Category: Game Recaps

The Upper Montgomery Lightning did everything possible to complete against the Whitman Vikings in the quarterfinal round of the Montgomery Hockey Conference junior varsity playoffs. Playing without two key student athletes, center Josh Nadler and defender Sean Levine, both serving supplemental discipline suspensions for their actions in the team’s final regular season game against the Carroll County Bears, the young and inexperienced Upper Montgomery squad just did not have enough to keep up with Whitman. The Lightning’s tenacious effort and Landon Bernard’s goaltending kept the game very tight until Whitman pulled away late.

Nadler’s and Levine’s absences left two sizeable holes for the Lightning to try and fill. Centers Henry Honacki and Stephen Shkeda were forced to play every other shift. With Levine out, the team rotated four primary defenders. The game plan was to stifle the Vikings and keep the game close providing Upper Montgomery with a chance late to come away with the upset victory.

For the most part the Lightning followed the game plan outside of a breakdown four minutes into the first period. An Upper Montgomery attempt to clear the defensive zone was kept in at the left point. The puck was circled down low in the left wing corner. A scramble for the puck ensued and the Lightning had another opportunity to again clear the defensive zone. Ben Luo intercepted the puck and passed it over to Hugh Golub. The puck bounced past Golub who was well defended to Drew Kaplan. Kaplan, unguarded, let loose with a wrist shot from the bottom of the left circle that went past Lightning goaltender Landon Bernard who had no chance on the play. After the early Whitman strike, the game settled in. Whitman would press forward looking to increase their lead and Upper Montgomery chased all over the ice with a hustle and tenacity to do everything possible to prevent Whitman from widening the lead. Shots on goal in the first period were low, Whitman with four while Upper Montgomery managed three.

The second period saw Bernard steal the show. He made twelve saves, many of them on high danger chances, to keep the Lightning afloat and in the game. Upper Montgomery still trailed by just the one goal with under a minute remaining in the second period. Then, an unfortunate possession in the Upper Montgomery defensive zone would prove costly. A Lightning defender lost his stick battling in the left wing corner for the puck. Whitman forward Trevor Fay came away with the puck and skated along the goal line. He centered the puck to Ben Lammers cutting down the slot. Lammers used a one time push shot from four feet in front of Bernard to wedge the puck into the net and provide the Vikings with a little breathing room. Whitman had started to take control of the game in the second period finishing with a thirteen to two shots on goal advantage.

The Lightning kept battling and trying to find a way to solve Whitman sophomore netminder Ryan Graf. Facing a stiff Vikings defense and with the core forward group tiring, Upper Montgomery faced an uphill battle. With the Lightning pressing to find a way to generate offense, the Upper Montgomery defense began to take chances and push forward. On one such sequence, Kaplan caused a turnover and passed the puck to SheungChak Wu. Wu skated past the Lightning defense and beat Bernard to open up what would be an insurmountable three goal lead with five minutes remaining in the game. Thomas Rouxel finished the scoring with two and a half minutes to go in the game as Bernard was trying to get to the bench so the Lightning could add an extra skater in a last gasp attempt to spark an offensive threat. The Vikings had control of the game and outshot Upper Montgomery ten to two in the third period. With the victory Whitman advances to the semifinal round of the junior varsity playoffs.

Game Notes:

• Upper Montgomery was shut out for the first time this season.
• Whitman outshot Upper Montgomery 27-7 for the game.
• For the second consecutive game, Upper Montgomery did not have a single powerplay opportunity.
• Both Josh Nadler and Sean Levine missed the game while serving supplemental discipline suspensions for their actions in the final junior varsity regular season game versus the Carroll County Bears.

