Friday, January 31, 2025, will go down in the annals of the Upper Montgomery Lightning hockey program as one of the weirdest days in program history. The day resulted in two games with undesirable outcomes. The Upper Montgomery varsity squad was scheduled to face off against the BCC Barons at 8:10 pm in an opening round game of the Montgomery Hockey Conference playoff tournament. Two hours before the drop of the puck Lightning varsity goalie, sophomore 16U AA Ilan Shterenberg became ill. Upper Montgomery’s junior varsity goalie Porter Stutsrim-Lyons would have to step in and make his first ever varsity start in net. Stutsrim-Lyons, a ninth grade 14U Lower A goalie, was already scheduled to play in the Lightning junior varsity’s semifinal playoff game across town at Cabin John Ice Rink at 10:00 pm later in the evening. It is never optimal to have a goaltender play two games in one day and certainly not back-to-back with travel across town in a driving rain storm in between.
Then, as both teams were looking to have the varsity game start as soon as possible (both teams had junior varsity playoff semifinal games directly after the varsity game), the Rockville Ice Arena zamboni driver caused the zamboni to malfunction taking a chunk out of the ice while simultaneously dropping a mound of snow in the far corner of the ice surface. So, rather than beginning the varsity game at 8:10 pm, the game did not begin until 8:35 pm. The twenty-five minute delay wrecking havoc for later in the evening for the student athletes traveling and playing in both games.
Once the game finally began, over the first seven minutes Upper Montgomery adhered to the game plan of defense first, protecting the zone around Stutsrim-Lyons’s net, and getting the puck back to neutral ice at any cost. This style of play best suits Upper Montgomery contributing to a well played first fifteen minutes by the green and gold. At the eight minute mark of the opening period, Upper Montgomery jumped to the lead just after an amazing diving save by Stustrim-Lyons on BCC defender Jacob Reitz.
From an offensive zone faceoff from the right faceoff circle, Upper Montgomery senior center Josh Nadler won the faceoff back to the right point to ninth grade defender Lillian Robbins. Robbins sent the puck to her left along the blue line to her defensive partner, junior Brady Berkhammer. Berkhammer stickhandled around the approaching BCC forward and fired a wrist shot through traffic at the net. This is something that the coaching staff had been working on with Berkhammer all season long, getting more pucks to the front of the net. Berkhammer’s shot was saved by Boyle. The rebound fell to her feet with Nadler standing right where the puck fell. He calmly sent a backhander past Boyle along the ice near post. For Nadler it was his first point on the season which certainly came as a relief. Berkhammer’s primary assist was his fifteenth of the year extended his team lead in helpers. It was necessary depth scoring that the Lightning had been missing for a majority of the season.
A minute after Nadler’s goal, Lightning senior defender Cole Howerton was called for a roughing penalty for standing up an oncoming BCC forward at the blue line. It was a great play by Howerton to thwart the Barons rush up ice. A horrible penalty call by the referees, beginning a theme of the evening. Thankfully, the terrible penalty call did not impact Upper Montgomery as the Lightning penalty killers did an excellent job of clearing out the front of the net to allow Stutsrim-Lyons to see shots clearly. His solid positioning allowed the puck to hit him in the crest of the Lightning logo making several long range stops look easy with no rebounds.
Howerton returned to the ice with five minutes remaining in the first period. A minute later, Upper Montgomery’s active career goals and points leader, senior forward Nathan Cassel increased the Lightning’s lead to 2-0. The Barons dumped the puck down ice into the Upper Montgomery defensive zone. Robbins and BCC forward Ramin Jacobs tied each other up in the corner to Stutsrim-Lyons’s left. Jacobs got loose and passed the puck up the right wing boards to no one. Lightning junior forward Philip Shkeda took possession of the puck skating out of the defensive end of the ice up the right wing toward the BCC goal. Noticing the play developing, Cassel fired up ice to create a two on one rush with Shkeda. Shkeda fired a hard wrist shot from the inner edge of the right faceoff circle. Boyle made the initial save with both her glove and blocker positioned in front of her body. Cassel was there to knock the rebound between her legs five hole to collect his seventh goal of his shortened senior season and his fortieth career tally.
After the goal was scored, at the very beginning of the next shift, Upper Montgomery senior forward TJ Gottesman was called for a charging penalty for boarding a BCC skater along the far wing boards. The Lightning were immediately back on the penalty kill. Gottesman would miss twelve minutes of game action because of the automatic ten minute misconduct penalty that is assessed along with his two minute minor penalty for charging. Upper Montgomery received a bit of a reprieve after only fifty seconds of penalty kill time when BCC’s top defender junior Grady Jiggens was called for tripping in the neutral zone tying to stop a developing two on one rush. Both the Barons and then the Lightning failed to convert on their abbreviated powerplay time.
