Author: chucklevine

Lightning Junior Varsity Wins 2021-2022 Montgomery Hockey Conference Championship.

chucklevine Leave a comment

The Upper Montgomery Lightning defeated top seeded and undefeated Richard Montgomery 2-1 at Laurel Ice Gardens in the Montgomery Hockey Conference junior varsity championship game. The win completes a stunning turnaround from last season when the Lightning finished dead last in the conference standings and were not very competitive. This year, the Upper Montgomery Lightning are CHAMPIONS!

Upper Montgomery was a heavy underdog coming into the game to Richard Montgomery even while finishing second in the regular season conference standings. The Rockets had blown through the regular season and their first two playoff games to arrive at the championship final with a 10-0 record and having outscored their opponents 53-12. It was clear from the beginning of the game that the Lightning would not be intimidated. The Lightning competed all over the ice and did not allow Richard Montgomery many good scoring opportunities. A rather uneventful first period ended with no score and low shot totals for both teams. The feel of the game was that the first goal would be critical to deciding the eventual champion.

As the game went along in the second period, Upper Montgomery continued to gain confidence. After a failed powerplay opportunity, Upper Montgomery would score first in what would be the monumental moment of the game. Lightning defender Geroge Benedick controlled the puck in the offensive zone. While skating left, he passed the puck deep into the left corner to Bradley Cupples. Adam Levine who had been covering for Benedick at the right point, broke down the center of the slot and received a nice pass in stride from Cupples. He shot low, stick side back across where Rockets’ netminder Ian Hutchinson has just moved across the goal crease. Levine’s shot slid just inside the left post giving Upper Montgomery the lead late in the second period.

With just over five minutes left in the game, the Lightning would receive a very important insurance goal. Stephen Shkeda kept the puck in the zone at the left point. He fired a wrist shot at the net. It appeared to be a harmless shot that Hutchinson was following all the way in. As the puck went past him in the faceoff circle, Joshua Miller stuck his stick out waist high and deflected the puck. The trajectory of the shot changed just enough that the puck floated over the catching glove of Hutchinson and into the top right corner of the net. Now up 2-0, Upper Montgomery faced a very nerve wracking five plus minutes of high drama.

Richard Montgomery turned up the pressure and was able to cut the lead to 2-1 with 3:22 left in the game. Tyler Senko found the puck loose in a pig pile in front of the crease and fired it past Landon Bernard (19 saves, .950 save percentage, one goal allowed). The final three minutes of the game were intense with Richard Montgomery pressing to score the tying goal. Upper Montgomery forwards and defenders were sliding all over the ice giving everything they had to get the puck across the blue line out of the defensive zone. Once at the red line with possession, pucks were dumped deep into the Rockets end of the ice. With 47 seconds left, Richard Montgomery pulled Hutchinson for an extra skater. Upper Montgomery continued to defend and prevented the Rockets from getting good looks at the net. One last clearing effort into the neutral zone as the clock reached zero coincided with the Lightning streaming off the bench. Sticks and gloves were thrown into the air as they swarmed around Bernard celebrating the first championship in Upper Montgomery history.

Wootton—Division Two Playoff—Quarterfinal Game Preview

chucklevine Leave a comment

The Upper Montgomery Lightning face off against division one foe Wootton on Friday evening in a quarterfinal game in the division two playoffs. Game time is 6:00 pm at Rockville Ice Arena. Upper Montgomery has never beaten Wootton but has a very good chance on Friday as Wootton is not nearly as formidable as they have been in past seasons. Expect a very close game as the Lightning try and advance to next week’s semi-final round against the winner of Blair versus Northwest, likely Blair.

Upper Montgomery will be looking to end a five game losing streak with each loss coming against a division one opponent or a higher caliber opponent in the case of the recent game against Washington County. All of the pressure is squarely on the Patriots who have never before played down in the division two playoff tournament. A loss to Upper Montgomery would render this season a total loss for the Patriots who are former three time state champions. The young Lightning should be able to play free and loose as all of the prognosticators are picking Wootton to easily win and advance to play Blair next week for a spot in the division two championship game. Wootton clearly boasts a more experienced lineup with 14 seniors, but something with the chemistry of the lineup has prevented the Patriots from excelling this season. The Patriots come into the game with a record of 4-8-2 after opening the season with three consecutive victories. Upper Montgomery enters the game with a record of 5-8-1.

