Author: chucklevine

The Upper Montgomery Lightning junior varsity came away with an important win over the combined Quince Orchard/Sherwood junior varsity squad Saturday evening at Cabin John Ice Rink. With the 3-2 win, the Lightning are now 2-1 in conference play and 2-2-1 overall. Upper Montgomery currently occupies the fourth spot in the ten team division standings.

The Lightning were led offensively by Josh Miller who had two goals and Brandon Bernard who had a goal and an assist. Landon Bernard stopped 21 of 23 shots for the victory.

The first period was a feeling out period for both teams. For the Lightning there were many rushes up ice that did not materialize into quality scoring chances. For Quince Orchard/Sherwood, there were many rushes up ice with shots that missed the net. The shots on goal at the end of the first period were even at three shots for each team.

The action picked up in the second period. A period in which the Lightning capitalized on their scoring chances. At the 3:22 mark of the second period, the Lightning would take the lead on an unassisted goal by Josh Miller. A Quince Orchard/Sherwood defender tried to skate abound the net with the puck but ran into Miller who was in on the forecheck. Miller stole the puck and fired a wrist shot from below the right faceoff circle high glove side beating Quince Orchard/Sherwood goalie Ryan Stillwell.

A little more than two and a half minutes later the Lightning would double their lead. Once again it was Miller who provided the offense. Off of a faceoff in the Quince Orchard/Sherwood zone, Brandon Bernard won the draw sideways. The puck slid toward the net and over to Miller. In one motion, Miller spun and slid a backhand shot past the leg pads of Stillwell far post. Upper Montgomery almost made it to the second period intermission with its two goal lead. With just eight seconds remaining in the period, and while the teams were skating four on four, Quince Orchard varsity forward Jack Mendelow fired a wrist shot from the left point past Landon Bernard.

Upper Montgomery would quickly reclaim a two goal lead early in the third period. Brandon Bernard received a pass along the blue line in the Lightning defensive zone from Patrik Sell. Bernard skated up the right wing boards, encountered traffic and cut diagonally left into the Quince Orchard/Sherwood offensive zone. From the left faceoff dot, he fired a wrist shot that went past Stillwell and into the net. With the two goal lead restored, the Lightning did an excellent job of holding off Quince Orchard/Sherwood and the two varsity student athletes they had playing in the game. The Lightning surrendered only five shots on goal during the third period. Mendelow would close out the scoring with an unassisted shorthanded goal off of a rush up ice with 1:37 remaining in the game. That goal would provide some nervous moments over the final minute and a half of the game for the Lightning faithful in attendance. Quince Orchard/Sherwood pushed to tie the game with Stillwell pulled for an extra forward. In the end, Upper Montgomery had enough to hold strong and claim a hard fought victory.

Game Notes:

• Josh Miller leads the team with four goals in five games.
• The Lightning powerplay was 0-5 in the game and is now 0-16 on the season.
• Once again, the Lightning gave up a late short-handed goal.
• Shots on goal; Upper Montgomery 15, Quince Orchard/Sherwood 23.
• The Lightning junior varsity is next in action on Sunday, December 19 at 7:20 pm facing off against Northwest at Skate Frederick.

Three Stars of the Game:

First Star—Josh Miller—Upper Montgomery Forward—2 Goals
Second Star—Jack Mendelow—Quince Orchard/Sherwood Forward—2 Goals
Third Star—Brandon Bernard—Upper Montgomery Center—1 Goal, 1 Assist

The Upper Montgomery first line dominated in Friday night’s victory over the West Virginia Vipers.  The forward line of Chris Hassett, Ryan Jacobson, and Nathan Cassel was on fire accounting for all six goals in the 6-3 Lightning win.  There was plenty to be happy with as the Lightning defense did a good job for most of the game holding the Vipers in check and Landon Bernard notched his first career varsity victory in goal.  With the win the Lightning are now 2-3-1 on the season and are unbeaten in their last three games 2-0-1.

