Author: chucklevine

Junior Varsity Title Defense Begins with Road Win Shutout

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The Upper Montgomery Lightning began defense of their junior varsity championship with a shutout victory over the DC Stars. The game was played at historic Fort Dupont Ice Arena in downtown Washington, DC. Playing without several key student athletes, Upper Montgomery controlled play throughout the game and clamped down in the third period to help Landon Bernard notch his first career high school shutout in the victory. Five Lightning student athletes made their team debuts in the win.

The first period started off slowly. Both teams were feeling their way through the period. While the Stars had played one game earlier in the season, a tie versus Rockville/Magruder, it was the season opener for Upper Montgomery. For the Lightning the slow start could be chalked up to a combination of continuously changing offensive lines and taking quick shifts to stay fresh throughout the game. Just over halfway through the period, Upper Montgomery would strike first.

Henry Honacki collected the puck in the neutral zone and backhanded the puck off the side boards to TJ Gottesman standing near the offensive blue line. Gottesman made an aggressive move with the puck into the middle of the ice at the Stars blue line. Just as he moved inside the blue line, the Stars defense took the body on Gottesman and the puck flittered away into the high slot. Patrick Sell had moved up from his left defense position to join the rush. Sell got to the loose puck first and quickly fired a wrist shot that went mid-height glove side on Stars starting netminder Gabriel Sokol. For Sell it was his first career high school tally.

Playing with the lead for the second half of the first period, the Lightning stifled the neutral zone creating many turnovers which negated much of the DC Stars offensive game. Shots on goal in the first period were Upper Montgomery seven and the DC Stars four.

The second period was far more entertaining and far more offensive. Upper Montgomery fired eleven shots on goal and the DC Stars had ten shots on Bernard, including a few sequences in tight where Bernard also made saves on the rebound chances. Henry Honacki had multiple breakaway chances and just could not get a puck to go past Sokol. With five minutes to go in the middle period, the Lightning would stretch the lead to 2-0.

After a defensive zone faceoff to the left of Bernard, the puck squirted over to the bottom of the right circle in the Lightning defensive zone. Jake Roth cleared the puck up ice forcefully and apparently close enough to the Stars defense that icing was immediately waived off. Stephen Shkeda and Adam Levine outraced the Stars defense back to the puck which was now sitting below the goal line to the right of Stars backup netminder Anton Tracy. Shkeda collected the puck and swung around the net going left to right while Levine when to the top of the crease and stopped. Shkeda maneuvered around the backtracking Stars defense and centered the puck to Levine. Levine wasted no time and fired a low wrist shot between Tracy’s leg pad and the near post. Going back to last season, it was the third straight junior varsity game in which Levine has scored.

The third period was controlled by the Lightning. The Stars struggled to gain possession of the puck and generate any offense. The Lightning had several chances to extend the lead but couldn’t find the back of the net. Most of the third period was played in the Stars defensive zone or in the neutral zone. The Stars generated just one shot on goal in the third period as they tried to claw back into the game. However, the Lightning’s collective team defensive effort and intensity prevented the home team from mounting any sort of a comeback. A good win to start the season and a well deserved victory for the effort that the Lightning junior varsity put forth.

Game Notes:

  • The Lightning outshot the Stars 30-15 for the game.
  • Landon Bernard posted his first career high school shutout.
  • Patrick Sell scored his first carrier high school goal.
  • The Lightning penalty kill was a perfect three for three in the game.
  • The Lightning held the Stars to one shot on goal in the third period.
  • The Lightning junior varsity next return to action on Monday, November 7 at 3:00 pm against Glenelg at Columbia Ice Rink.

Three Stars of the Game:

First Star—Henry Honacki—Upper Montgomery Center—1 Assist
Second Star—Stephen Shkeda—Upper Montgomery Center—1 Assist
Third Star—Landon Bernard—Upper Montgomery Goalie–15 Save Shutout Victory

Urbana Game Preview

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The Upper Montgomery Lightning return to game action on Friday evening October 28th for a non-league contest versus the Urbana Hawks. Game time is 5:05 pm at Skate Frederick. For Urbana, the game is their season opener. For Upper Montgomery, the game will be an opportunity to see live game action before Monday’s highly anticipated MHC league game against a top ranked BCC squad.