The Lightning are expected to start Landon Bernard in net. Bernard is fresh off of leading the Upper Montgomery junior varsity to the Montgomery Hockey Conference championship. He has one career varsity win but has been playing the best hockey of his high school career. Wootton will start senior AA level travel netminder Julien Piche. Piche has a 4-3-1 record on the season and a 3.88 gaa. His play in net is much better than his individual statistics represent, and Upper Montgomery will need to work extremely hard create enough high quality scoring chances to beat Piche. Routine shots on goal will not be good enough.

On defense Upper Montgomery will need to be careful of Wootton’s speedy forwards. The Lightning defense can’t get caught flat footed or pinching in at the blue line. Wootton’s forwards are too fast and will skate around the defense into odd numbered rushes up ice. The defense will have to quickly pass the puck up to the forwards for quick zone exits with little individual stick handling or skating with the puck. The forwards will have to work hard and play complementary defense coming back into the defensive zone to help negate the Patriots’ scoring chances. If Upper Montgomery can muck up the game and smother the Patriots, it will even the age gap and talent difference. The Patriots have three main scoring threats; Nathan Barrow, a student athlete who plays AAA level travel hockey, (10 GP, 10 goals and 6 assists), Conor Harris, a student athlete who plays AA level travel hockey (13 GP, 10 goals, 6 assists), and IIhom Abdulaev, a student athlete who plays AA level travel hockey, (9 GP, 2 goals, 6 assists). Senior James Botti will be looking to extend his career with the Lightning and experienced defenders George Benedick and Ethan Hockey and 9th grade defender Andrew Botti will all see a lot of ice time. In a precursor of what might be next season, Stephen Shkeda will also play back on defense against Wootton.

In four of the last five games the Lightning’s offense has been non-existent, scoring a total of ten total goals in those five games. Breaking the scoring drought will be an even bigger task on Friday night as Upper Montgomery will be playing without high scoring forward Ryan Jacobson who will miss the game. The hope is that the Lightning are able to get a few more past Piche by pressuring the Patriots into turnovers or beating the back checking forwards up ice creating odd numbered rush situations. The top line will be Chris Hassett (14 GP, 15 goals, 16 assists), Nathan Cassel (11 GP, 11 goals, 6 assists), with maybe James Botti (12 GP, 4 goals, 10 assists) skating some shifts at forward…. The second line will feature Bradley Cupples (14 GP, 1 goal, 11 assists), centering Hunter Cameron (14 GP, 5 goals, 7 assists), and Olivia Robbins (10 GP, 1 goal, 3 assists). On the third line, expect Brandon Bernard to center Josh Nadler and a rotation of depth forwards. Depending upon the flow of the game, it is likely that the first and second lines may get double shifted with a few shifts picked up by other forwards.

An Upper Montgomery win versus Wootton would be a signature victory for the Lightning program. It would be a major upset and a breakthrough statement to all programs in the Montgomery Hockey Conference. Good things are on the horizon for the program. The Lightning hope to continue to play smothering defense on Friday night in an effort that would move the team into the semi-finals of the division two championship tournament and another game next Friday night at Cabin John Ice Rink.

Junior Varsity Richard Montgomery Championship Game Preview

chucklevine Leave a comment

The Upper Montgomery Lightning junior varsity will be playing for the Montgomery Hockey Conference (MHC) championship on Thursday afternoon versus the undefeated and heavily favored Richard Montgomery Rockets. Game time is 4:15 pm at the Laurel Ice Gardens. The championship will be a rematch of a game from early November won by the Rockets 5-2, in a game that was closer than the final score would indicate.

Richard Montgomery has had an incredible season. Undefeated at 10-0 and outscoring opponents by a margin of 53-12, the Rockets appear to be unstoppable. However, lately during the playoffs, their games have become tighter. The Rockets will start junior netminder Ian Hutchinson in goal. Hutchinson gave up two goals in four regular season games playing to a paltry 0.83 gaa and a .952 save percentage. In the playoffs, he gave up two goals to Quince Orchard/Sherwood before shutting out Whitman. He has been a stalwart in net all season.

The Rockets will dress seven skaters who also play regular minutes for the Richard Montgomery varsity squad. The Rockets will dress four seniors, six juniors, and five sophomores. Led on offense by Nicholas Saffell (9 GP, 8 G, 4 A), Tyler Senko (8 GP, 5 G, 8 A), and Jaxson Hartle (8 GP, 5 G, 6 A) the Rockets led the MHC in goals with their 53 tallies. On defense, the Rockets have no shortage of talent in Noe Masurel (8 GP, 8 G, 1 A) and John Yang (7 GP, 5 G, 2 A). Jack Evans was second on the team with seven assists in seven games. Upper Montgomery is going to have to figure out a way to slow down this juggernaut.

