Author: chucklevine

Lightning Strike Blog–December 2021

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We’ve reached the mid-point of the 2021-2022 high school hockey season. For the Upper Montgomery Lightning the young team is trending upward and there is much to be excited about. After three straight one goal defeats to begin the season, and then a tie, the team has turned it around and is currently on a four game winning streak. The Lightning have also moved into playoff position following a signature victory over the Whitman Vikings in their last game before the winter break.

The second half of the season begins on Friday, January 7th with a game against the winless Wilson Stars. The Lightning will be heavily favored in the game and will need to make sure that complacency does not set in. A win versus Wilson coupled with a DC Stars loss to Sherwood would put the Lightning on the precipice of their first ever division one playoff appearance. A second victory in one of the last three conference games of the season against either Richard Montgomery, Sherwood, or St. Johns, would guarantee a playoff berth for Upper Montgomery. To prepare for the Montgomery Hockey Conference playoffs, the team will be travelling to Hagerstown for a non-conference away game versus the very talented Washington County Northstars.

The Lightning offense has been led all year by the first line of Chris Hassett (10 goals, 10 assists), Ryan Jacobson (5 goals, 9 assists), and Nathan Cassel (10 goals, 3 assists). All three student athletes are in 9th or 10th grade. The future is very bright for this trio. The second line has started to find its scoring touch of late. Hunter Cameron now has 4 goals and 3 assists, Bradley Cupples has a goal and 6 assists, and Olivia Robbins has chipped in with a goal and two assists having missed multiple games playing with her external travel team. The third line has been a revolving pair of wingers along with Brandon Bernard at center. It has been difficult for the third line to achieve chemistry although Stephen Shkeda has provided the line with tenacity and energy.

On defense, James Botti leads the team in points with 7 assists in 7 games, but other defenders have chipped in with points; George Benedick a goal and two assists, Andrew Botti a goal and two assists, and Andrew Gean has a goal and an assist. Together with Ethan Hockey, the Lightning have given up only 20 goals in 8 games, for a team goals against average of 2.50 goals per game. If you exclude the 7-6 shootout versus the Blair Blazers, the team’s goals against average would be even lower at 1.86 per game. Even with the non-conference game versus the West Virginia Vipers included, the Lightning have given up the fewest goals of all 15 teams in the Montgomery Hockey Conference. The hard work and effort of the defense, as well as the backchecking forwards, have really limited the opposing teams’ scoring opportunities.

In goal, Will Mellen has led the way. Mellen leads all goalies in the Montgomery Hockey Conference who have played at least three games with a 1.40 goals against average and a .932 save percentage. Landon Bernard has also seen some varsity action, picking up his first career high school varsity win in the game against the West Virginia Vipers. If the strong goaltending keeps up, the Lightning will be in every game and will have a chance to win the cross over games against the division one teams.

The Lightning special teams have been uneven. The power play percentage is good at 23.3% (7 for 30), but it is the way the power play has looked that is not so good. The power play looks disjointed most of the time, with perimeter passing and not many high quality looks. The Lightning scored four power play goals in the high scoring Blair game but have only three other power play goals in the other seven games of the season (3 for 23, 13.0%). On the other hand, the Upper Montgomery penalty kill has been fantastic, killing off 27 of 30 opportunities (90.0%) on the season. The Lightning have killed off the last 16 extra attacker chances and this success has given the team a major boost.

The Upper Montgomery junior varsity squad has had its ups and downs, reaching the mid-point of the season with a 2-3 conference record and 2-4-2 overall. The coaching staff has been preaching effort and consistency. Thus far, the junior varsity team is vastly improved over last season has shown spurts of what the coaching staff is looking for. Unfortunately, the team has been prone to long stretches of inconsistency from game to game and even from period to period within games. Several late goals against have forced the team to settle for ties instead of much needed victories. In perhaps the most complete game the junior varsity has played, a 1-0 loss against Wootton, the only reason the junior varsity lost was that Wootton received emergency permission to play a varsity AA level travel goalie because of the current COVID circumstances in Montgomery County. Otherwise, the junior varsity would have easily won that game.

In goal, Landon Bernard has started each game. He has played well. He has a 3.70 goals against average and an .858 save percentage. However, those individual statistics are misleading and skewed by the game that the junior varsity played against Landon School. The private school teams are a step up in competition and are similar to playing against a varsity team from the Montgomery Hockey Conference. Omitting that game, Bernard’s statistics would be a 3.09 goals against average and a .876 save percentage.

On defense, both Cole Howerton and Patrick Sell are improving. As 9th grade defenders they are frequently playing against forwards two grades more experienced. Several varsity student athletes have dropped down to help out on defense and provide a calming influence. Anrew Gean, George Benedick, Stephen Shkeda, and Bradley Cupples have played several games on defense for the junior varsity providing leadership and guidance.