With under two minutes remaining in the opening period, Nadler was whistled for a hooking penalty. Upper Montgomery led by Stutsrim-Lyons shut the door on BCC to take a 2-0 lead into the first intermission. Nadler’s penalty would carry over into the beginning of the second period by seventeen seconds. Shots on goal in the opening fifteen minutes of action were BCC with twelve and Upper Montgomery with nine. The nine shots on goal were equal to the Lightning’s total for the game against Whitman in their recent regular season conference finale. It was also one more shot on goal than the team’s total earlier in the week against Oakdale in the final regular season contest.
BCC exploded with energy to begin the second period. With the remainder of their powerplay, the Barons pressured in the offensive zone. Stutsrim-Lyons made another key save as Nadler returned to game action. Directly after the Lightning returned to even strength they advanced the puck into the BCC defensive zone. Shkeda sent a pass toward Cassel in the slot that was a fraction behind him. The Barons took possession heading up ice. BCC sophomore forward Brady Page sent the puck to the right wing for Lightning nemesis senior forward Evan Williams. Williams skated into the Upper Montgomery defensive zone where he cut toward the middle of the ice. Williams fired a wrist shot from the high slot that was easily blockered away by Stutsrim-Lyons. Stutsrim-Lyons directed the puck into the left corner out of harm’s way. Page was first in to gather the puck. He sent it back to the left point to Jiggens at the blue line. Jiggens sent the puck over to Williams standing alone in the right faceoff circle. With time and space, Williams unloaded another high wrist shot. This shot went to the far goal post over Stutsrim-Lyons’ blocker into the top left corner of the net. The Barons were back in the game down only 2-1. For Williams it was his thirteenth goal of his final high school season. It was also his seventh and final goal all-time tormenting Upper Montgomery.
BCC carried play for the next several minutes attempting to tally the equalizer. A roughing penalty to Lightning senior center and leading scorer Henry Honacki provided the Barons a prime opportunity. From a faceoff in the right faceoff circle in the offensive zone, Page won the faceoff to the right wing boards. BCC’s leading scorer Leo Alley-Strocher dropped the puck back to Jiggens at the right point. Jiggens sent the puck to his left along the blue line to BCC junior defender Benjamin Lyons. Upper Montgomery’s penalty killers sagged toward the goal allowing Lyons to skate down the slot. As he got closer to the net, he fired a wrist shot past Stutsrim-Lyons to the stick side. Ten seconds into the BCC’s fourth powerplay of the evening the game was tied at two. It was just Lyons’s third goal of the season. With still eleven and a half minutes remaining in the second period the game was tied. BCC had already been awarded four powerplays on the evening. The Lightning had wasted a very well played first period in under four minutes of the second period.
The Upper Montgomery penalties were not done. Ninth grade defender Matt Rivera was penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct for going to the net and stopping near Boyle. No whistle had blown and Rivera was headed in looking for a loose rebound. A penalty never should have been called on the play. Rivera should have been issued at most a warning. It was a terrible officiating decision. Luckily, the fifth BCC powerplay was stymied. The Lightning penalty killers did an excellent job keeping BCC to the exterior. Long range shots were snuffed out by Stutsrim-Lyons with the game remained tied. Seeming to understand their terrible officiating call the referees evened up play with a mysterious hooking call on Page halfway through the BCC extra skater advantage.
With neither team scoring on their condensed powerplays, the teams returned to full strength with six minutes remaining in the middle frame. Both teams played the remainder of the period penalty free, a welcome respite for Upper Montgomery which had been whistled for five minor penalties over the first half of the game. In return, the Lightning had been granted only two truncated very short fragments with the extra skater advantage. The lack of penalties over the balance of the period allowed both teams to find their skating legs. The up and down the ice rushes had fans on the edge of their seats with each team having glorious scoring chances stonewalled by the netminders, BCC’s Boyle and Upper Montgomery’s Stutsrim-Lyons. BCC fired twelve more shots on the Lightning’s goalie bringing their two period total to 24. Upper Montgomery countered with only six shots on Boyle to sit at a two period total of fifteen. Filling in for Shterenberg, Stutsrim-Lyons’s play had been excellent through two periods of playing giving the Lightning everything they could have hoped for.
The teams went toe to toe to begin the third period. Upper Montgomery had made the mistake of allowing BCC to hang around in the game. After trailing by two goals, the Barons were feeling good being tied at two with ten minutes remaining in the game. A BCC rush into the Upper Montgomery offensive zone ended with Lightning sophomore defender Miles Wendland being called for a tripping penalty. A marginal call at best since there was no real scoring threat on the play. It was a call which should never have been made in the third period of a tied playoff game after having already called so many penalties on the Lightning.