The Lightning are coming into the championship game on a five game winning streak and have not lost since prior to the winter holiday when they lost to Wootton 1-0. It was a game in which Wootton played an ineligible varsity goalie. Key to the Lightning’s recent run has been a complete team defensive effort that has given up only seven goals in those five games. Landon Bernard has played very well in net of late. He has a Maryland Student Hockey League leading seven wins this season. He comes into the game with a 2.81 gaa and an .875 save percentage. He will need to play outstanding once again and outduel Hutchinson for the Lightning to have a chance at the upset victory.

On defense, the Lightning will have experience to go along with youth. George Benedick, Ethan Hockey, Andrew Gean, and Stephen Shkeda will join regulars Cole Howerton and Patrick Sell on the blueline. The defense should be able to skate with the Rockets and should have no issues keeping up with the pace of play. The pairings will likely be Benedick with Sell, Hockey with Howerton, and Gean with Shkeda. In the semi-final game versus Rockville, Sell set an Upper Montgomery program record with four assists and tied the junior varsity program record with four points.

On offense the Lightning will likely start the game with the same line combinations as yesterday. Expect the coaching staff to shorten the bench late in the game as the score dictates. Brandon Bernard (12 GP, 6 G, 9A) will center Adam Levine and Henry Honacki. Bradley Cupples (9 GP, 6 G, 5 A) will center James Hyman (13 GP, 3 G, 3 A), and Joshua Miller (13 GP, 7 G, 4 A). Josh Nadler (11 GP, 5 G, 2 A) will center Adarsh Nair and Lucas Eyman/TJ Gottesman. All three lines scored yesterday, with the first and second line putting multiple goals behind Rockville/Blair goalie Sean Connelly. It may be an unlikely source from the forward group that provides the depth scoring that the team has needed all season.

The keys to the game may turn out to be special teams play. On the penalty kill the Lightning have excelled all season killing off 41 of 46 opponents’ powerplay opportunities, good for an 89.1% kill rate. The team has also scored five shorthanded goals matching the number of powerplay goals given up. As good as the penalty kill has been, the powerplay has been absolutely downright terrible. Upper Montgomery has converted just 3 of 42 powerplay opportunities for a 7.1% success rate. The team has given up four shorthanded goals this season, so they are a net minus one while playing with an additional skater.

Tomorrow’s game should be an exciting nail bitter. The Rockets will be looking to cap off an undefeated season with a championship. Upper Montgomery will be looking accomplish a first; going from last place in the league standings last season during its inaugural campaign to league champions in just its second season. The longer the game stays tight, the more confidence the Lightning will have. Getting the first goal will be ultra critical in what will likely be a low scoring and dramatic contest. Tune in tomorrow afternoon where a champion will be crowned.

Lightning Junior Varsity Advances to Championship Game with Dominating Win Over Rockville/Blair

chucklevine Leave a comment

The Upper Montgomery Lightning junior varsity advanced to the Montgomery Hockey Conference junior varsity championship game with a dominating 6-2 win over Rockville/Blair on Wednesday. The Lightning will play undefeated and highly favored Richard Montgomery tomorrow afternoon at Laurel Ice Gardens. Game time is early at 4:15 pm.

After falling behind early on a fluky goal, the Lightning roared back with a complete team effort. Six different student athletes scored goals and only three student athletes had more than one point; Joshua Miller with one goal and two assists, Adam Levine with one goal and one assist, and Patrick Sell setting an Upper Montgomery program record with four assists.

Levine started the onslaught with a wrist shot from the lower portion of the left wing faceoff circle. Three minutes later James Hyman tapped in a rebound that snuck behind Rockville/Blair netminder Sean Connelly. Just before the end of the period Brandon Bernard followed with a wrist shot from the top of the slot that beat Connelly high stick side. With the majority of play in the offensive zone, at the end of the first period the Lightning had a 3-1 advantage and were outshooting Rockville/Blair 10-2.

Upper Montgomery extended the lead to 4-1 early in the second period when Bradley Cupples knocked in a rebound off of a Joshua Miller semi-breakaway. For the rest of the second period, the Lightning played responsible defensive hockey. Landon Bernard did not face many high quality scoring chances throughout the entire game.