Offensively, the team has been led by three student athletes; Brandon Bernard who leads the team with 4 goals and 4 assists, Josh Miller who has tallied 4 goals, and Josh Nadler who has scored 3 goals. Eight other student athletes have scored once on the season. With only 19 goals in 8 games (2.375 average), the team has a very small margin for error because it is not scoring enough. Even if you exclude the two games played against varsity goalies (Landon School and Wootton), the team’s goals per game average would be only 3.17. Depth scoring has been an issue all season for the Lightning junior varsity and needs to improve quickly if the team hopes to make a deep run in the upcoming junior varsity playoffs. Three games remain in the regular season for the junior varsity against Rockville, Northwest, and Churchill, and those games will determine the team’s playoff seeding.

Varsity Goalie Singlehandedly Defeats Lightning Junior Varsity

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In an unfortunate development, the Upper Montgomery Lightning had to play against a varsity AA level travel goalie in Tuesday afternoon’s game against Wootton. While the Lightning played an excellent game, they came away on the short end of a 1-0 loss to the Patriots, who have been one of the worst teams in the league this year.

Due to the recent uptick in COVID cases in Montgomery County, the Patriots’ expected junior varsity goalie was not available to participate in the game. Instead, senior netminder Julian Piche won the game for the Patriots with a 29 save shutout which included good stops on two different two on one rushes and two breakaways, one in the first period on Stephen Shkeda, and one late in the third period as the Lightning pushed to tie the game. Without Piche in net the Lightning would have easily won this game.

The first period was played at a fast tempo. The Lightning were the far better team threatening on multiple occasions with high quality scoring chances and repetitive rebound opportunities among the 14 shots the Lightning threw at Piche. Wootton, on the other hand, had only five shots on goal and most were one and done chances from long range. Late in the first period, William Rusiecki fired a wrist shot from the left circle that Landon Bernard got most of but could not fully control. The puck landed at the feet of Matvei Shaposhnikov who easily tapped in the rebound to put the Patriots in front 1-0. That would be the only goal for the Patriots as Bernard recovered to play excellent hockey in the second and third periods to keep the Patriots off the board and give the Lightning a chance to even the score.

The second period was a tightly contested and defensive. Each team managed six shots on net that Piche and Bernard saved with little difficulty. The Patriots had the lone powerplay of the period after Bradley Cupples was called for interference for knocking a dropped stick into the corner and out of the way of the play.

In the third period, the Lightning pushed to get the equalizer. Brandon Bernard and Adam Levine had two separate two on one opportunities. Bernard elected to shoot coming down the left wing on both opportunities. His shots were saved by Piche with no rebound opportunity for Levine who was wide open in front having driven hard to the net both times. Any rebound would have surely been in the net to tie the game.

At the conclusion of the last of the two on one breaks, Greg Felder was called for slashing Piche coming through the crease late after the play looking for a rebound. The Lightning again did the job on the penalty kill and the game remained 1-0. With under three minutes to go in the game, Brandon Bernard got loose in the neutral zone, skated past the Patriots defense and went in alone on a breakaway. He faked and stick handled around Piche. With a wide open net, the puck trickled off his stick on the final fake and went behind the net. With 45 seconds to go in the game, Landon Bernard made an acrobatic, diving stick save on a Patriots breakaway by Rusiecki. His save gave the Lightning an opportunity at a tying goal in the final minute. With Bernard pulled for an extra attacker, several shots from the point hit traffic in front and bounced harmlessly away allowing the Patriots to prevail in a game that under normal circumstances would have had a much different outcome.

Game Notes:

  • The Lightning outshot the Patriots 29-21.
  • The Lightning penalty kill did not allow a powerplay goal and is now 19-21 on the season, 90.5%.
  • The Lightning junior varsity powerplay did not have an extra attacker advantage against the Patriots and remains scoreless on the season in 18 opportunities.
  • The Lightning will be looking to bounce back into the win column when they return to action over the winter break on Wednesday, December 29th at 7:45 pm at Skate Frederick for a non-conference game versus Frederick County.

Three Stars of the Game:

First Star—Julian Piche—Wootton Goalie—29 save shutout
Second Star—Landon Bernard—Upper Montgomery Goalie–-1 goal against, 20 saves, .952 save percentage
Third Star—Brandon Bernard—Upper Montgomery Center

Junior Varsity Melts Down in Loss to Wildcats

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The Upper Montgomery junior varsity fell to Walter Johnson 5-3 on Monday afternoon at Wheaton Ice Rink. The loss left the team with a 2-2 record in conference and a 2-3-1 record overall on the season. Up 3-2 with six minutes left in the game, the Lightning gave up three late goals to see the game slip away. The result was impacted by a subpar performance by the referees, which handed out ten powerplays to the Wildcats and only two to the Lightning. The amount of time Upper Montgomery spent on the penalty kill prevented the Lightning from getting into the flow of the game. Once behind late in the third period having to continue to kill penalties prevented the team from mounting a comeback.