Three Stars of the Game:

First Star—Drew Kaplan—Whitman Forward—1 Goal, 1 Assist
Second Star—Landon Bernard—Upper Montgomery Goalie—23 Saves, .852 Save Percentage
Third Star—Trevor Fay—Whitman Forward–1 Assist

Upper Montgomery sophomore center Henry Honacki single handedly stole the show Tuesday evening in the Lightning’s 7-6 victory over the Carroll County Bears. In what was anticipated to be a friendly winter break non-conference contest against Bears, the game was marred by several ejections and game misconduct penalties. Ultimately, the Lightning had just enough to hold on for the victory and finish the regular season with a 4-4-2 record. The team now looks ahead to the first round of the Montgomery Hockey Conference junior varsity playoffs. The Lightning’s opponent will be determined after the final regular season games conclude in the first week of January.

From the opening faceoff, it looked like Upper Montgomery would run away with this contest. The Lightning would tally three quick goals to jump out to a 3-0 lead. Two of the early goals were scored while Upper Montgomery was shorthanded. It started just two minutes into the game. Lightning center Josh Nadler took a retaliatory roughing penalty behind the action. Off the defensive zone faceoff, Honacki won the draw back to the corner where Jake Roth and a Carroll County forward battled for control of the puck. Roth gained possession and pushed the puck forward to Honacki. Honacki skated the length of the ice weaving around the Bears’ defenders. At the top of the right faceoff circle he avoided the last defender and finished off the end-to-end rush with a backhand shot that beat Carroll County backup netminder Anthony Coronel five hole.

Three minutes later the lead would grow. Honacki dumped the puck from the neutral zone into the Bears defensive zone to the left of the net. TJ Gottesman hustled into the zone and retrieved the puck. He passed the puck back to Honacki in the left circle. Honacki’s wrist shot hit traffic in front and bounced behind the net. Gottesman once again retrieved the puck and this time centered a pass to Callum Hughes at the right post. Hughes whacked the puck past Coronel for his first career high school goal.

Two minutes later tempers flared. After an innocent play behind the net, Carroll County forward Jack Blackford sucker punched Honacki. The referees were all over the play racing in to stop any further fighting. In an attempt to protect Honacki, Upper Montgomery defender Sean Levine skated over to the fracas. Blackford was ejected for fighting for the sucker punch. Levine was ejected for entering the commotion as the third skater involved, and Honacki was assessed a two minute minor for roughing. The outcome of the penalties was that Upper Montgomery was left killing a penalty because Honacki was sucker punched. Levine’s ejection also comes with an automatic one game suspension via the league’s supplemental discipline policy, and he will miss the junior varsity’s first round playoff game.

With Honacki serving his roughing penalty for getting sucker punched, Upper Montgomery would increase their lead. On the penalty kill, the puck was dumped down ice into the Bears defensive zone. Nadler pressured the play and caused a turnover in the Carroll County defensive zone along the left wing boards. The puck squirted into the neutral zone where James Hyman bumped the puck up to Nadler as he was circling out of the offensive zone into neutral ice. Nadler took the puck and circled right back into the offensive zone along the right wing boards. He skated around the left defender at the top of the right wing circle and launched a forehand chip shot up over Coronel’s blocker for the Lightning’s second shorthanded goal of the period.

With Upper Montgomery leading 3-0 with four minutes remaining in the first period, Carroll County bounced back into the game with three quick goals of their own. First, off of a recoil in the neutral zone with Honacki still in the penalty box, Mason Davie passed the puck to Reese Thorne. Thorne skated down the right wing boards and fired a wrist shot from low in the right circle that beat Lightning netminder Chris Hassett wide to the stick side. Then, one minute later, the Bears would be back within one goal. An Upper Montgomery turnover in the defensive zone went directly to Carroll County forward Larry Marks at the top of the right circle. Marks’ wrist shot was blocked. However, the puck went directly to Logan Dandorf alone in the slot. Dandorf lifted a backhand shot over the blocker of a diving Hassett who was changing direction due to the blocked shot. The Bears third goal was the result of another Lightning turnover. Nadler was stripped of the puck in the neutral zone by Dandorf. With the Upper Montgomery skaters heading up ice, Marks took possession of the puck heading in the opposite direction. He scored off the breakaway chance shooting low glove side to tie the game.