After an early Rockville/Blair goal to start the third period, the Lightning caught a break as Patrick Sell’s wrist shot from the point hit TJ Gottesman in the back. Somehow, the puck tricked over Gottesman’s shoulder and into the net to provide Upper Montgomery some breathing room with nine minutes left in the game. A late goal by Joshua Miller provided the final margin of victory in a game that showcased how well the junior varsity progressed from the beginning of the season. Tomorrow, the biggest challenge awaits the team in the championship game, finding a way to conquer the Richard Montgomery Rockets who have outscored their opponents 53-12 on the season on the way to their 10-0 undefeated record.

Junior Varsity Rockville/Blair Semi-Final Round Playoff Game Preview

chucklevine Leave a comment

After a thrilling shootout victory over the Northwest Jaguars in the quarterfinal round of the junior varsity playoffs, the Upper Montgomery Lightning will host third seeded Rockville/Blair on Wednesday evening at Laurel Ice Gardens. By virtue of its 6-2 victory over Rockville/Blair in mid-January, Upper Montgomery won the tie-break over Rockville/Blair and finished the regular season in second place in the conference standings. The win also determined which team would be the home team if they met in the playoffs. As the home team, the Lightning will have last line change and will be able to create the matchups that the coaching staff believes will give the team an advantage.

Upper Montgomery has been playing its best hockey of the season since the start of January. The team won its last three games of the regular season with convincing victories over Rockville, Northwest, and Churchill. The Lightning then again prevailed over Northwest in a gritty and hard fought defensive smothering in last week’s 2-1 shootout victory in the quarterfinals. Upper Montgomery finished the regular season with a 5-3 conference record and now has a 6-4-2 overall record. The team is guaranteed a final record over .500 when the season concludes, a sharp turnaround from last season’s 1-6-1 record in its first year of existence. But, beware, the talent level in junior varsity is very close and winning games often comes down to which team executes and plays better in that particular game. Wednesday’s semi-final game against Rockville/Blair will be no different.

In net for the Lightning will be Landon Bernard who is in the middle of a stretch where he is playing the best hockey of his high school career. Bernard has a 2.88 goals against average and an .876 save percentage. His individual statistics would be even better if the game versus Landon School was not included. Landon School’s junior varsity team is equivalent to a varsity team.

On defense the Lightning will have a full complement of defenders. George Benedick, Ethan Hockey, and Andrew Gean will play down from varsity to provide experience and to be a stabilizing influence for the Lightning’s two young junior varsity defenders, Patrick Sell and Cole Howerton. The defense will need to shut down the high flying Rockville/Blair offense. In Rockville/Blair’s playoff victory over Walter Johnson, the team was led by Brendyn Iliff with two goals and an assist and George Marcolin with two goals. Over the course of the regular season, Chance Hostletter scored five goals and both Ari Gardner and JJ St. Aubin scored three times in limited action. In net for Rockville/Blair will be Sean Connelly. Connelly stopped 29 of 32 shots he faced against Walter Johnson to grab the playoff win. Goaltending could be an area that determines which team wins this game, and with Landon Bernard playing so well Upper Montgomery would seem to have the advantage between the pipes.

The Lightning’s offense ticked up as the regular season went on. With 20 goals over its last four games, the team finally began getting more balanced scoring to take the pressure off the defense and Landon Bernard. Brandon Bernard leads the team in scoring (11 GP, 5 G, 9 A). Bradley Cupples, coming off several strong games in a row, is next with (8 GP, 5 G, 5 A). Joshua Miller leads the team with six goals in 11 games including several outstanding solo breakaway goals. Josh Nadler has chipped in with five goals in his first high school season. The Upper Montgomery powerplay was downright awful during the regular season (2 for 35, 5.7%), but did score late versus the Jaguars to get the game into overtime before eventually winning the shootout. The penalty kill was excellent this season (39 of 43, 90.7%), but failed in its one shorthanded opportunity versus Northwest. Lately though, the Lightning have owned puck possession during their opponents’ powerplays.

Upper Montgomery is looking to advance to the junior varsity championship game for the first time in program history. The Lightning will need every student athlete to play their best and contribute to a complete team victory. Controlling play throughout the game by pressuring the Rockville/Blair defense into turnovers and special teams play will be the two primary keys to victory. The chase for a championship continues and let’s hope Wednesday evening brings the Lightning one step closer.

