Category: Game Previews

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

The Upper Montgomery Lightning junior varsity team returns to action on Saturday night versus Quince Orchard/Sherwood’s combined team. Game time is 6:30 pm at Cabin John Ice Rink. This will be the junior varsity’s first league game in almost five weeks and is against one of the top teams in the league. Quince Orchard/Sherwood is 2-0 on the season and has outscored its opponents by a margin of 9-1. An unknown for both teams will be how many junior varsity eligible student athletes will miss the game due to conflicts with travel team game competitions.

In net for the Lightning will be Landon Bernard, fresh off his first varsity victory last Friday night over the West Virginia Vipers. Bernard’s performance in net was his most complete effort for Upper Montgomery. He will need to be strong in goal once again for the Lightning to win on Saturday evening.

On defense the Lightning will likely dress 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. Stephen Shkeda will also play down from his varsity forward position and play defense Saturday night. Pairings are expected to be Benedick with Sell and Howerton with Shkeda. The defense will be looking to slow down the Quince Orchard/Sherwood forward tandem of Daniel Arbajel, John Sherikjian, and Clark Atkinson which have tallied six of their nine goals.

Offensively, the Lightning need someone other than ‘Josh’ to score. Of the junior varsity forwards, only Josh Nadler (three goals) and Josh Miller (two goals) have tallied this season. The team has three additional goals scored by varsity student athletes playing down. The experienced Lightning junior varsity forward group of Adam Levine, James Hyman, Lucas Eyman, Adarsh Nair, and Henry Honacki will need to step up and help better distribute the scoring responsibilities. Inexperienced netminder Ryan Stillwell will be in goal for the Quince Orchard/Sherwood team. He has won his first two junior varsity starts but has not been heavily challenged. If the Lightning skate with purpose and compete, it should be an evenly played, hard fought, and low scoring game on Saturday.

The Upper Montgomery Lightning return to action this upcoming Friday night versus the West Virginia Vipers in a highly anticipated non-conference matchup.  Game time is 8:15 pm at Cabin John Ice Rink.  The Lightning are coming off of a ten day layoff over the Thanksgiving holiday and are eager to get back on the ice before resuming conference play next weekend against Northwest.

Upper Montgomery is coming off of its first victory of the season, a 9-0 shutout win over the Wilson Stars in a game they dominated from start to finish.  The team will be looking to build upon the offensive outburst and hopes to use the Wilson game as a springboard for the rest of the season.  The first line of Chris Hassett, Ryan Jacobson, and Nathan Cassel has been lethal this season, totaling a combined 15 goals and 15 assists between them.  The rest of the team combined has 6 goals and 14 assists. Look for some possible tweaks to the second and third line this week to try and spark some more offensive production throughout the lineup. Some lineup changes will be required as Olivia Robbins will be unavailable for the game as she is out-of-town with her external travel team.

The defense will also be short-handed this week as James Botti will also be unavailable for the game as he is out-of-town with his external travel team. Expect the four Lightning experienced defenders George Benedick, Ethan Hockey, Andrew Gean, and Andrew Botti to see significant ice time including an increased role on the power play in James Botti’s absence. Ninth grader Cole Howerton is going to be called up from the junior varsity and will likely see some game action for the second consecutive game.

The decision on which goalie to start in net for the Lightning will likely be a game time decision. It might be Will Mellen coming off of his shutout victory over the Stars. Or, it could be Landon Bernard who played well earlier this week in a junior varsity game versus Landon. There is also a possibility that both netminders might see game action.

Not much is known about the West Virginia Vipers. The Vipers have played several Maryland Student Hockey League teams from the Frederick County conference and have been competitive in those games. The Vipers also play certain travel teams and have been competitive in those games as well. Based upon both teams performance so far this season, it figures to be a low scoring, grind it out, hard defensive game on Friday between two evenly matched teams.

The Upper Montgomery Lightning junior varsity squad returns to action this coming Tuesday afternoon versus Landon in a non-conference match-up. Puck drop is 5:45 pm at Rockville Ice Arena. The Lightning have a record of 1-1-1 on the season while this will be Landon’s first game. It is an important game for the Lightning to gauge their development and progress before they return to conference play on Saturday, December 11th versus Quince Orchard.

The Upper Montgomery junior varsity will be looking to move past a disappointing 3-3 tie versus Glenelg where the Lightning dominated action for the majority of the game. Giving up an opening goal with no goalie in net and then a late goal with 1:11 remaining in the contest with the Gladiators goalie pulled contributed to the outcome.