Once again this week the Lightning will be shorthanded. As with last week’s game against Walter Johnson, several of the Upper Montgomery varsity student athletes will miss the Urbana game for various reasons. The Lightning’s depth will be tested against the Hawks, one of the top teams in the Monocacy Valley Hockey Conference.

Landon Bernard will be looking to continue his strong play from this week’s junior varsity game in which he posted a 15-save shutout, his first career high school shutout. It was also Bernard’s seventh straight win at the junior varsity level going back to last year. Bernard is looking to consistently win at the varsity level.

On defense, expect Andrew Botti to log significant minutes against Urbana and could play over half the game. He will be joined by senior defender Ethan Hockey who will be making his season debut. Expect Hockey to also receive significant playing time. Andrew Gean and Owen Robbins will be paired with either Botti or Hockey for most of the game. Both Gean and Robbins will have to play a steady defensive game with quick puck movement and defensive zone break out passes to contend with the Hawks talented forward group. Cole Howerton will dress for the game to provide depth on defense. Howerton is coming off of a strong performance in the junior varsity game mid-week where he rushed the puck up ice very well.

On offense, the Lightning will see the return of last year’s leading scorer center Chris Hassett who missed last week’s game while out-of-town with his external travel team. Hassett, paired with Ryan Jacobson (two goals versus Walter Johnson) down the middle, gives Upper Montgomery a great one-two punch at center. On the wing, there will be a carousel of forwards paired with Hassett and Jacobson. Olivia Robbins and Philip Shkeda will likely play every other shift. Stephen Shkeda, Henry Honacki, and Adam Levine will also see significant time against Urbana. Both Honacki and Levine played well in the junior varsity game with Honacki having multiple grade A scoring chances and Levine scoring.

Senior Ethan Truszkowski is likely to get the season opening start in net for the Hawks. Truszkowski was 3-1 last season with a 3.00 gaa and an .897 save percentage backing up last season’s primary starter Joseph Zibrogas. Truszkowski is a big, tall netminder who covers a lot of the net. The Lightning will need to make him move side to side in the crease and take away his vision to be successful Friday night.

On defense, the Hawks look to be stacked this season. Seamus McGee, a junior AA level travel student athlete will be providing guidance and leadership to a young, but super talented defensive corps. Robert Radtke, a 9th grade AAA level defender, and Hayden Grapes a sophomore AAA level defender, will be joined by Tommy Alexander. The Lightning will need to take advantage of the highly skilled but young Hawks defense.

On offense, Urbana should be able to stack up with the top teams in the MHC including Upper Montgomery. Juniors Max Dabruzzo (4 goals, 10 assists), Cody Keegan (AA level travel forward) (8 goals, 4 assists), Nathaniel Browning-Elam (8 goals, 3 assists) and Liam Grapes (AA level travel forward), and senior Gavin McKay (5 goals, 4 assists), all return to provide Urbana with a high powered offensive attack.

The Lightning are going to need to play a spirited and smart game to counter the Hawks talent and come out on top. Playing top teams across the MSHL is a strategic decision by the Upper Montgomery program to aid in the development of the student athletes and to prepare them for the end of season playoff tournaments.

DC Stars Junior Varsity Game Preview

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The Upper Montgomery Lightning junior varsity kicks off the defense of their Montgomery Hockey Conference (MHC) Junior Varsity Championship on Wednesday night against the DC Stars. Game time is 7:30 pm at historic Fort Dupont Ice Arena in downtown Washington, DC.

With the departure of last season’s leading goal scorer, Joshua Miller, and the MHC junior varsity eligibility rule changes, which have categorized Bradley Cupples and Brandon Bernard as impact skaters and no longer junior varsity eligible, Upper Montgomery will rely heavily on a grouping of highly skilled returning veteran student athletes.