Breaking News: Lightning Junior Varsity Wins First Ever Playoff Game in Thrilling Shootout!

chucklevine Leave a comment

The Upper Montgomery Lightning won its first ever junior varsity playoff game late Friday night with a come from behind 2-1 shootout victory over the Northwest Jaguars at Cabin John Ice Rink. With the win, Upper Montgomery advances to the junior varsity semi-final round hosting Rockville/Blair on Wednesday evening at 6:40 pm at Laurel Ice Gardens.

In a gritty and tightly contested game, Upper Montgomery defended all over the ice and limited the Jaguars to just nine shots on goal through regulation and overtime. The Lightning defended well on Jaguars leading scorer Brady Graham holding him to a single assist. Graham had entered the game scoring 11 goals in six junior varsity games and his 11 goals led the Montgomery Hockey Conference by a wide margin.

With less than five minutes to go in the game, Upper Montgomery scored a powerplay goal draw even at 1-1. Josh Nadler collected a shot by George Benedick that was wide of the net and scored on a wrap around attempt that banked in off the skate of Jaguars’ goalie Joseph Dean with traffic out in front.

After a wild, but scoreless five minute overtime period played three on three, Upper Montgomery excelled in the shootout. Joshua Miller, Bradley Cupples, Josh Nadler, and Brandon Bernard all scored for the Lightning. Landon Bernard was huge in net stopping the breakaway attempts of Graham and Benjamin Linteris to secure the victory.

The remaining teams alive in the junior varsity playoffs are:

Whitman (5) versus Richard Montgomery (1)

Rockville/Blair (3) versus Upper Montgomery (2)

Lightning Strike Blog—January 2022

chucklevine Leave a comment

We’ve reached the end of the 2021-2022 high school hockey regular season. For the Upper Montgomery Lightning, the young team is trending upward and there is much to be excited about over the next couple of seasons. The young Lightning squad was much more competitive this season while playing against a higher level of competition. After three straight one goal defeats to begin the season, and then a tie, the team turned its season around by winning five straight games in the middle of the season. Included in this stretch was a hard fought, signature win over the Whitman Vikings. Although encountering a rough patch at the end of the season, the team was competitive against more experienced teams from the top division of the Montgomery Hockey Conference (MHC). For the first time ever in program history, the Lightning qualified for the MHC division one playoffs. A first round game versus the favored and veteran Richard Montgomery Rockets is upcoming next Friday night.

In the upcoming division one playoffs and then likely in the division two playoff tournament, the team will need to improve in several areas; defensive structure, powerplay efficiency, depth scoring, and team based play. Additionally, relying on the top line of Chris Hasset, Ryan Jacobson, and Nathan Cassel to carry the offensive load will not be enough. If the team begins to struggle offensively, expect the coaching staff to quickly change up the lines to try and jump start the offense.

Congratulations go out to the Churchill Bulldogs (Varsity) and the Richard Montgomery Rockets (Junior Varsity) for winning the 2021-2022 Montgomery Hockey Conference regular season championships. Although both squads will be favored in the upcoming playoffs, there are sure to be some surprises in both post season tournaments.

The Lightning offense was led all year by the first line of Chris Hassett (13 GP, 14 goals, 15 assists), Ryan Jacobson (10 GP, 7 goals, 9 assists), and Nathan Cassel (10 GP, 11 goals, 6 assists). Hassett finished 13th in the Maryland State Hockey League statistics in scoring with his 29 points. All three student athletes are in 9th or 10th grade. The future is very bright for this trio. The second line started to find its scoring touch later on in the season. Hunter Cameron (13 GP, 5 goals, 7 assists), Bradley Cupples (13 GP, 1 goal, 12 assists), and Olivia Robbins (9 GP, 1 goal, 3 assists) began to chip in and take some of the pressure off the top line. Against the top tier division one teams, the Lightning found it more difficult to find the back of the net. It was difficult for the third line to achieve chemistry with different line combinations dressed throughout the season.

On defense, James Botti led the group offensively with (11 GP, 4 goals, 9 assists). All four of James’ goals came in the same game versus Wilson. While other defenders chipped in with points, it was the Lightning’s defensive abilities that stood out. Through 2/3rds of the season, the Lightning had given up the fewest goals in the MHC. One of the primary reasons why was the Upper Montgomery penalty kill which was excellent during the regular season, killing off 44 of the 48 opponents’ powerplays, 91.7%. Along with James Botti, George Benedick, Ethan Hockey, Andrew Gean, and Andrew Botti worked hard in the defensive zone to limit the opposition from getting many high danger scoring opportunities. The team found an identity when they clogged up the ice and mucked up the game making it difficult for teams to get many good looks at the net.