A wild first period with six goals, a three goal comeback by the Bears, and two ejections was not complete. As the period wound down, it would become Honacki time. With 32 seconds remaining in the first period, Lightning defender Cole Howerton intercepted a pass in the Lightning defensive zone. He skated up the right wing boards into the Carroll County defensive zone and then around the net. Howerton centered the puck in front to Honacki. Honacki flipped a wrist shot short side above Coronel’s catching glove. The puck landed in the middle of the net for his second goal of the game.

Then, as the first period was ending, Honacki would tally his hat-trick goal to push the Upper Montgomery lead to 5-3 at the conclusion of the first period. Off of a faceoff to the left of Coronel in the Bears defensive zone, Honacki pushed the puck forward off the draw, he then stepped around the Carroll County center and defender. Honacki curled and dragged the puck and pushed a backhand shot into the feet of Coronel. The puck just squirted inside the near goal post with ten seconds remaining on the clock concluding a back and forth wildly entertaining first period of hockey.

The second period was more subdued than the first period. Once again, the Bears fought back to tie the game at five. With 8:30 left in the period, Marks won a faceoff in the right circle in the Lightning defensive zone. The puck was won back to Dandorf at the right point. His wrist shot short side beat Hassett’s glove hand. Then, a minute later, yet another Upper Montgomery turnover led to the tying goal. A misplay at the left point in the Lightning offensive zone led to a Dandorf breakaway from the far blue line. Dandorf skated in all alone and deposited a shot from six feet in front of Hassett blocker side for his hat-trick.

With four minutes remaining in the second period, Honacki would push Upper Montgomery back in front. He skated down the left wing boards into the offensive zone and shot the puck wide of the net. The puck was held in at the right point by Roth. Roth’s shot attempt was blocked and came to Honacki in the slot. Honacki’s backhand shot was saved by Coronel. The rebound went to Hyman low in the right circle. Hyman’s shot was also blocked and went behind the net. Honacki was first to the puck and passed the puck into the slot to Hughes. Hughes’s spinning backhand shot went wide of the net but right to Honacki who shoveled a backhand shot over Coronel’s leg pads and below his blocker for the 6-5 lead. At the conclusion of the second period, Upper Montgomery had thirteen shots on goal and had scored on nearly half their shots.

Upper Montgomery successfully killed off a late second period penalty to Nadler for cross checking and an early third period penalty to Howerton for roughing. A minute after the penalty to Howerton ended, the Bears would strike again to once again tie the game, this time at six. Dandorf recovered the puck in the Bears defensive zone. He skated through two Lightning defenders passing the puck to the left over to Marks. Marks entered the Upper Montgomery defensive zone and jump stopped just to the left of the slot area. He fired a wrist shot low glove side across the grain from the direction he had entered the offensive zone into the wide side of the net.

One minute later it was Honacki time for goal number five on the evening. Off a faceoff to the left of Coronel, Carroll County won possession of the puck deep in the corner. Honacki won a puck battle and shot towards the net from a bad angle behind the goal line to Coronel’s right. The puck went into Coronel’s skates and trickled over the goal line before Gottesman swatted the puck deeper into the net for good measure.

One final penalty kill was needed when Jason Woodman was whistled for tripping with five minutes remaining in the game. Then, after the successful kill, Upper Montgomery navigated the six on five extra skater advantage with Coronel pulled for the extra attacker.

With 23 seconds remaining in the game after an innocent bump to the side of Hassett’s net as the Bears pushed to tie the game Nadler and Marks began throwing punches. Both were given five minute majors for fighting and game misconducts sending both skaters to their locker rooms early. Nadler and Marks play together on their outside club ice hockey team so the fight between them was unexpected. Because of their penalties, expect supplemental discipline for both Marks and Nadler which will impact both teams’ playoff chances.

Game Notes:

• Honacki’s five goals and six points are Lightning junior varsity program records.
• Carroll County outshot Upper Montgomery 27-21 for the game.
• Power play opportunities were uneven, five for Carroll County and Upper Montgomery did not have a single powerplay opportunity.
• Henry Honacki upped his goal total on the season to twelve and he scored for the fourth game in a row.
• Callum Hughes contributed his first career goal and multi-point game by also adding an assist.
• Both Josh Nadler and Sean Levine will face supplemental discipline for their actions against the Bears and will likely both miss the opening round junior varsity playoff game.
• The Upper Montgomery junior varsity begins defense of their 2021 – 2022 Montgomery Hockey Conference junior varsity championship on Monday, January 16th against an opponent to be determined.