In goal, Landon Bernard will backstop the Lightning. He is coming off a six-game junior varsity winning streak to close out last season, including an impressive outing in the championship game (.950 save percentage). Bernard led the entire Maryland Scholastic Hockey League in junior varsity wins last season with eight.

On defense, Cole Howerton and Patrick Sell will once again pair together and see significant ice time. Howerton is a smooth skating offensively gifted defender and Sell is a sturdy stay at home defensively minded defender. Howerton will miss the junior varsity season opening game. Returning to the team after a one-year absence is Sean Levine who will look to re-establish himself in a top four role on defense. Brady Berkhammer and Stephen Shkeda who have junior varsity eligibility will provide a stabilizing force for the young defensive corps. New to the program, Jake Roth and Behr Schickler will play regular minutes on defense paired with experienced defensive partners as they get acclimated to the speed and intensity of junior varsity hockey.

Offensively, the team will look to replace last year’s goal totals by committee. The teams top two centers, Josh Nadler and Henry Honacki will be relied upon to increase their offensive production from a year ago while also providing leadership and playmaking ability. Nadler will miss the game on Wednesday night which will result in additional playing time for Honacki and Shkeda at center. Upper Montgomery’s top line wingers will be expected to produce more consistently than last season. Adam Levine, coming off goals in both the junior varsity semi-final and the junior varsity championship final last season, Lucas Eyman, and James Hyman will need to ramp up their offensive totals as upperclass leaders on the team. The remainder of the forwards, AJ Marks, TJ Gottesman, Branson Hughes, Jason Woodman, and Callum Hughes will need to move their feet and play sound positional hockey until they get acclimated to the speed and intensity of junior varsity game action.

The junior varsity has been practicing hard all pre-season and is looking forward to the season opener on Wednesday night.

Walter Johnson Game Preview

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The Upper Montgomery Lightning officially kick off the 2022 – 2023 ice hockey campaign against the Walter Johnson Wildcats on Friday evening, October 21st. Game time is 8:15 pm at Skate Frederick. The Lightning will be a heavy underdog against the top ranked Wildcats.

Upper Montgomery is led by last season’s top returning scorer Chris Hassett (15 GP, 17 goals, 16 assists). Hassett will miss the Walter Johnson game as he will be out-of-town with his travel hockey club. Against the Wildcats the team’s returning experienced and talented forward group will need to step up and fill the void. Hunter Cameron (15 GP, 6 goals, 7 assists), Ryan Jacobson (11 GP, 7 goals, 10 assists), Nathan Cassel (12 GP, 11 goals, 6 assists), Olivia Robbins, and Bradley Cupples (15 GP, 1 goal, 11 assists) will all need to play a strong two-way hockey game. The team will need to make sure that the forwards hustle back on defense and minimize the Walter Johnson odd skater rushes. The Shkeda brothers, speedy 9th grade forward Philip, and high energy and defensively sound Stephen will be relied upon to play heavy minutes. Expect Henry Honacki to play regular shifts as he has shown well in pre-season practice sessions and his speed and quickness have increased noticeably from last season. With Brandon Bernard and Josh Nadler out for this game, Adam Levine will be on the bench and may see some game action. The team should be much more balanced offensively this season, but the division one competition will also be more talented and difficult to score against.

Defensively, the squad will have three senior defenders in team captain George Benedick playing along side Ethan Hockey and Andrew Gean. Talented sophomore and 2nd team all conference defender Andrew Botti returns looking to establish himself as the top defender in the league. These experienced defenders will be joined by talented, but young 9th graders Brady Berkhammer and Owen Robbins. Both Berkhammer and Robbins will see extensive time against Walter Johnson as Ethan Hockey will miss the game. The defense will have to work hard, move the puck quickly in the defensive zone on breakouts, and protect around the front of the net.

In goal, it will be Landon Bernard’s net this season. Bernard is the only goalie in the program, and he will see double duty in both varsity and junior varsity games. Bernard appeared in five varsity games last season, earning his first career varsity win in a 6-3 victory against the West Virginia Vipers.