In goal, Will Mellen led the way. Mellen led all goalies in the Montgomery Hockey Conference who played in at least half their team’s games with a 2.36 goals against average and a .900 save percentage. He also shared the MHC lead with two shutouts. Landon Bernard saw more extensive varsity action this season picking up his first career high school varsity win in the game against the West Virginia Vipers. He also played extremely well in the road game versus highly ranked Washington County. If the strong goaltending keeps up, the Lightning will be in every game this post season and will have a chance to create some noise with an upset or two in the varsity playoffs and a long run in the junior varsity playoffs.

The Upper Montgomery junior varsity squad recovered nicely from an inconsistent start of the season to finish second in the regular season standings behind Richard Montgomery. The team finished with a 5-3 conference record and a 5-4-2 record overall on the season. Over the final three games of the regular season, the team jelled and played excellent hockey, giving up only four goals against while scoring 15 goals in dominating wins against Rockville, Northwest, and Churchill. The coaching staff’s message of relentless effort and consistency sunk in mid-way through the season and the team responded. The junior varsity team was vastly improved over last season’s team which finished last in the conference with a record of 1-6-1 while being soundly outplayed in many of the games. Not so this season, and it is a testament to the student athletes who came together as a team and found ways to win games. Several late goals against and an atrocious powerplay prevented the team from having an even better season as both non-conference ties and one of the conference losses really should have been wins.

In goal, Landon Bernard started each game. He played well finishing the season with a 3.08 goals against average and an .876 save percentage. However, those individual statistics are misleading and skewed by the game that the junior varsity played against Landon School. The local private school teams are a step up in competition and are similar to playing against a varsity team in the Montgomery Hockey Conference. Omitting that game, Bernard’s individual statistics would be a very stout 2.57 goals against average and an .892 save percentage.

On defense, both Cole Howerton and Patrick Sell improved as the season went along. As 9th grade defenders they frequently played against forwards two grades more experienced. Several varsity student athletes dropped down to help out on defense and provide a calming influence. Andrew Gean, George Benedick, Stephen Shkeda, and Bradley Cupples played several games on the back line for the junior varsity providing much needed leadership and guidance.

Offensively, the team was led by four student athletes; Brandon Bernard led the team in scoring (10 GP, 5 G, 9 A). Bradley Cupples was next with (7 GP, 5 G, 4 A). Joshua Miller led the team with six goals in 11 games including several outstanding solo breakaway goals. Josh Nadler chipped in and scored four goals in his first high school season. The Upper Montgomery powerplay was downright awful during the regular season (2 for 35, 5.7%) and with just an average level of performance would have added goals and wins for the program. A bright spot was the penalty kill. The Upper Montgomery junior varsity penalty kill was excellent this season (39 of 43, 90.7%) and lately the Lightning have owned puck possession during their opponents’ powerplays.

The next few weeks will be fun. A varsity division one playoff game followed by a division two playoff tournament. For the junior varsity defending turf and looking to play deep into the junior varsity playoff tournament. Go Lightning!

Junior Varsity Quarterfinal Playoff Round Game Preview

chucklevine Leave a comment

The Upper Montgomery junior varsity will host its first ever junior varsity home playoff game on Friday night at Cabin John Ice Rink. Game time is approximately 9:15pm, directly after the conclusion of the Walter Johnson versus Rockville game. The Lightning concluded the regular season in second place in the conference standings finishing behind Richard Montgomery. It is quite an impressive turnaround from last season’s last place finish and early play in game playoff exit.

The Lightning have been playing their best hockey of the season since the start of January and at just the right time. Coming off of three straight convincing victories over Rockville, Northwest, and Churchill, Upper Montgomery is hoping for a long playoff run. Friday’s game will be against the winner of Northwest and Churchill, a game that will be played Thursday afternoon. The team finished the regular season with a 5-3 conference record and a 5-4-2 overall record. Although Upper Montgomery will be favored in Friday night’s game, the talent level in junior varsity is very close and winning games often comes down to which team executes and plays better in that particular game.