The Lightning went to the penalty kill just one minute and sixteen seconds into the game when Brandon Bernard was called for tripping. The Lightning held strong and killed off penalty number one. With four and a half minutes to go in the first period, Lightning forward Greg Felder, who was making his season debut, was called for high sticking and then given an additional two minutes for arguing the call. Just thirty seconds later the Lightning would jump in front while shorthanded. Lightning Center Henry Honacki blocked a shot from the left point. The puck bounced forward and he skated down the right wing outracing the Wildcats defense. At the right faceoff circle, he fired a wrist shot far side and high past Wildcat netminder Becca Freda for his first career high school goal. Less than a minute later while still on the powerplay, Wildcat defender Coleman Santy skated up ice on an individual rush and fired a shot past Lightning netminder Landon Bernard to even the score at one. That would be the only powerplay goal surrendered by the Lightning as the team would go on to kill nine of the ten shorthanded situations.

The second period would be similar to the first period. Early in the period, the Lightning would regain the lead. Off of a faceoff in the Wildcats defensive zone, the puck went to the boards. James Hyman competed in the corner and won the puck. He turned and passed the puck across the ice to the right point where Andrew Gean fired a slap shot past Freda who was dealing with screen in front from Jordan Lynch. A minute later the score would be even at two. Off of a faceoff to the left of Bernard, Wildcat Center Adam Rozsalyi stepped forward and put a wrist shot high past Bernard’s catching glove from the bottom of the faceoff circle. Then, the penalty parade started again. First it was Bradley Cupples for cross checking. Then it was George Benedick for roughing. The Lightning interrupted the penalty parade to re-take the lead. Cupples cleared the zone with a pass to Brandon Bernard who skated down the right wing into the Wildcats zone. He stopped hard, faked, and then slid a beautiful pass over to Hyman who had a wide open net to knock the puck into. The Lightning were back in front with 2:44 left in the second period, a period in which they had three shots on goal and scored twice. Meanwhile, the referees were not done. With 1:37 left in the period, Honacki was called for an apparent hooking penalty. Finally, after six consecutive penalties on the Lightning, a penalty was called on Walter Johnson for roughing.

The Lightning could not capitalize on an early third period powerplay. Then, the game became a test of the Lightning’s defense. For the next three minutes the Wildcats pushed to tie the game and the Lightning defended well. With just less than six minutes left in the game Rozsalyi would score again to even the game. He took a pass along his own blue line from Santy and skated up ice by himself. He entered the Lightning defensive zone and fired a wrist shot past Bernard. On the next shift Rozsalyi would net a hat trick finishing off a nice three on two rush up the ice by the Wildcats. Rozsalyi started the play skating up ice and passing the puck over to Wildcat defender Max Abbott who had joined the rush. Abbott found Leyton Seo in front. Rather than shoot, Seo passed the puck across the crease to Rozsalyi for an easy tap in goal.

Two minutes later Rozsalyi would tally again for his fourth goal of the game, beating Bernard from a sharp angle high glove side to give the Wildcats a 5-3 lead. Then, the game disintegrated. Twelve seconds after the Wildcats goal, Brandon Bernard skated up ice into the Wildcats defensive zone. A penalty was called, and a Wildcats defender skated into the penalty box. Somehow, while carrying the puck into the offensive zone the referees had called a holding penalty on Bernard confusing the Wildcats who were certain they were going shorthanded. On the penalty kill, Cupples was again called for cross checking putting the Lightning down on a 5-3 penalty kill. After the 5-3 was killed off, Benedick was called for a final penalty late in the game.

Game Notes:

  • The Lightning were outshot by the Wildcats by a wide margin, 33-9.
  • The Lightning penalty kill was excellent in the game killing off nine of ten Wildcats powerplay opportunities while scoring shorthanded. The Upper Montgomery junior varsity penalty kill is 17-19 on the season, 89.5%.
  • The Lightning junior varsity powerplay remains scoreless on the season in 18 opportunities.
  • James Hyman had his first multi-point game with one goal and one assist.
  • The Lightning will be looking to bounce back tomorrow, Tuesday, December 21st at 4:50 pm at the Laurel Ice Gardens for an important divisional game versus Wootton.