The Lightning jumped on top early in the game scoring at the 6:20 mark of the opening period.  Chris Hassett collected an errant Vipers pass in the defensive zone.  He passed wide on the left wing to Ryan Jacobson and they skated up ice on a two on two rush. From the left face off dot, Jacobson returned the puck to Hassett in the high slot and he buried a shot low to the glove side on Vipers goalie Libby Contrael to give the Lightning the lead.

The early lead would not last long. Two minutes later the Vipers would even the score.  Off of a bad turnover in the Lightning defensive zone, Vipers forward Logan Gochenauer skated down the slot with a clean look at the net and he beat Bernard over the glove hand to even the score at one.  The Lightning did not get down. The team shrugged off the error and re-took the lead on the very next shift. 

After a lengthy shift by the top line in the Vipers defensive zone, Hassett pressured the Vipers defense causing a routine pass that was intended to go behind the net to deflect off of his stick. The puck caromed at a crazy angle and snuck past an unsuspecting Contrael to put the Lightning back in front.  Shortly thereafter, the lead would grow to 3-1. Cassel dumped the puck into the Vipers defensive zone and followed the puck in on the forecheck. Under pressure, the Vipers defense rimmed the puck around the boards where it was intercepted by Jacobson along the half wall. Jacobson dished the puck to Cassel as he was skating toward the high slot. With the puck on his backhand, Cassel spun 180 degrees toward the net and fired the puck low glove side to beat Contrael.

The Vipers would close the margin to one with a goal midway through the second period. A turnover on the breakout hemmed the Lightning in the defensive zone. Eventually, a shot from the point was deflected by Zach Schulman in front of the net and past Bernard. Two minutes after that goal, the Vipers would go on the game’s first power play. But, it would turn out to be the Lightning that would strike again. A horrible zone breakout pass by the Vipers went up the slot and directly to Hassett who was applying mild zone pressure on the penalty kill. Hassett skated in alone on Contrael and easily beat her short side, high glove. The goal capped off his second consecutive hat trick with another unassisted goal and gave the Lightning back a two goal lead at 4-2.

The two goal lead would not last very long. The Vipers would again close within one goal with 2:13 left in the second period. A breakaway by Vipers forward John Stoner was saved by Bernard. However, Vipers forward Kevin Harris beat the Lightning backcheck up ice and he tapped the puck into a wide open net from inside the crease. On the very next shift, Jacobson would extend the Lightning’s lead with his own unassisted goal. Using his speed, Jacobson again chased down the puck on the half wall in the Vipers defensive zone. He cycled down into the right corner. As he cut to the front of the net he encountered traffic. He stayed strong on the puck, collected himself, and fired a wrist shot low glove side to beat Contrael.

The third period turned into a defensive stalemate as each team’s shot total decreased. The Lightning limited the Vipers to only three shots on goal in the third period, a period where they were pushing to get back in the game. Three Vipers minor penalties contributed to their lack of offense and the third penalty would prove to one too many. Off the ensuing faceoff, Hassett came out of a scrum with the puck. He backhanded the puck to Cassel in the left faceoff circle for a one time slap shot that beat Vipers backup goalie Josh Kuntz with 2:38 left in the game. Upper Montgomery was able to easily close out the game and Bernard had a well earned first varsity victory.

Game Notes:

• All three Lightning first line forwards all had multi-point games; Chris Hassett (3 goals, 1 assists), Ryan Jacobson (1 goal, 2 assists), and Nathan Cassel (2 goals).
• The Lightning picked up their second straight victory and are unbeaten in their last three games 2-0-1.
• Landon Bernard notched his first career varsity victory.
• The Upper Montgomery first line has been on the ice for 13 of the last 15 goals scored by the Lightning.
• The Lightning are next in action on Friday, December 10th at 8:50 pm at Rockville Ice Area for an important divisional game versus Northwest.