Three Stars of the Game:

First Star—Henry Honacki—Upper Montgomery Center—5 Goals, 1 Assist
Second Star—Lucas Dandorff—Carroll County Defense—3 Goals, 2 Assists
Third Star—Henry Marks—Carroll County Forward–2 Goals, 2 Assists

The Upper Montgomery Lightning played poorly against an inferior opponent yet found a way to claw back to tie Rockville/Magruder Thursday afternoon at Rockville Ice Arena. The team now awaits the outcome of the final junior varsity conference games in early January to determine if they will earn the fifth, sixth, or seventh seed in the upcoming Montgomery Hockey Conference junior varsity playoff tournament. The Lightning lost the opportunity to host a first round playoff game by failing to secure the additional standings point a win would have provided.

From the opening faceoff, it looked like Upper Montgomery would run away with this contest. On the opening shift, just 33 seconds into the game, the Lightning would jump out in front. In the offensive zone, off of a faceoff in the right circle, Henry Honacki intentionally won the puck forward. He lost control of the puck in among the Rockville/Magruder defense. Adam Levine was standing in front of the goal to set a screen. Seeing the puck, Levine reached for it and while turning his body back toward the net, fired a wrist shot that went five hole on unsuspecting Rockville/Magruder netminder Lily Bendavid.

Although controlling play throughout the period and outshooting Rockville/Magruder ten to five overall, Upper Montgomery had one breakdown and it led directly to the Rams’ game tying goal. Off of a missed Upper Montgomery shot, Rafael Shore collected the puck behind the Rams’ net. He backhanded the puck up the left wing boards where it was collected by Rams’ forward Chance Hostetler. Hostetler skated up ice during a late and poorly executed Upper Montgomery defensive line change. He beat the Lightning defense into the offensive zone and went in alone on Lightning backup netminder Chris Hassett. Hostetler beat Hassett with a low wrist shot from the bottom of the right circle. The puck whizzed by Hassett’s leg pads into the left hand side of the net. It would be the only goal given up by Hassett, in what was his best performance in goal of the season. Going into the contest the coaching staff was going to split the game in net between Hassett and starting goalie Landon Bernard.

The Lightning jumped in front again at the beginning of the second period. With Upper Montgomery on the powerplay after a bad retaliatory penalty taken by Rams’ defender Connor Casp, Josh Nadler would score in his third consecutive game. Behr Schickler was in a board battle along the right wing boards just inside the Upper Montgomery offensive zone. A Rockville/Magruder forward pried the puck loose. Nadler was there to quickly grab the puck away a few feet inside the blue line. He skated around and through three Rams defenders and stopped just outside the crease. Nadler fired a wrist shot blocker side. The puck hit Bendavid’s blocker, popped up, and tumbled over her blocker into the net to give Upper Montgomery a brief lead.

At the mid-point of the game, Bernard took over in net and the team immediately relaxed. The result was two quick goals against, both scored by Hostetler in similar fashion. The Lightning went from a one goal lead to trailing by a goal on the same shift. First, Hostetler was missed in the neutral zone by the Lightning defense. He skated in wide around the other Lightning defender and was in alone on Bernard. He shot forehand between Bernard’s stick side arm and body with the puck squirting through for the tying goal. Twenty-one seconds later, Charles Sickel had the puck along the right wing boards in the neutral zone. He moved the puck off the boards a few feet. Hostetler picked it up and skated into the Lightning offensive zone one on one against the Upper Montgomery defender. He quickly faked around the defender and was again in alone on Bernard. This time he faked and went backhand putting the puck past Bernard stick side.