Three Stars of the Game:

First Star—Adam Rozsalyi—Walter Johnson Center—4 Goals
Second Star—Coleman Santy—Walter Johnson Defense–-1 Goal, 1 Assist
Third Star—James Hyman—Upper Montgomery Forward—1 Goal, 1 Assist

Complete Team Effort Downs Vikings

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The Upper Montgomery Lightning earned a signature win Friday evening at Rockville Ice Arena against the Whitman Vikings. The 2-1 victory playing against the division one Vikings was a complete team effort and should be enough to propel the Lightning into the varsity playoffs for the first time. With five games remaining in the regular season, Friday evening’s victory is sure to push Upper Montgomery up the league rankings heading into the finishing homestretch. The Lightning are next in action after the winter break against the Wilson Stars, a team the Lightning easily beat 9-0 just before Thanksgiving.

Will Mellen was excellent in net stopping 39 of 40 shots and holding the Vikings off the scoresheet until three and a half minutes remained in the game. The Lightning defense of James Botti, George Benedick, Ethan Hockey, Andrew Gean, and Andrew Botti were key to preventing many open looks, and when the Vikings did have chances, Mellen was there to shut the door. At winter break, Mellen leads the Montgomery Hockey Conference goalies who have played at least three games with a 1.40 goals against average and a .932 save percentage.

The game began inauspiciously. Just one minute and twelve seconds into the contest, Lightning high scoring winger Ryan Jacobson was assessed a two-minute checking from behind penalty. That penalty automatically comes with a ten-minute misconduct penalty, effectively eliminating Jacobson from competing in the entire first period. The excellent Lightning penalty kill took care of the Viking’s powerplay, just to go back on the penalty kill immediately thereafter when Upper Montgomery defender Andrew Botti was given a minor penalty for roughing. Halfway through the second penalty kill, Viking’s defender Morrison Cohen took a holding penalty to negate the balance of the Viking’s powerplay.

As the Upper Montgomery powerplay was ending, the Lightning would jump out in front. Lightning winger Hunter Cameron collected the puck at the Lightning blue line. He curled with the puck and skated up the right wing side, dumping the puck past the Vikings defense as he entered the Vikings zone. He pressured behind the net and forced the Vikings defense. The puck squirted lose and bounced off Lightning Center Bradley Cupples. Cameron poked the puck back to the left point. George Benedick hustled to keep the blue line, just barely keeping the puck in the zone. He fired a long range wrist shot toward the net. The puck clicked off the skates of the lone Vikings defender in the slot and past Viking’s goalie Reed Crichton at the 8:16 mark of the first period. The Lightning would have to kill off another minor penalty, this time roughing to Benedick with three minutes remaining in the first period. At the end of the first period the Lightning led 1-0 playing without Jacobson, killing off three penalties, and being outshot 11-8.

The second period would be played almost entirely in the Lightning defensive zone. Mellen made some of his best saves in the period to maintain the Upper Montgomery lead. There were several goal mouth scrambles where the defense blocked shots, shots went wide of the net, and Mellen was there to rob Vikings forwards with great saves. He even endured a goalie interference penalty to Viking’s star center Charlie Allen. At the end of the second period, the Lightning still led 1-0, while being outshot 20-2 in the period.

On the second shift of the third period, the Lightning lead would grow to 2-0. Off of a defensive zone faceoff loss, James Botti hustled out to the point to knock the puck loose from the Vikings defense. Cupples collected the puck just inside the Lightning defensive zone and skated the puck through neutral ice and into the Vikings defensive zone. He passed cross ice to James Botti. Botti collected the puck with two Viking defenders covering him and got off a backhand shot on net. Crichton made a stick save. The puck squirted away from his catching glove over to Cupples before he could freeze the puck. Cupples took a stride to the right near the right goal post and centered the puck back into the slot where Cameron had driven the net. Cameron was in perfect position to volley the puck into the left side of the net past the outstretched leg pad of Crichton.

Over the next ten minutes of action the Lightning did an excellent job of playing positional defense and limiting the Vikings. There were minimal high scoring chances and the Vikings found it difficult to escape the defensive pressure being applied by Upper Montgomery. It was only off of a crazy carom with three and a half minutes remaining in the game that the Vikings would get on the board. Allen skated the puck into the Lightning defensive zone. He took a shot from the top of the circles in the center of the ice. The shot went several feet wide of the net and hit the back boards on its side. Rather than continuing into the corner and up the right wing boards, the puck ricocheted back into the slot past the Lightning defense who were headed to chase down the puck in the corner, gain possession, and clear the zone. All alone in front with a wide open net, Viking’s winger Teddy Hauptman scored to cut the Upper Montgomery lead to 2-1.