Landon Bernard will be in net for the Lightning. On defense, Cole Howerton and Patrick Sell will see significant playing time as they battle what is anticipated to be a powerful Bears forward lineup. Stephen Shkeda is expected to play down from the varsity squad to provide veteran leadership and support. Expect several of the Lightning forwards to drop back and play some defensive shifts throughout the game as the Lightning may only dress 12 skaters in Tuesday’s contest.

Up front on offense, the Lightning will look to continue their recent strong play. The forward group of Josh Nadler, Josh Miller, Adam Levine, Brandon Bernard, Henry Honacki, James Hyman, Lucas Eyman, Adarsh Nair, and TJ Gottesman will need to continue passing the puck to create offensive scoring chances. Two of the three goals against Glenelg were the direct result of nice passing sequences. Only five junior varsity student athletes have scored goals, with several of the goals being scored by varsity student athletes playing down in the junior varsity games. Several of the junior varsity forwards would like nothing more than to break their long scoreless streaks against the talented Landon Bears.

The Upper Montgomery Lightning return to action this upcoming Tuesday afternoon versus the Wilson Stars in a pre-Thanksgiving game at Wheaton Ice Rink. It is a must win for the Lightning who remain in search of their first victory of the season. Coming off of a disappointing 3-3 tie versus the DC Stars in which they let a 3-0 second period lead slip away, the other Stars, the Wilson Stars, may be the perfect opponent for the Lightning as they are by far the worst team in the Montgomery Hockey Conference.

In two of their three games this season the Stars have been shutout. In both of those losses, to Quince Orchard and Rockville, the Stars have managed 2 and 3 shots on goal. They have been badly outplayed even though they have been awarded a bunch of power play opportunities in each game. Wilson is 0-15 on the power play this season. Expected to start in goal for the Stars is junior goalie Jack Kobil. A victory by the Stars over Upper Montgomery would be a major upset and would definitely keep the Lightning out of the MHC post season playoff tournament.

The Lightning’s offense has begun to tick up over the last two games led by the top line of Nathan Cassel (4 goals, 1 assist), Ryan Jacobson (3 goals, 3 assists), and Chris Hassett (2 goals, 5 assists). Depth scoring has been an issue this season for Upper Montgomery as no other student athlete has more than two points through the first four games of the season. Expect to see some forward line combination changes in an effort to have more balanced scoring throughout the lineup. There may even be some junior varsity student athletes called up for this game to provide a spark and some energy.

On defense, the team has played relatively solid in the first month of the season. Except for the second period against Blair, the team has done a really good job of limiting the opposition’s high scoring opportunities. Goals against are down this season from last year. In the game last week against the DC Stars, there were a couple of individual breakdowns on defense. The coaching staff has addressed those errors. Expect to see a more complete defensive effort this week as the Lightning look to keep Wilson at bay and add to the Stars misery on offense. It will be a game time decision on the Lightning’s starting goalie.

The Upper Montgomery Lightning junior varsity squad returns to action this coming Friday afternoon versus Glenelg in a non-conference game. Puck drop is 3:30 pm at Skate Frederick. Both teams are 1-1 on the season and will each be looking to move past the .500 mark before a return to conference play in the month of December.

The Lightning will be looking to bounce back from a tough defeat to Richard Montgomery. The young Lightning played the Rockets very tough for long stretches of the game before fading late in a 5-2 loss.

The goalie matchup will be a duel between two long-time friends. Landon Bernard will be in net for the Lightning and Zain Huda will backstop the Gladiators. Both student athletes grew up playing together and against one another in the Montgomery Youth Hockey Association and are now both playing with the Frederick Freeze hockey club. The post game hand shake line is bound to be filled with friendly banter.

On defense for the Lighting, Cole Howerton and Patrick Sell will see significant playing time as they battle the deep and experienced Gladiator forwards. Andrew Gean is expected to play down from the varsity squad to provide veteran leadership and support. Expect several forwards to drop back and play some defensive shifts throughout the game as the Lightning will likely only dress 13 skaters for Friday’s tilt.

Up front on offense, the Lightning will look to get back to the strong game they played to open the season versus BCC. The forward group of Brandon Bernard, Bradley Cupples, Josh Nadler, Josh Miller, Adam Levine, Henry Honacki, James Hyman, Lucas Eyman, and TJ Gottesman will need to develop better chemistry in order to find the net on a more consistent basis. The effort has been there. The number of quality chances will likely grow as the season continues. Several of the forwards would like nothing better than to break long scoreless streaks. Friday’s game versus Glenelg would be a prime opportunity for the team to find its offensive touch.