Three Stars of the Game:

First Star—Chris Hassett—Upper Montgomery Center—3 Goals, 1 Assist
Second Star—Ryan Jacobson—Upper Montgomery Forward–-1 Goal, 2 Assists
Third Star—Nathan Cassel—Upper Montgomery Forward—2 Goals

The Upper Montgomery Lightning junior varsity played with heart and determination in Tuesday afternoon’s game versus Landon, but could not overcome the significant difference in talent. Playing up in competition against a more talented opponent in Landon (private school junior varsity teams are allowed to play a higher caliber student athlete), the Lightning lost 9-0.

The beginning of the game was tightly contested before the Bears broke the scoreless tie 8:30 into the contest on a goal by Landon center P. Oeskovich. That goal opened the flood gates as Landon would go on to score three more times before the end of the first period. Inside the defensive zone, the Lightning defended well, but were beaten up ice on several occasions for rush goals. Upper Montgomery goalie Landon Bernard was left one-on-one with Landon shooters far too often. Shots on goal in the first period were 15-3 in favor of Landon.

The Lightning played well once again in the second period, allowing only one goal. Landon Bernard (33 saves) made some incredible and acrobatic saves to keep the Lightning in the game. In the middle of the period, Upper Montgomery center Henry Honacki had a breakaway chance that was foiled by Landon goalie J. Licalsi, who would make six saves in his shutout victory.

In the third period the Lightning tired against the Bears pressure surrendering four more goals, two at the beginning of the period and two at the end of the period when the teams were just playing out the clock.

Game Notes:

• The Lightning special teams fizzled. The power play was 0-6 in the game including a 5-3 opportunity.
• The Lightning gave up their first power play goal of the season.
• The Lightning gave up a late short-handed goal.
• Shots on goal; Upper Montgomery 6, Landon 42.
• The game was played with three 15-minute periods, rather than the standard junior varsity 12-minute periods.
• The Lightning junior varsity is next in action on Saturday, December 11 at 6:30 pm facing off versus Sherwood/Quince Orchard at Cabin John Ice Rink.

Three Stars of the Game:

First Star—P. Oeskovich—Landon Center—2 Goals, 1 Assist
Second Star—C. Binner—Landon Forward—2 Goals
Third Star—Landon Bernard—Upper Montgomery Goalie—33 Saves

The Upper Montgomery Lightning won their first game of the season Tuesday evening easily beating Wilson. The game was not competitive right from puck drop as the Lightning’s first line of Ryan Jacobson, Chris Hassett, and Nathan Cassel dominated against the over-matched Stars in the 9-0 shutout victory. With the victory Upper Montgomery is likely to rise in the league rankings ahead of the release of the cross division games scheduled for the second half of the season.

The Lightning got off to a fast start pressuring the Stars right from the first shift of the game. A shot from the point by Andrew Gean deflected into the right corner where it was retrieved by Chris Hassett. Hassett centered the puck to Nathan Cassel who tried a between the legs shot that went over the net. Hassett again retrieved the puck this time in the left corner and he curled into the slot. His wrist shot to the top of the net, high glove side, beat Stars netminder Jack Kobil. Three minutes later the Lightning would up the lead to 2-0 on a goal by Cassel. Off the cycle in the left offensive corner, Hassett fed the point to James Botti. Botti returned the puck down the boards to Hassett who centered the puck to Cassel cutting down the slot. Cassel wasted no time and fired a wrist shot high blocker side past Kobil. Before the first period was over, the Lightning would increase the lead to 3-0. Off of a defensive zone faceoff, Bradley Cupples and Hunter Cameron would use teamwork to find the back of the net. Cupples advanced the puck into the neutral zone where it caromed off of a Stars defender and right back to him. A short, quick pass found Cameron cutting into the Stars defensive zone along the right wing. Cameron skated wide around the Stars defense. From the off wing he shot high blocker side into the far top corner of the net to provide the Lightning a comfortable lead. A dominant period for the Lighting saw them outshoot Wilson 20-0.