It made for a nerve wracking last 3:28 for the Lightning faithful in attendance. Upper Montgomery did not let the bad bounce affect them and they went right back to playing pressure defense. As the minutes and seconds on the clock wound down, with each defensive zone clear, the Lightning gained momentum. When the Vikings pulled Crichton from net for the extra attacker, James Botti gained control of the puck behind the Upper Montgomery net. With great individual effort, he pinched the puck against the boards for twenty seconds running off precious time. The Lightning faced a defensive zone faceoff with 24.8 seconds left. Jacobson won the draw and the Lightning immediately iced the puck. With 18.5 seconds left, off the next defensive zone faceoff, the Lightning lost this draw and immediately pressured the puck. The Vikings were unable to penetrate the interior of the Lightning defense and could not get into the high scoring areas. The puck stayed to the exterior along the boards until it was sent back to the left point with 7.3 seconds remaining. The point shot hit a Vikings forward in front and deflected into the right corner where Benedick outraced the Vikings and fired the puck out of the zone and down ice. As the final seconds ticked off, the Lightning poured off the bench in celebration skating over to congratulate Mellen on his season defining performance.

Game Notes:

  • The victory over Whitman was the Lightning’s first win over a division one opponent.
  • The Lightning were outshot by the Vikings by a wide margin, 40-17.
  • Will Mellen lowered his goals against average to 1.40 and increased his save percentage to .932.
  • The Lightning penalty kill killed off all three Vikings powerplays and is now 27 of 30 on the season, 90.0%.
  • The Lightning powerplay went one for two and is now 7 of 30 on the season, 23.3%.
  • The Lightning picked up their fourth straight victory and are unbeaten in their last five games 4-0-1.
  • The Lightning are next in action after winter break on Friday, January 7th at 9:00 pm at Rockville Ice Area for a game against the Wilson Stars.

Three Stars of the Game:

First Star—Will Mellen—Upper Montgomery Goalie—Win, 1 GAA, 39 saves, .975 save percentage
Second Star—George Benedick—Upper Montgomery Defense–-1 Goal
Third Star—Hunter Cameron—Upper Montgomery Forward—Game Winning Goal, 1 Assist

Junior Varsity Frederick County Game Preview

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The Upper Montgomery Lightning junior varsity team returns to action on Wednesday evening, December 29th versus Frederick County for a non-conference matchup over the winter holiday break. Game time is 7:45 pm at Skate Frederick. The team will be looking to bounce back after losing its last two games, against Walter Johnson and in a very strong effort against Wootton. Wootton was granted permission to play a varsity goalie who plays AA level travel hockey because of COVID protocols. The Lightning junior varsity squad is now 2-3 in league play, and 2-4-1 overall on the season. Frederick County comes into the game with a 1-3 record, a three-game losing streak, and talent that is better than their record.

In net for the Lightning will be Landon Bernard who will be looking to continue his strong season. Through the first seven games of the season, Bernard has a respectable goals against average of 3.65 and a save percentage of .858. Removing the game against Landon School where the junior varsity played a varsity level team, Bernard’s goals against average would be 2.72 and his save percentage would be .886. His strong play has kept the Lightning in games and has given the team an opportunity to win every game. For the FCC, Conner Langston will be in net. Langston has the ability to play very well, but inconsistencies on defense in front of him have hampered the FCC.

On defense the Lightning have been skating with four defenders. Young junior varsity defenders Cole Howerton and Patrick Sell have continued to develop. Howerton has been effective at rushing the puck up the ice. Sell has been a defensive defender who has been gaining confidence and becoming more comfortable with first pass breakouts. Anticipate that two varsity student athletes will once again play down to provide a stabilizing influence for the young defense and demonstrate the compete level necessary to bring home a victory. Upper Montgomery will need to keep track of Trent Wivell who leads the FCC with four goals and seven points in four games.

Offensively, the Lightning have been getting just enough scoring to remain competitive. Josh Miller leads the team with four goals but has been held scoreless in the last two games. Josh Nadler will return to the lineup after missing the last two games. He has scored three goals on the season, but none in the past four games. Brandon Bernard has produced as of late with two goals and two assists, and then the scoring thins considerably. The Lightning very much need additional depth scoring if they are going to beat Frederick County. Wednesday’s game begins a finishing stretch of four games leading up to the opening round of the junior varsity playoffs.

Junior Varsity Wootton Game Preview

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After a disappointing loss to Walter Johnson, the Upper Montgomery Lightning junior varsity team returns to action on Tuesday afternoon versus Wootton. Game time is 4:50 pm at the Laurel Ice Gardens. This will be the second of three straight days of afternoon games for the junior varsity. The team will be looking to bounce back after losing a late lead against the Wildcats. The squad is now 2-2 in league play, and 2-3-1 overall on the season.