The Lightning special teams will need to shine once again this season. The penalty kill was outstanding last season killing off 51 of the 58 opponents’ powerplays for an 89.7% success rate after hovering over 90% almost the entire season. The powerplay last season was disjointed. The team’s statistics were not terrible, 12 for 54, 22.2% success rate, but the puck movement was stagnant at times and there were not enough high quality looks at the net.

Walter Johnson comes into the game with high hopes for the season, looking to return to the state playoff tournament for the second consecutive year. The Wildcats are led by senior AA travel level goalie Jason Conlan who will backstop the Wildcats in net all season. Coming off what Conlan would consider a subpar season last year by his standards, he will be looking to rebound this year and getting off to a quick start against the Lightning is paramount. On offense, the Wildcats are led by senior AA travel level forward Alex Chang (16 GP, 11 goals, 6 assists) who has a high-end skill set complete with gifted moves and hands. Senior AA travel level forwards Ehtan Birndorf (16 GP, 9 goals, 5 assists) and Utkarsh Srivastava (15 GP, 6 goals, 4 assists), will look to build on last season’s production. On defense, expect Jon Corwin and Liam Mannle, both AA travel level student athletes to see major ice time in an attempt to limit the Upper Montgomery offensive attack.

It should be a good one this coming Friday evening. The team that secures the victory will have a great start to the season. If Upper Montgomery were to pull the upset, it would be the biggest win in program history. Upper Montgomery has never beaten the number one seeded team in the conference. We welcome the green and gold Lightning supporters and hope to see you at the rink.

Lightning Strike Blog–October 2022

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The 2022 – 2023 high school hockey season is ready for puck drop. The season begins this coming Wednesday for some teams, and on Friday night October 21st for the majority of the teams in the Montgomery Hockey Conference (MHC).

The Upper Montgomery Lightning have been placed in the top division of the MHC. This is a major achievement as the conference believes that the Lightning’s pre-season roster strength is in the top seven teams in the league. The Lightning are ready to build off last season’s first ever division one playoff appearance and return to the post season for the second consecutive year. With the top division placement comes a challenging schedule to begin the season as Upper Montgomery will play the top three teams in the county over the first three weeks of the season; at Walter Johnson, home versus BCC, and at Churchill. The other teams in the top division of the Montgomery Hockey Conference are Blair, Whitman, and Wootton. In the bottom division are the DC Stars, Northwest, Quince Orchard, Richard Montgomery, Rockville/Magruder, Sherwood, and St. Johns.

Once again this season the Lightning feature a young and exciting lineup. With only five seniors in the program three of whom play on defense, there will be plenty of ice time for a young, speed forward group. The future is very bright. However, the 2022 – 2023 season campaign is expected to be another year of growth and development for the team. Picked to finish 9th out of the 14 teams in the MHC pre-season poll, the team is out to prove they are much better than the lowly pre-season ranking. A hallmark of the Lightning is that the team competes extremely hard. Upper Montgomery aims to give the more experienced teams in the top division of the MHC all they can handle in the regular season. A solid goal for the team is to not only make the MHC post-season playoff tournament but to also win and advance in either the division one playoff tournament or the division two post-season tournament.

The team will have to replace the loss of former active scoring leader in defender James Botti. James was the team’s only departing senior who saw considerably playing time for the varsity. Landon Bernard will see exclusive duty in net for both the varsity and junior varsity as the program’s only goaltender. Bernard will need to build on last season where he backstopped the junior varsity squad to the MHC junior varsity championship. The team will be experienced on defense with seniors George Benedick, Andrew Gean, and Ethan Hockey as well as talented sophomore Andrew Botti. This core will be joined by 9th grade defenders Brady Berkhammer and Owen Robbins, who will both see significant action this season as the team looks for larger roles for both defenders in future seasons. Expect Cole Howerton to possibly see some playing time if he is called up from the junior varsity as a depth defensive replacement.