The second period saw more of the same. The Lightning controlled the pace of play and all of the action was in the Stars defensive zone. Shots on goal in the second period finished 18-1 Lightning. The Lightning’s first line took control of the period applying heavy pressure and backchecking hard to cause multiple turnovers in the neutral zone which led to quick transition rushes. Off of the only Stars shot of the period, James Botti rimmed the puck from the back of the Lightning net and up the left wing boards to Hassett. Hassett outskated the Stars down the ice and fed the puck in front to Jacobson who was driving the net. Jacobson outmuscled the Stars defender and swatted the puck into the net on his forehand. Three minutes later the score would jump to 5-0 on Josh Miller’s first varsity goal for the Lightning. Brandon Bernard backchecked to win the puck against the left wing boards in the Stars defensive zone. He gained control of the puck and skated around the net. As he reached the bottom of the right circle, he passed to James Botti at the point. Botti skated down into the top of the right faceoff circle and passed cross crease to Miller who was wide open at the far post. Miller settled the puck and shot low blocker side past Kobil. The final goal of the second period was fueled by more hard work by the top line. Hassett won the puck at center ice. He dished the puck wide to Jacobson along the left wing boards. Jacobson entered the zone and centered to Hassett. Hassett passed wide to Cassel coming down the right wing with a clear path to the net. As he was about to shoot, Cassel passed back to Hassett directly in front of the net for an easy tap in goal. Most of the remainder of the second period was spent with the Stars on the power play as the Lighting had no trouble killing off a double minor roughing penalty to Cupples.

The third period was a continuation of the first thirty minutes of action. Lightning pressure, shots on Kobil (42 saves), and three more goals. Off of an offensive zone faceoff, Hassett controlled the puck. He skated around the net and up the left wing boards. He cycled the puck back to Jacobson in the corner. Jacobson spun away from two defender and fed the point to George Benedick who fired a wrist shot on Kobil. The rebound bounced into the slot and Hassett controlled it, stepped one stride to the right to get around Kobil, and deposited a short forehand shot into the net. With 4:30 seconds left in the game, Gean would score to increase the lead to 8-0. After a zone entry, the Stars defense attempted to clear the puck under pressure from Cassel. The puck was kept in at the right point by Gean. He fired a quick shot toward the net which deflected off the Stars defense in front and past Kobil glove side for his first goal of the season. A minute later Hassett would finish off the scoring. Benedick took possession of the puck in the Lightning defensive zone. He skated up the left wing and into the offensive zone. He cut to the middle of the ice and lost the puck under defensive pressure. The puck slid right to Hassett who shot far side past Kobil’s blocker and into the net. The Stars were given a late power play with fifteen second left in the game after a roughing penalty to Josh Nadler, his second penalty of the period. Off a goal mouth scramble in front of Will Mellen, the Stars had three of their four shots on goal in the period as they attempted to avoid being shutout.

Game Notes:

• All three Lightning first line forwards all had multi-point games; Chris Hassett (4 goals, 2 assists), Nathan Cassel (1 goal, 2 assists), and Ryan Jacobson (1 goal, 2 assists).
• The Lightning picked up their first win of the season.
• Jack Kobil made 42 saves for the Stars.
• Will Mellen had his first shutout of the season, lowering his goals against average to 1.67.
• Josh Miller scored his first varsity goal for the Lightning in the second period.
• Shots on goal; Upper Montgomery 51, Wilson Stars 5. Shots on goal after two periods were 38-1.
• Upper Montgomery had zero power play opportunities.
• The Upper Montgomery penalty kill was a perfect 5-5.
• The game had a running clock from the 5:32 mark of the second period until the end of the game once the score reached 6-0.
• The Lightning are next in action on Friday, December 3rd at 8:15 pm at Cabin John Ice Rink for a non-conference game versus the West Virginia Vipers.

Three Stars of the Game:

First Star—Chris Hassett—Upper Montgomery Center—4 Goals, 2 Assists
Second Star—Nathan Cassel—Upper Montgomery Forward–-1 Goal, 2 Assists
Third Star—Ryan Jacobson—Upper Montgomery Forward—1 Goal, 2 Assists

The Upper Montgomery Lightning junior varsity squad dominated Glenelg this past Friday afternoon but left Skate Frederick with a single point after a 3-3 tie in the non-conference game. The junior varsity next faces Landon after the Thanksgiving holiday.