As with Monday’s contest, the outcome of the game may come down to three factors. First, which student athletes from both teams are available to play due to the recent uptick in COVID cases in Montgomery County. Second, how well does Upper Montgomery clamp down defensively as Wootton has struggled to score this season. Lastly, which goalie will be in net for the Patriots, varsity senior AA level netminder Julian Piche or inexperienced Logan Simmons.

In net for the Lightning will be Landon Bernard who will be looking to bounce right back from Monday’s defeat. Bernard’s performance in net will determine the outcome of the game. His strong play of late will need to continue for the Lightning to have an opportunity to win.

On defense the Lightning will likely skate with four defenders. Andrew Gean and Stephen Shkeda will play down from varsity to be a stabilizing influence for young Lightning junior varsity defender Patrick Sell. It is expected that Cole Howerton will miss the game. A rotation of forwards will skate shifts on defense. Pairings are expected to be Gean with Sell and Shkeda with the forward rotation. The defense will be looking to stymie the Patriots forwards who have tallied only 7 goals in 4 games this season.

Offensively, the Lightning are getting just enough scoring. Josh Miller leads the team with four goals. Josh Nadler who is likely to miss the games this week has scored three goals. Brandon Bernard has two goals and two assists, and then the scoring thins considerably. The Lightning very much need additional depth scoring if they are going to beat Wootton. The young Lightning squad should not be overconfident. The team needs to play as they have been in the early games of the season to be successful and continue to come away with victories.

Junior Varsity Walter Johnson Game Preview

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The Upper Montgomery Lightning junior varsity team returns to action on Monday afternoon versus Walter Johnson after Sunday’s game versus Northwest was rescheduled for late January. Game time is 4:00 pm at Wheaton Ice Rink. This will be the first of three straight days of afternoon games for the junior varsity and will help identify how close to the top of the conference standings the team will climb. Coming off of a big victory over Quince Orchard/Sherwood’s combined team, the Lightning are now 2-1 in league play, and 2-2-1 overall on the season. Currently in fourth place in the league standings, the junior varsity will be looking for a lot of points this week to advance up the league standings.

The outcome of the game may come down to two factors. First, which student athletes from both teams are available to play due to the recent uptick in COVID cases in Montgomery County. Second, how well does Upper Montgomery clamp down defensively as Walter Johnson has struggled to score this season, with only two goals scored in their first three games. Inexperienced Becca Freda has been solid in net thus far for the Wildcats.

In net for the Lightning will be Landon Bernard, coming off two consecutive victories over Quince Orchard/Sherwood and recently his first career varsity victory against the West Virginia Vipers. Bernard’s performance in net the past few games has been key to Upper Montgomery coming away with victories. He will need to continue his strong play in goal once again for the Lightning to win.

On defense the Lightning will likely skate with four defenders. George Benedick will play down from varsity to be a stabilizing influence for the young Lightning junior varsity defense of Patrick Sell and Cole Howerton. It is anticipated that a rotation of forwards will skate some shifts on defense. Pairings are expected to be Benedick with Sell and Howerton with the forward rotation. The defense will be looking to stymie the Wildcat forwards. Thus far on the season, excluding the Landon non-conference game, the Lightning have limited the opposition to a paltry two goals a game.

Offensively, the Lightning are getting just enough scoring. Josh Miller leads the team with four goals. Josh Nadler who is likely to miss the games this week has scored three goals. Brandon Bernard has two goals, and then the scoring thins considerably. The Lightning very much need additional depth scoring if they are going to beat Walter Johnson. The young Lightning squad should not be overconfident. The team needs to play as they have been in the early games of the season to be successful and come away with victories.

Whitman Game Preview

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The Upper Montgomery Lightning return to action this Friday evening versus Whitman at 9:10 pm at Rockville Ice Arena. New spectator protocols will be in place for the game and all Lightning supporters are encouraged to arrive early and allow extra time to enter the ice surface. The cross divisional game will be a key test to see how far the young Upper Montgomery squad has come over the past month. The Lightning are undefeated in their last four games with a 3-0-1 record and now have an overall record of 3-3-1 on the season. Presently, the Lightning occupy one of the final berths in the season-ending Montgomery Hockey Conference post season playoff tournament. The Vikings are a more experienced team and will provide a good barometer as to how competitive the Lightning will be in their three remaining cross divisional games versus Richard Montgomery, Sherwood, and St. Johns.

In net for Upper Montgomery will be Will Mellen. Mellen will get the starting nod with Landon Bernard getting the net on Sunday night for the junior varsity game. In his last two games, Mellen has allowed just one goal and his goals against average for the season is a paltry 1.51. The Lightning defense is a big reason why.