In net for the Lightning will be Landon Bernard who is in the middle of a stretch where he is playing the best hockey of his high school career. Bernard finished the regular season with a very respectable 3.08 goals against average and an .876 save percentage. His individual statistics would be even better if the game versus Landon School was not included. Landon School’s junior varsity team is equivalent to a varsity team.

On defense the Lightning will have a full complement of defenders. George Benedick, Andrew Gean, and Stephen Shkeda will play down from varsity to provide experience and to be a stabilizing influence for the Lightning’s two young junior varsity defenders, Patrick Sell and Cole Howerton. The defense will need to shut down Brady Graham if Northwest is the Lightning’s opponent. Graham led the Montgomery Hockey Conference junior varsity in goals with 11 in six games. His 11 goals were 40.7% (27 goals) of the Jaguars offensive production. If the opponent is Churchill, a team Upper Montgomery beat this past week 6-1, the Bulldogs struggle offensively and scored only 10 goals in eight regular season games. Upper Montgomery gave up only one goal each to both Northwest and Churchill, however, Northwest played without Graham in the lineup and his presence on the ice will dramatically change the game.

The Lightning’s offense ticked up as the regular season went on. With 20 goals over its last four games, the team finally began getting more balanced scoring to take the pressure off the defense and Landon Bernard. Brandon Bernard led the team in scoring (10 GP, 5 G, 9 A). Bradley Cupples, coming off two strong games in a row, was next with (7 GP, 5 G, 4 A). Joshua Miller led the team with six goals in 11 games including several outstanding solo breakaway goals. Josh Nadler chipped in and scored four goals in his first high school season. The Upper Montgomery powerplay was downright awful during the regular season (2 for 35, 5.7%) and cost the team in several close losses. The penalty kill was excellent this season (39 of 43, 90.7%) and lately the Lightning have owned puck possession during their opponents’ powerplays.

The Lightning will need every student athlete to play their best and contribute to a complete team victory. Controlling play throughout the game by pressuring the opponent into turnovers and special teams play will be the two primary keys to victory. Upper Montgomery is primed for a deep run in the junior varsity playoffs but will need to play up to its abilities in every game. The chase for a championship is on and let’s hope Friday night is step one with the team advancing to next week’s semifinal round.

Richard Montgomery—Division One Playoff—Round One Game Preview

chucklevine Leave a comment

The Upper Montgomery Lightning will play their first ever Montgomery Hockey Conference Division One playoff game against Richard Montgomery on Friday night. Game time is 9:20 pm at Rockville Ice Arena. With an overflow crowd expected, it should supercharge the arena and provide an electric atmosphere. Maybe that will be good news for the Lightning who will be looking to end a four game losing streak, which started at the hands of the Rockets last month. Richard Montgomery prevailed 4-1 in mid-January in a game that was tied 1-1 late into the second period.

All of the pressure is squarely on the Rockets who lost in the state championship final game last season. The young Lightning should be able to play free and loose as all of the prognosticators are picking the Rockets to win and advance to play Walter Johnson next week for a spot in the state championship playoff tournament. While Richard Montgomery boasts a more experienced lineup, the Rockets have had an up and down season and at times have given up goals in bunches; nine against Quince Orchard, seven against Blair, six against Churchill, and five each in games against, Wootton, St. Johns, BCC, and Walter Johnson.

The Lightning are expected to start Will Mellen in goal. Mellen made 40 saves in his first start against Richard Montgomery in January, with 19 saves coming in the third period as Upper Montgomery pushed up ice to try and claw back into the game. His season goals against average is 2.36, and his save percentage is exactly .900. He will need to play very well in this game for Upper Montgomery to have a chance for an upset. Mellen certainly has it in him to singlehandedly frustrate the opponent. The longer Upper Montgomery is able to keep Richard Montgomery off the scoreboard, the more pressure the Rockets will face. It is anticipated that Henry Darko will again get the start in net for the Rockets. He has been Richard Montgomery’s main goalie this season and was sharp against the Lightning giving up only one goal on 20 shots, stopping both Chris Hasset and Hunter Cameron on breakaway opportunities.

On defense Upper Montgomery can’t get caught pinching at the blue line and get skated around into odd numbered rushes up ice. The defense will have to quickly pass the puck up to the forwards for quick zone exits. The forwards will have to work hard and play complementary defense coming back into the defensive zone to help negate the Rockets scoring chances. If Upper Montgomery can muck up the game and smother the Rockets, it will even the age and talent difference. The Rockets have five high scoring student athletes; Dylan Goetz a high scoring forward (11 GP, 11 goals and 11 assists), defender Luke Gutmann who plays externally at the 18U AA travel level (8 GP, 15 goals and 5 assists), forward Daniel Martella who also plays externally at the 18U AA travel level (10 GP, 9 goals and 8 assists), defender Mitchell Bobys, (18U AA travel) who has (11 GP, 7 goals and 7 assists), and Zac Bulson (18U AA travel) who has played well in limited action (6 GP, 3 goals and 4 assists).

