes remaining, Walter Johnson would increase the lead to 6-4. Murphy bumped the puck forward to Max Epstein at the blue line. Epstein and Liam Mannle broke in on a two on one rush. Epstein passed the puck across the crease. From the bottom of the left circle, Mannle shot high glove side past Bernard to provide the Wildcats with breathing room.

A minute later the competitive portion of the game would end as Epstein scored the final goal of the night. Liam Dorrien kept the puck in at the left point. He pushed the puck ahead to Mannle. Mannle sent the puck into the slot to Epstein. Epstein skated the puck around the net from left to right and came back out in front of the net. His shot beat Bernard short side seven hole between his body and blocker.

It was a valiant effort by the Lightning. They had pushed top ranked Walter Johnson to the limit. The Wildcats were lucky to escape with the season opening win. The game’s outcome will surely open the eyes of the other top programs in the county. The effort is one that Upper Montgomery can build off of for the rest of the season.

Game Notes:

• Upper Montgomery played without last season’s leading scorer, Chris Hassett who was out of town with his external travel team.
• Upper Montgomery was also missing Brandon Bernard, Ethan Hockey, and Josh Nadler against the Wildcats.
• Walter Johnson outshot Upper Montgomery 33-26 for the game, and 9-2 in the first period.
• Upper Montgomery’s penalty kill which was so good last season at 87.9%, was putrid allowing three powerplay goals in four chances.
• Upper Montgomery continues the brutally hard initial part of their schedule on Friday afternoon in a non-conference game against Urbana, the top team in Frederick County. Game time is 5:05 pm at Skate Frederick.

Three Stars of the Game:

First Star—Alex Chang—Walter Johnson Forward—2 Goals, 1 Assist
Second Star—Patrick Murphy—Walter Johnson Defense—1 Goal, 3 Assists
Third Star—Ryan Jacobson—Upper Montgomery Center–2 Goals

The Upper Montgomery Lightning did everything possible to complete against the Whitman Vikings in the quarterfinal round of the Montgomery Hockey Conference junior varsity playoffs. Playing without two key student athletes, center Josh Nadler and defender Sean Levine, both serving supplemental discipline suspensions for their actions in the team’s final regular season game against the Carroll County Bears, the young and inexperienced Upper Montgomery squad just did not have enough to keep up with Whitman. The Lightning’s tenacious effort and Landon Bernard’s goaltending kept the game very tight until Whitman pulled away late.

Nadler’s and Levine’s absences left two sizeable holes for the Lightning to try and fill. Centers Henry Honacki and Stephen Shkeda were forced to play every other shift. With Levine out, the team rotated four primary defenders. The game plan was to stifle the Vikings and keep the game close providing Upper Montgomery with a chance late to come away with the upset victory.

For the most part the Lightning followed the game plan outside of a breakdown four minutes into the first period. An Upper Montgomery attempt to clear the defensive zone was kept in at the left point. The puck was circled down low in the left wing corner. A scramble for the puck ensued and the Lightning had another opportunity to again clear the defensive zone. Ben Luo intercepted the puck and passed it over to Hugh Golub. The puck bounced past Golub who was well defended to Drew Kaplan. Kaplan, unguarded, let loose with a wrist shot from the bottom of the left circle that went past Lightning goaltender Landon Bernard who had no chance on the play. After the early Whitman strike, the game settled in. Whitman would press forward looking to increase their lead and Upper Montgomery chased all over the ice with a hustle and tenacity to do everything possible to prevent Whitman from widening the lead. Shots on goal in the first period were low, Whitman with four while Upper Montgomery managed three.

The second period saw Bernard steal the show. He made twelve saves, many of them on high danger chances, to keep the Lightning afloat and in the game. Upper Montgomery still trailed by just the one goal with under a minute remaining in the second period. Then, an unfortunate possession in the Upper Montgomery defensive zone would prove costly. A Lightning defender lost his stick battling in the left wing corner for the puck. Whitman forward Trevor Fay came away with the puck and skated along the goal line. He centered the puck to Ben Lammers cutting down the slot. Lammers used a one time push shot from four feet in front of Bernard to wedge the puck into the net and provide the Vikings with a little breathing room. Whitman had started to take control of the game in the second period finishing with a thirteen to two shots on goal advantage.

The Lightning kept battling and trying to find a way to solve Whitman sophomore netminder Ryan Graf. Facing a stiff Vikings defense and with the core forward group tiring, Upper Montgomery faced an uphill battle. With the Lightning pressing to find a way to generate offense, the Upper Montgomery defense began to take chances and push forward. On one such sequence, Kaplan caused a turnover and passed the puck to SheungChak Wu. Wu skated past the Lightning defense and beat Bernard to open up what would be an insurmountable three goal lead with five minutes remaining in the game. Thomas Rouxel finished the scoring with two and a half minutes to go in the game as Bernard was trying to get to the bench so the Lightning could add an extra skater in a last gasp attempt to spark an offensive threat. The Vikings had control of the game and outshot Upper Montgomery ten to two in the third period. With the victory Whitman advances to the semifinal round of the junior varsity playoffs.

Game Notes:

• Upper Montgomery was shut out for the first time this season.
• Whitman outshot Upper Montgomery 27-7 for the game.
• For the second consecutive game, Upper Montgomery did not have a single powerplay opportunity.
• Both Josh Nadler and Sean Levine missed the game while serving supplemental discipline suspensions for their actions in the final junior varsity regular season game versus the Carroll County Bears.

Three Stars of the Game:

First Star—Drew Kaplan—Whitman Forward—1 Goal, 1 Assist
Second Star—Landon Bernard—Upper Montgomery Goalie—23 Saves, .852 Save Percentage
Third Star—Trevor Fay—Whitman Forward–1 Assist