Up front, it is a supremely talented but young group of forwards. The varsity has only one senior forward who will receive playing time. Last year’s leading scorer, Chris Hassett returns along with the majority of the team’s forward group. The top three forward lines are mainly comprised of juniors and sophomores. Much will be expected from Hunter Cameron, Ryan Jacobson, Olivia Robbins, Brad Cupples, Nathan Cassel, and Brandon Bernard. Winger Stephen Shkeda, the lone senior forward, will be counted on to provide energy, solid board play, and defensive tenacity. Stephen’s brother, 9th grader Philip Shkeda, will add a burst of speed and skill playing in a top nine forward role. Expect sophomores Josh Nadler and Henry Honacki to see playing time throughout the entire year as depth forwards. Junior Adam Levine will see some limited action when the team is short on forwards due to injury or out-of-town travel team commitments. The biggest question facing the team this season is just how long it will take for the talented young roster to gel with each other and correctly play team concepts. It will be a step up in competition this season, so how will the skilled forwards fare against tougher competition? Time will tell, and we invite you to join along for the ride.

It will be hard to repeat as MHC junior varsity champions as every program will be looking to knock off Upper Montgomery, but the Lightning are ready to accept the challenge. The Lightning junior varsity squad is made up of several experienced student athletes and a bunch of new faces. Returning top line forwards Josh Nadler, Henry Honacki, and Adam Levine will be expected to produce offensively and carry the team. More will be expected of upper class forwards Lucas Eyman and James Hyman who have been in the program now for several years. These experienced forwards will be joined up front by several student athletes who will be vying for larger roles and additional playing time; TJ Gottesman, AJ Marks, Branson Hughes, Callum Hughes, and Jason Woodman. On defense, the junior varsity squad should be pretty stingy. Playing down from varsity will be both Brady Berkhammer and Stephen Shkeda who are junior varsity eligible. They will be joined by the returning tandem of offensively minded and smooth skating Cole Howerton who is typically paired with steady stay at home defender Patrick Sell. Returning to the team after a year’s absence is Sean Levine. Newcomers Jacob Roth and Behr Schickler will also see regular playing time on the blue line. The defense will be solid. If Bernard plays well in net and the top forward line produces offensively, the junior varsity should be very competitive again this season.

Lightning Strike Blog–September 2022

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The Upper Montgomery Lightning hockey program is back on the ice and looking forward to the 2022 – 2023 high school hockey season. The team began student athlete evaluations earlier this month. While official team placements are not permitted to be announced until after the last evaluation session, or in early October, most of the varsity squad returns from last season. As has been the case for the past two seasons, the team is very young, only three seniors departed the program from last season, and the team has only five seniors on the roster of thirty-three student athletes for this upcoming season.

In next month’s October blog, we will break down the team and the outlook for the upcoming season. The coaching staff is already excited by the growth of the team. Another year older and another year stronger. It is evident from the evaluation sessions that the team has gotten faster and deeper from a talent standpoint. Just three years ago the program had only 13 student athletes participating. When the team is separated into Varsity and Junior Varsity in early October, the program will almost be able to field two distinctly separate teams. There will likely be only a handful of student athletes playing for both teams.

The Lightning program is gaining the respect of other teams in the Montgomery Hockey Conference. The team also has earned respect and appreciation for playing non-conference games against the top public and private high school programs in Maryland. In scheduling these additional games against top tier competition, the program hopes to have its student athletes receive more playing time and competing against competition that will make the team better when conference playoffs arrive at the end of the regular season. This was true last season. The Varsity played at Washington County and was outplayed. But, that experience prepared the team for its two playoff games against Richard Montgomery and Wootton. Both games were very competitive until the final minutes of each game.

The Junior Varsity played a game non-conference game against Landon. The private school junior varsity teams are equivalent to some of the lower end varsity programs in the Montgomery Hockey Conference. Even though the junior varsity lost badly, that experience propelled the team forward and into a six game winning streak to finish the season and become Upper Montgomery’s first championship team.