This time around, the Lightning will have high scoring defender James Botti and forward Nathan Cassel available for the game. Both student athletes missed the tilt in January as they were out of town with their external travel teams. Expect the Lightning defense to play physical against the Rockets and with a full complement of defenders, the coaching staff may shorten the bench and go with the defenders who are playing well in front of Mellen. Although the Upper Montgomery penalty kill has been excellent on the season, (44 of 48, 91.7%), giving the Rockets more than a few powerplay chances would not be the recipe for the Lightning to come out on top.

In three of the last four games, the Lightning’s offense has been non-existent. With the forward lines back together, the hope is that the Lightning are able to get a few more past Darko by pressuring the Rockets into turnovers. The top line will be Chris Hassett (13 GP, 14 goals, 15 assists), Ryan Jacobson (10 GP, 7 goals, 9 assists), and Nathan Cassel (10 GP, 11 goals, 6 assists). The second line will feature Bradley Cupples (13 GP, 1 goal, 11 assists), Hunter Cameron (13 GP, 5 goals, 7 assists), and Olivia Robbins (9 GP, 1 goal, 3 assists). If behind in the game, don’t be surprised to see James Botti elevated from his defensive position to play shifts at forward. On the third line, expect Brandon Bernard to center Stephen Shkeda and Josh Nadler. Depending upon the flow of the game, it is also possible that the first and second lines may get double shifted with a few shifts picked up by other forwards.

An Upper Montgomery win versus Richard Montgomery would be a signature victory for the Lightning program. It would be a major upset and a breakthrough statement to all programs in the Montgomery Hockey Conference. The Lightning hope to continue to play smothering defense on Friday night. A win would move the team one step away from a first ever state championship tournament appearance. Even with a loss the Lightning’s season will not be over. The Montgomery Hockey Conference division two playoff tournament kicks off on Friday, February 18th. We hope to see you on Friday evening rocking the green and gold and cheering on the Lightning.

Upper Montgomery Qualifies for Division One Playoffs for First Time in Program History

chucklevine Leave a comment

The Upper Montgomery Lightning have qualified for the Montgomery Hockey Conference division one playoff tournament for the first time in program history. The Lightning received the 10th seed and will play at 7th seed Richard Montgomery on Friday night at Rockville Ice Arena. Game time is 9:20 pm. The playoff game between Upper Montgomery and Richard Montgomery will be a rematch of a game played last month, won by Richard Montgomery 4-1. The game was tied 1-1 late in the second period and was much closer than the final score indicates. Upper Montgomery played the first game against Richard Montgomery without senior defender James Botti and 9th grade forward Nathan Cassel. Upper Montgomery generated many scoring changes without two of its top four offensive weapons but could not put the puck behind Rockets netminder Henry Darko.

The full playoff bracket is below:

Montgomery Hockey Conference Division One Varsity Playoffs—-Round 1

All games will be played on Friday, February 11.

Whitman (9) at Wootton (8)—8:15pm—Cabin John—Winner plays at (1) Churchill on Friday, February 11th.—Whitman wins 2-0.

Sherwood (12) at Blair (5)—8:45pm—Rockville Rink 3—Winner plays at (4) Quince Orchard on Friday, February 11th.—Blair wins 5-4 (shootout 4-3).

Rockville (11) at St. Johns (6)—9:00pm–Rockville Rink 1–Winner plays at (3) BCC on Friday, February 11th.—St. Johns wins 2-1 (shootout 3-0)

Upper Montgomery (10) at Richard Montgomery (7)—9:20pm Rockville Rink 2—Winner plays at (2) Walter Johnson on Friday, February 11th.—Richard Montgomery wins 4-2.

Montgomery Hockey Conference Division One Varsity Playoffs—-Winner Advances to State Playoffs

All games will be played on Friday, February 18.

Whitman (9) at Churchill (1)

Blair (5) at Quince Orchard (4)

St. Johns (6) at BCC (3)

Richard Montgomery (7) at Walter Johnson (2)