Friday’s game was an early 3:30 pm start which made it difficult for all student athletes to arrive at the rink on time for the start of the game. The Lightning began the game without a goalie in net. James Hyman played a sweeper role in front of the net for the first 3:30 of the game. During the time when the Lightning played with six skaters, they took the play to Glenelg. Unfortunately, the only rush up ice for the Gladiators resulted in a goal. A centering pass from the corner into the high slot area took an unlucky bounce off of T.J. Gottesman’s stick and deflected into the wide open net just 1:12 into the contest.

The Lightning would strike back right away, just 33 seconds later. Hyman swept the puck from in front of the net to Bradley Cupples along the right wing board in the defensive zone. Josh Miller read the play and streaked up the middle of the ice on a zone breakout. Cupples hit Miller in stride with a deft pass and Miller outraced the defense breaking in alone against Gladiator netminder Zain Huda. A quick fake to the backhand left Miller with an empty net in which to deposit the puck to even the score. Shots on goal in the first period were 11 to 3 in favor of the Lightning.

The second period saw more Lightning domination. Entire shifts were played in the Gladiators defensive zone. Shots on goal in the second period would be 14 to 1 Lightning. Upper Montgomery would jump on top for the first time on a Josh Nadler goal with 4:30 seconds left in the period. Adam Levine made a nifty backhand pass from the left circle to Gottesman who was alone in front of Huda. Gottesman’s shot from in tight went off of Huda’s pads and bounced around in front of the goal. Nadler found the puck in the low slot and banged it home through numerous legs and sticks.

The Lightning went defensive in the third period in an attempt to close out the win. At the very beginning of the period Thomas Seaman tied the game for the Gladiators with a goal assisted by Adam Roesler. Just 29 seconds in and Glenelg had life after being badly outplayed for the first two periods.

Soon thereafter, the Lightning went on the power play after Roesler was caught elbowing Levine while they were battling for puck possession along the boards in the Lightning defensive zone. The Lightning were unable to convert on the power play and then took two straight undisciplined penalties in the offensive zone. On the first penalty, Cupples was called for a retaliatory slash while sitting on the ice after a collision just inside the Gladiators blue line. During the ensuing penalty kill, Brandon Bernard took possession of the puck on the right side of the Lightning defensive zone. He skated up and across the ice through the neutral zone and into the left wing of the Gladiators defensive zone. At the bottom of the faceoff circle he uncorked a sharp wrist shot that fooled Huda to the short side giving the Lightning the lead once again.

After killing off the penalty to Cupples, the Lightning were right back on the penalty kill as Henry Honacki took a holding penalty while battling Roesler in the corner to the left of Huda with 3:35 remaining in the game. The Lightning penalty kill was up to the task and killed off their third short handed situation of the game.

The Gladiators called timeout with 1:39 seconds left in the game to discuss strategy and pulled Huda for an extra skater. After the Lightning cleared the defensive zone, Roesler controlled the puck at center ice. He skated toward the Lightning defensive zone and tripped as he approached the blue line. The puck squirted through the Lightning defenders and Roesler collected the puck as he regained his footing. He released a wrist shot through a screen and into the top corner of the net to tie the game with 1:11 remaining. The Lightning would get one final chance as they went to an abbreviated power play at the end of the game, but could not put another one past Huda.

Game Notes:

• Josh Nadler scored his team leading third goal of the season.
• Josh Miller scored his second goal of the season, both on breakaways.
• Shots on goal; Upper Montgomery 29, Glenelg 12.
• For the season the Lightning penalty kill is 6-6.
• For the season the Lightning power play is 0-5.
• The Lightning junior varsity is next in action on Tuesday, November 30 at 5:45 pm facing Landon at Rockville Ice Arena.

Three Stars of the Game:

First Star—Zain Huda—Glenelg Goalie—26 saves
Second Star—Adam Roesler—Glenelg Defense–Game Tying Goal, 1 Assist
Third Star—Brandon Bernard—Upper Montgomery Forward—Short Handed Goal