As Wendland’s penalty was expiring, BCC took their first lead of the game. From his own defensive zone, Lyons sent an outlet pass to Alley-Strocher to the Upper Montgomery defensive blue line. Alley-Strocher dumped the puck diagonally from the right wing at the blue line high into the left wing corner. The puck was collected and then skated by BCC junior forward Peter Lanpher up the boards towards the left point. Abruptly, he reversed direction and headed back into the left corner. His shot from along the goal line was blocked by the Upper Montgomery defense with the puck moving through the slot all the way to the right corner. Upper Montgomery was able to gain possession of the puck with Robbins stationed behind the Lightning net. In an unlucky situation, while being forechecked by Page, the puck hit a patch of bad ice. Robbins did not fully connect with the puck on her intended outlet pass. The puck was immediately stolen by Alley-Strocher near the Upper Montgomery goal. Alley-Strocher was stonewalled by Stutsrim-Lyons on his first shot, a stuff attempt. The puck settled right back to Alley-Strocher. This time he was patient, taking a step to his right changing the angle of his next shot attempt which went just past an outstretched Stutsrim-Lyons into the open far side of the net. It was Alley-Strocher’s eighteenth goal of the season, none more important than the lead marker with eight minutes remaining in regulation time.
Upper Montgomery had eight minutes to find the equalizer or their goal of qualifying for the state playoffs would end one round earlier than last year. The task became tougher forty-five seconds later when Shkeda was called for Upper Montgomery’s seventh penalty of the game, a cross checking minor. Fifteen seconds later, the task became nearly impossible as Honacki was called for a boarding major for a crushing and dangerous hit in the Upper Montgomery defensive zone. The BCC forward’s head being driven right into the side dasher board separating the boards from the glass. The major penalty dismissed Honacki from the game and will result in Upper Montgomery’s leading scorer missing the Lightning’s next contest.
Showing fight and desperation, Upper Montgomery killed off the five on three disadvantage preventing the Barons from salting away the game. When Shkeda stepped out of the penalty box onto the ice to make BCC’s powerplay a traditional five on four extra skater advantage, the Lightning still had over three more minutes of penalty kill time remaining. With time dwindling away, Upper Montgomery rushed up ice while shorthanded. Several long range stretch passes were tried in an attempt to pot a shorthanded goal to even up the game. Upper Montgomery’s aggressiveness while playing shorthanded did prevent BCC from fully looking to be offensive on their powerplay.
When the penalty kill ended, just over two minutes remained in the game. Having expended so much energy killing off the eight BCC powerplays on the night, the Lightning’s top offensive skaters were tiring. With the teams back at even strength, Upper Montgomery had difficulty getting puck possession in the offensive zone. BCC was fully packed back playing a prevent defense. It took until 27 seconds remained in the game before the Lightning were able to pull Stutsrim-Lyons for the extra attacker. A couple of poor zone entries later and the Barons surrounded Boyle in a large group celebratory hug. BCC will be moving on to face the Walter Johnson Wildcats in a winnable game to advance to the state playoffs.
Upper Montgomery must now shift focus to the quarterfinal round of the Montgomery Hockey Conference Varsity Tournament. This is a playoff bracket for all of the teams that did not make it to the Maryland Student Hockey League state playoffs. The consolation tournament is akin to the NIT college basketball tournament compared with the NCAA college basketball tournament that crowns the national champion. The seedings for the varsity tournament are due to be released next week after the quarterfinal round of the Montgomery Hockey Conference playoffs conclude. The Lightning will have to wipe away the disappointment of the loss to BCC. The team must refocus to snap out of the current five game losing streak to defend their varsity tournament championship from last year.
Game Notes:
- Upper Montgomery was once gain badly outshot. BCC fired 43 shots on Lightning goalie Porter-Stutsrim Lyons while Upper Montgomery countered with 20 shots on Barons goalie Vivienne Boyle.
- Stutsrim-Lyons was making his first varsity start after Upper Montgomery starting varsity goalie Ilan Shterenberg missed the game unexpectedly with an illness.
- Lightning leading scorer, senior center Henry Honacki will miss the Lightning’s next upcoming game serving the automatic one game supplementary discipline suspension for the boarding major penalty and game misconduct he received in the third period.
- Powerplays awarded during the game were eight for BCC and two shortened extra skater advantages for Upper Montgomery.
- Upper Montgomery will now await the release of the seedings for the Montgomery Hockey Conference Varsity Tournament. The Varsity Tournament is for all teams that do not quality for the Maryland Student Hockey League state playoffs. Quarterfinal round games are anticipated to be played on Friday, February 7 or Friday, February 14th.
Three Stars of the Game:
First Star—Porter Stutsrim Lyons—Upper Montgomery Goalie—40 Saves, .930 Save Percentage
Second Star—Leo Alley-Strocher—BCC Center—Game Winning Goal, 1 Assist
Third Star—Grady Jiggens—BCC Defense—2 Assists