Lightning Strike Blog—August 2022

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As summer 2022 nears conclusion, the Upper Montgomery Lightning ice hockey team is hard at work preparing for the upcoming season. Off-ice dryland workouts for the team have begun with an eye toward another season of growth for the program. Just three years ago the program had only 13 student athletes participating in the program. When the team takes the ice next month for the beginning of on-ice practices, the program anticipates that there will be 33 student athletes participating for the 2022 – 2023 season, allowing the program to have a full varsity roster and a full junior varsity roster with very few student athletes having to play for both squads.

With the success achieved by the program last season; the varsity team qualifying for the Montgomery Hockey Conference Division One playoffs for the first time in program history, and the magical run at the conclusion of the season for the junior varsity team resulting in a Montgomery Hockey Conference Junior Varsity Championship, expectations will be different for the upcoming season. While it may be very difficult for the junior varsity to repeat as conference champions, the varsity will have a large spotlight on continued growth. A reasonable expectation is that the program will beat one of the upper echelon teams in the conference this season, and at a minimum reach the semifinals of the Montgomery Hockey Conference Division Two playoffs. A stretch goal would be to win a Division One first round playoff game and play for a spot in the Maryland Scholastic Hockey League State playoffs. Upper Montgomery has never won a Division One playoff game in program history.

With a young program, only five of the 33 student athletes are seniors, the team is primed for success in future years. However, the coaching staff is looking for the student athletes with varsity experience to step it up a notch even against teams with a significant number of seniors and juniors that complete as high-end travel level student athletes. Join us as the Lightning look to take another step forward and continue to gain the respect of the more established programs in the conference.

Lightning Strike Blog—July 2022

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As summer is now halfway completed, we begin to turn attention to the upcoming 2022 – 2023 high school ice hockey season. The student athletes have been using the summer months to focus on their on-ice skills development and off-ice strength and conditioning. Many of the student athletes have attended skills training sessions to improve their play. Coach Todd ran another successful Premier Hockey Boot Camp in which several of the Lightning student athletes participated along with approximately thirty student athletes from other high school programs.

In another month the team will begin summer off-ice conditioning as hockey related activities ramp up in anticipation of the upcoming season.

Lightning Strike Blog—June 2022

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The Spring 2022 high school hockey season has officially been reclassified as Titletown for the Upper Montgomery Lightning program. Both Upper Montgomery teams, Team White and Team Green won the spring league championships in their respective divisions. Congratulations to all the student athletes that participated on their success and achievement.

Upper Montgomery Team White dominated its division all season finishing with an undefeated record of 11-0. Team White completed its undefeated spring season with a thrilling 4-3 victory over a Sherwood team that played its entire varsity roster in the spring league finale.

Team White raced out to a 4-0 lead on goals by Olivia Robbins (wrist shot from the left faceoff circle), Chris Hassett (deflection from the high slot), Ryan Jacobson (slap shot from the high slot), and what turned into the eventual game winner from Adam Levine (rebound off a two on one rush with Hassett). Team White held on and prevailed, preventing Sherwood from tying up the game while dealing with some tough officiating calls going in Sherwood’s favor. Those calls allowed the Warriors to cut the lead to a single goal early in the third period. Freddie Horowitz made 41 saves for the victory. There was elite talent on the ice at the conclusion of the game with three AAA skaters and eight AA skaters playing out the final minute. Upper Montgomery played excellent defensive hockey over the final eight minutes of regulation to close out the game victorious.

Team Green performed better as the season progressed and entered the playoffs as the third seed in their playoff bracket. After a convincing 4-2 win over Rockville, Team Green next faced top seeded BCC in the spring league final. In a back and forth affair, Team Green won the game on a shorthanded goal by Hunter Cameron with one minute left. Team Green was able to prevent BCC from scoring on the last minute powerplay with their goalie pulled. The win gave the Upper Montgomery program a sweep of the high school spring league championships. Team Green goals were scored by Hunter Cameron (breakaway), Andrew Botti (wrist shot from the high slot), James Botti (deflection from the low crease area), and Cameron again (finished off a two on one pass from James Botti) for the shorthanded game winner. Landon Bernard recorded the win in net with 22 saves.