Upper Montgomery’s defense will have to contain the skilled Vikings forwards. The Vikings have ten travel level forwards. Whitman is led on offense by a defender, Charlie Allen, who has 6 goals and 4 assists in 7 games. Second leading scorer Samuel Van Leeuwen has 2 goals and 4 assists in 6 games, while Walter Ingis has scored 3 goals in 6 games. With a full complement on defense; James Botti, George Benedick, Ethan Hockey, Andrew Gean, and Andrew Botti, look for the team to be rock solid on defense even while playing against tougher competition. The Lightning are averaging giving up only 2.71 goals per game and that includes the Blair game in which the Blazers scored 7 goals. Without that one poor defensive outing, the team’s goals against average would be 2.00. The Upper Montgomery penalty kill continues to excel and has killed off 21 of 24 shorthanded situations on the season, 87.5%.

The Lightning’s offense has come to life over the past few games. The team is now averaging 4.71 goals per game. Upper Montgomery’s top line of Chris Hassett, Ryan Jacobson, and Nathan Cassel have led the way tallying 25 of the 33 goals scored by the team thus far on the season. They have been on fire lately with hat-tricks in three consecutive games; two by Hassett and one by Cassell last game versus Northwest. The Lightning received more balanced scoring against the Jaguars with the second line chipping in two goals. Against Whitman all three lines will need to play well for the team to be successful. The Whitman defense contains four AA level travel student athletes. It might be tough sledding for the young Lightning to put many goals past expected starting goalie Reed Crichton.

Friday’s game will likely come down to how well the top line can produce against better competition, if the Lightning defense can continue to remain stingy, and can Will Mellen keep the Lightning in the game by making big stops at key moments in the game. It should be a good one on Friday night and probably low scoring. An upset victory over the Vikings would almost certainly provide the Lightning with enough quality performances to all but guarantee a playoff berth.

Junior Varsity Northwest Game Preview

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Coming off their most complete game of the season, a 6-2 win over top conference opponent Rockville, the Upper Montgomery Lightning junior varsity team returns to action on Sunday night versus Northwest. Game time is 7:20 pm at Skate Frederick. This will be the second to last game of the season for the junior varsity who are now 3-3 in conference play and 3-4-2 on the season. The Lightning need to finish the season strong to gain ground in the conference standings and avoid having to play in the opening round of the junior varsity post season playoff tournament.

The outcome of the game may come down to three factors. First, which student athletes from both teams are available to play due to the recent uptick in COVID cases in Montgomery County. Second, will any of the Upper Montgomery student athletes have travel team conflicts with the Sunday night game. And third, how well does Upper Montgomery handle Northwest’s best student athlete, do everything defender Brady Graham who is a standout on the Jaguars varsity team. Graham leads the Montgomery Hockey Conference junior varsity student athletes with eleven goals in six games. In net for the Jaguars will be inexperienced Joseph Dean who is 3-3-1 on the season with a 3.55 goals against average and a low save percentage of .763%.

In net for the Lightning will be Landon Bernard, coming off a strong outing versus the Rams giving up only two goals. His strong play in goal was one of the main reasons for the win. Bernard’s performance in net against Northwest and particularly Graham will be key to Upper Montgomery coming away with a second straight victory.

On defense the Lightning will likely skate with four defenders. Stephen Shkeda will play down from varsity to be a stabilizing influence for the young Lightning junior varsity defense of Patrick Sell and Cole Howerton. It is anticipated that a rotation of forwards will skate some shifts on defense. Pairings are expected to be Shkeda with Sell and Howerton with the forward rotation. The defense will be looking to stymie Graham as well as the rest of the Jaguars forwards.

Offensively, the Lightning’s offense has begun to kick into gear. With eleven goals in its last two games, the team is finally getting more balanced scoring to take the pressure off the defense. Brandon Bernard leads the team in scoring (8 GP, 4 G, 6 A). Bradley Cupples, coming off a strong game versus Rockville with two goals and an assist, is next with (6 GP, 3 G, 4 A). Joshua Miller leads the team with five goals in nine games including several outstanding breakaway goals. Josh Nadler has chipped in and scored three goals so far in his first high school season. Then, the scoring thins considerably. The Lightning need the additional depth scoring to continue if they are going to beat Northwest. Controlling Brady Graham will be the primary key, and if successful, the Lightning will earn their fourth win of the season.

Complete Team Effort Leads Lightning Past Northwest

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The Upper Montgomery Lightning played their most complete game of the season in Friday night’s 6-1 dismantling of the Northwest Jaguars. The top line continued to provide offense. The second line contributed two goals. The third and fourth lines dominated puck possession in the Northwest defensive zone. The defense locked down against Northwest limiting quality chances and Will Mellen made important saves when called upon. All in all, a great team effort. The win was the third consecutive victory for the Lightning and evened their season record at 3-3-1. The win was immensely important for the season ending Montgomery Hockey Conference postseason playoff tournament as the Lightning now hold one of the final playoff positions with five league games left in the regular season.