With the playing portion of the 2021 – 2022 season now officially finished, the student athletes will use the summer months to focus on on-ice skills development and off-ice strength and conditioning. Coach Todd will again run his Premier Hockey Boot Camp in which several of the Lightning student athletes will participate along with approximately thirty student athletes from other high school programs.

Agonizing Loss to Wootton Ends Lightning’s Season

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The Upper Montgomery Lightning will feel the sting of Friday night’s loss to the Wootton Patriots all offseason. In a game in which the Lightning were the far better team, the Patriots’ best player Nathan Barrow rescued Wootton late and advanced the Patriots into a Montgomery Hockey Conference Division Two playoff semifinal game against Blair next Friday night.

The Lightning got off to a flying start and controlled the tempo of the game from the outset. It looked as if Wootton with its fourteen seniors was disinterested playing in the Division Two playoff matchup. A penalty to Wootton center Conor Harris gave Upper Montgomery an early powerplay. However, the skater advantage was short lived as Lightning defender George Benedick was called for holding less than a minute later. It was the beginning of a parade to the penalty box as the poorly officiated game resulted in 19 penalties and four separate ten minute misconduct penalties assessed.

After the penalty to Benedick completed, Upper Montgomery continued to attack and was rewarded with the first goal of the game. Andrew Botti skated the puck from center ice down the left wing boards into the offensive zone. He continued into the corner crossing the goal line. Cutting toward the net he passed the puck out into the high slot area and found Chris Hassett who had maneuvered into the slot. Hassett was wide open. He pivoted and fired a hard, rising wrist shot past the glove of Wootton netminder Julian Piche for the opening score.

Less than a minute later, the lead would grow to 2-0. Andrew Botti cleared the puck in the Lightning defensive zone up the right wing boards to Hassett. Hassett skated with the puck from just outside the blue line down the boards and into the offensive zone. James Botti cut down the slot toward the net. Hassett’s cross crease pass was a beauty, finding Botti’s backhand just inside the left post for a nifty bang-bang deflection past the stick side of Piche.

Maybe the Lightning’s offensive success got the better of the team. A defensive pinch in the offensive zone led to a deflected puck and a three on one Wootton rush up ice. Grady Sellman collected the puck in his defensive zone and centered the puck up ice into the neutral zone to Ilhom Abdulaev. Abdulaev skated down the right wing side and feathered a nice backhand pass through Andrew Botti to Julius Rubin who was in alone in the slot. Rubin swatted the puck five hole past Lightning netminder Landon Bernard to put the Patriots on the board.

With a minute to go in the first period, the Patriots would tie up the game. Just after a roughing penalty to Andrew Botti expired, Nathan Barrow evened the score at two. Martyn Ogorondnikov skated the puck from his defensive position down into the right corner. He lost the puck under pressure from Andrew Botti, but was able to push the puck behind the net. Barrow swooped in and carried the puck around the net from right to left. He open pivoted away from Bradley Cupples and had time and space from a bad angle just below the lower portion of the left faceoff circle. Even with a bad angle toward the net, he fired a wicked wrist shot far side, high and over Bernard’s shoulder for the tying goal. Shots on goal in the first period were even at seven for each team.

The second period was controlled by the Lightning who outshot Wootton fifteen to six. Upper Montgomery skated well and was often able to create good scoring opportunities. The Lightning were helped when Abdulaev took a boarding penalty and was assessed a ten minute misconduct for arguing the call. Then, while shorthanded, Barrow was given a ten minute misconduct for not wearing his mouthpiece despite being warned to do so in the first period. The absence of the two talented Wootton forwards contributed to their lack of offensive push in the second period.

The third period also started off well for the Lightning as they took the lead less than a minute into the frame on a goal by Hunter Cameron. Bradley Cupples won a defensive zone face off in the left faceoff circle directly to the left wing boards where it was picked up by Ethan Hockey. Hockey skated out of the defensive zone up ice. He dumped the puck into the left corner where Cameron collected the puck and skated it around the crease from left to right. Reaching the right faceoff circle, he spun and his attempted wrist shot deflected behind the net short side. Josh Nadler was first to the puck. He circled the net to the weak side moving across the flow of play from right to left. His pass into the slot reached a cutting Cameron whose quick shot beat Piche high to the blocker side.

A minute later Andrew Botti was called for a questionable slashing penalty. He argued the call and was handed an additional ten minute misconduct penalty, effectively keeping him off the ice for almost the remainder of the game. With a few seconds left in Botti’s penalty, Cameron was called for high sticking putting the Lightning down two skaters for eight seconds. Botti’s two minute penalty ended and the Lightning were just down one skater. Near the end of Cameron’s penalty, Wootton tied up the game. A quick passing sequence from Harris to Barrow to Abdulaev and Abdulaev’s shot beat Bernard tying up the game at three with 9:35 left.

Yet another penalty was called on the Lightning just after the two back-to-back Patriots’ powerplays. Again, a bad officiating decision on a non-high stick that was called a high stick on George Benedick. With that penalty winding down, a make up slashing call was assessed to Sellman. Off the defensive zone faceoff, Harris was called for a hit to the head of a Lightning forward. Harris’ penalty was a two minute minor and a ten minute misconduct eliminating him from the rest of the contest. Off the second offensive zone faceoff on the 4-3 powerplay, Barrow won the faceoff back to Walter Cederbrandt who passed the puck across his own crease to Ogorondnikov who skied the puck out of the defensive zone. Barrow outraced the Lightning defense and broke in alone on Bernard. He easily deked Bernard scoring to put the Patriots up 4-3 with six minutes left in the game.

The Lightning still had a chance to even the score as they were on a 5-3 powerplay once Benedick’s penalty expired. Although the Lightning were able to gain the offensive zone and possess the puck, they did not convert. Instead, Barrow jumped on a loose puck and exited the defensive zone up the left wing boards with Abdulaev. They raced up ice on a two on one rush. Drawing the Lightning defender toward him, Barrow slide a pass across to Abdulaev. Abdulaev collected the pass, made a deke, and also slid the puck past Bernard. Two shot handed goals scored a minute apart when Wootton had only three skaters on the ice.

Down 5-3, the Lightning kept pressing. Piche made a few really good saves to maintain the Patriots’ lead. The penalty brigade kept coming as questionable call after questionable call landed additional student athletes in the penalty box. Lightning center Brandon Bernard was called for slashing. While Wootton was on the powerplay they mainly played keep away, passing the puck on the perimeter not allowing Upper Montgomery to gain control. With three minutes to go in the game, Hassett and Wootton defender Andrew Reynolds were called for coincidental minors, Hassett for roughing and Reynolds for high sticking. Just twenty seconds later, Abdulaev was called for roughing giving the Lightning one final chance to close the margin. The Lightning were unable to mount much pressure and the powerplay fizzled along with Upper Montgomery’s opportunity for their season of growth to continue next week. The game was salted away on an empty net goal scored by Abdulaev as he exited the penalty box on an assist from Barrow.

Game Notes:

  • With the loss, Upper Montgomery ends its season with a 5-9-1 record, similar to last season but a huge leap forward in growth and competitiveness, especially against the top tier teams in the conference.
  • The Lightning outshot Wootton 30-20.
  • Again, shorthanded goals doomed the Lightning who gave up two shorthanded goals in the closing minutes of the contest. Upper Montgomery gave up eight shorthanded goals during the season and lost all seven games in which they conceded a shorthanded goal.
  • The Lightning penalty kill, which has been outstanding all season, killed off six of the seven Wootton powerplays and finished the season 51-58, an excellent 87.9% kill rate.
  • The Lightning powerplay faltered in all five powerplay chances against Wootton and finished the season 12-54, 22.2% success rate.

Three Stars of the Game:

First Star—Nathan Barrow—Wootton Center—2 Goals, 2 Assists
Second Star—IIhom Abdulaev—–Wootton Forward—3 Goals, 1 Assist
Third Star—Chris Hassett—Upper Montgomery Center—1 Goal, 1 Assist