The Lightning pressured right from the opening faceoff creating chance after chance in the Jaguars zone. Outside of Jaguars forward Evan Steinberg and offensive defender Brady Graham, the Jaguars had no answer for the Lightning. Northwest only had two quality chances to score during the game. Halfway through the opening period, Lightning goalie Will Mellen made a nice save off of a backhand shot by Steinberg on a one-on-one rush. That save seemed to energize Upper Montgomery and it felt like it would only be a matter of time before the Lightning would beat Jaguars goalie Jonah Boles.

Two minutes later the Lightning would grab the lead. After a faceoff win in the offensive zone, Chris Hassett controlled the puck in the left corner. He passed the puck into the slot to Nathan Cassel. Cassel’s shot was saved by Boles and the rebound went in front up the slot area to Ryan Jacobson. Jacobson fired the puck wide of the near post. Cassel picked up the puck skating around the back of the net, and he completed an easy wrap around goal into an empty net for a 1-0 Lightning lead.

The lead would be short lived however. Just a minute later, on a delayed penalty call, Steinberg evened the score. He carried the puck up ice weaving into the Lightning defensive zone. From the bottom of the right faceoff circle, he fired a wrist shot far side past Mellen. The Lightning would score a momentum changing goal in the last minute of the first period. Off of another faceoff win in the Jaguars defensive zone, Bradley Cupples won the draw back to James Botti at the right point. Botti’s shot toward the net was deflected and landed at the feet of Cupples. All in one motion, Cupples turned and shot. The shot was perfectly placed over the right shoulder of Boles and into the top left corner of the net giving the Lightning a lead they would not relinquish. Shots on goal in the first period were Lightning 15 and the Jaguars 5.

Cupples’ goal gave the Lightning momentum they would build upon during the first shift of the second period. The Lightning controlled the puck for a minute and twenty seconds off the opening faceoff of the period. From besides the goal post, Hassett passed the puck back to Andrew Botti at the blue line. Botti’s wrist shot was high and seemed to handcuff Boles. The puck hit off of Boles’ catching glove and landed at the feet of Cassel who finished the rebound into an open net. For Cassel it was his second goal of the game and gave the Lightning a 3-1 lead.

The lead would grow to 4-1 on another strike by Cassel just three seconds after a penalty to Graham expired. Cupples won the draw to the left of Boles. The puck went right to Cassel in the high slot. His quick wrist shot beat Boles for his first career hat trick. A little under a minute later the Lightning would strike on the power play to stretch the lead. Hassett controlled the puck behind the net. He passed off the boards to Andrew Botti at the left point. Botti bumped the puck to Jacobson at the center point along the blue line. Jacobson’s slapshot went past several skaters and was deflected by Hassett past a screened Boles. Shots on goal in the second period were in favor of the Lightning 13-4.

The third period turned into a shooting gallery against Boles with Lightning totaling 16 shots on goal to the Jaguars 1. The coaching staff rolled all four lines and the three defensive pairings. With five and a half minutes remaining Upper Montgomery would finish off the scoring on a nice passing play. From his own blue line, Hunter Cameron made a rink wide pass to Olivia Robbins in the neutral zone. She entered the Jaguars defensive zone along the right wing and cut toward the middle of the ice. While stick handling she maneuvered around two Jaguars defenders sliding the puck over to Cameron who had hustled up the ice. In alone, Cameron wristed the puck high glove side to beat Boles for the final score of the game.

Game Notes:

  • Several Lightning student athletes had multiple point games; Nathan Cassel–3 Goals, Chris Hassett–1 Goal, 2 Assists, Ryan Jacobson–2 Assists, Andrew Botti–2 Assists, Bradley Cupples—1 Goal, 1 Assist.
  • This was the third straight game a Lightning student athlete scored a hat trick.
  • The Lightning outshot the Jaguars by a wide margin, 44-10.
  • Will Mellen lowered his goals against average to 1.51.
  • The Lightning penalty kill is 21 of 24 on the season, 87.5%.
  • The Lightning powerplay is 6 of 28 on the season, 21.4%.
  • The Lightning picked up their third straight victory and are unbeaten in their last four games 3-0-1.
  • The Lightning are next in action on Friday, December 17th at 9:10 pm at Rockville Ice Area for an important cross division game versus Whitman.

Three Stars of the Game:

First Star—Nathan Cassel—Upper Montgomery Forward—3 Goals
Second Star—Chris Hassett—Upper Montgomery Center–-1 Goal, 2 Assists
Third Star—Andrew Botti—Upper Montgomery Defense—2 Assists