After Hostetler’s outburst, Upper Montgomery tightened up the defense considerably. The Lightning held the Rams to only three additional shots on goal in the second period and just five shots on goal in the third period. Upper Montgomery kept pushing throughout the balance of the second period and the entire third period. Looking to score the game tying goal, the coaches shortened the bench. Further complicating the comeback was a boarding penalty that comes with an automatic ten minute misconduct penalty that was issued to Nadler with just under eight minutes remaining in the game. Upper Montgomery once again killed off the Rams’ powerplay, their third successful kill of the game, but the Lightning would be without Nadler for the rest of the contest.

Upper Montgomery took a timeout with two and a half minutes left in the game. The purpose of the timeout was to give the student athletes a breather as the coaches were preparing to put the same five skaters back on the ice for a second consecutive shift. It was this group’s third shift over the last four shifts. Upper Montgomery placed heavy pressure on the Rams but could not get the tying goal past Bendavid. Upon the conclusion of that shift, with 1:25 remaining in the game, the Rockville/Magruder coaching staff made a major blunder in calling their own timeout. This allowed Upper Montgomery’s five skaters to catch their breath and head right back onto the ice with Bernard pulled for the extra skater.

Upper Montgomery controlled the faceoff in the neutral zone and worked the puck into the offensive zone. Eventually, the puck was shot wide of the net and retrieved along the boards by Adam Levine. Levine reversed the puck around the net to the left wing boards to Honakci. Honacki shot the puck from deep alongside the left wing boards. Bendavid made a pad save with the rebound skidding into the right wing corner. Levine fought along the corner boards with the Rams’ defender winning possession of the puck. He skated as if he was going to go back around the net once again from right to left. Before he was too far behind the net, he centered the puck to AJ Marks in the slot. Marks’ backhand shot from point blank range was stopped by Bendavid. The rebound bounced past Marks to Honacki who was a few feet further away from the net. Honacki’s lofted backhand shot found the back of the net short side before Bendavid could recover and reposition herself.

The pulled goalie goal evened the score with 45 seconds remaining in the game and allowed Upper Montgomery to salvage a point out of a game the team should have won. The Lightning now awaits the concluding weekend of junior varsity games to determine what seed they have earned for the season ending junior varsity playoff tournament. Depending upon other teams’ game outcomes, Upper Montgomery will either finish with the fifth, sixth, or seventh seed in the ten team tournament which is likely to begin on Monday, January 16th.

Game Notes:

• The Lightning’s leading scorer TJ Gottesman missed his second consecutive game.
• The Lightning outshot Rockville/Magruder 28-20 for the game.
• Henry Honacki scored his team leading seventh goal of the season and for the third game in a row.
• Adam Levine set a career high for goals in a season with three and points in a season with seven. He has tallied points in three consecutive games.
• Josh Nadler scored for the third consecutive game.
• The Upper Montgomery powerplay scored for the second consecutive game.
• The Lightning penalty kill was a perfect 3-3 in the game and has now killed off 17 of the last 18 opponent’s powerplay opportunities.
• The Upper Montgomery junior varsity concludes the regular season over winter break with a non-conference game against Carroll County. Game time is 8:20 pm on Tuesday evening, December 27th at Skate Frederick.

Three Stars of the Game:

First Star—Chance Hostetler—Rockville/Magruder Forward—3 Goals
Second Star—Adam Levine—Upper Montgomery Forward–1 Goal, 1 Assist
Third Star—Lily Bendavid—Rockville/Magruder Goalie–25 Saves, .892 Save Percentage

The Upper Montgomery Lightning showed extreme resiliency fighting back on three separate occasions in the second and third periods to salvage a tie against Northwest/Quince Orchard on Saturday afternoon at Laurel Ice Gardens. A tie may have been a fitting outcome as both teams were very evenly matched. With Northwest/Quince Orchard, almost all of the student athletes participating in the game also play on those program’s varsity teams.

The first period was evenly played with both teams missing the net on most shot opportunities. The final shots on goal for the period were Northwest/Quince Orchard with five and Upper Montgomery with four. Both teams each scored goals in a similar fashion. The Lightning would open the scoring halfway through the period. A bad clearing pass was kept in just inside the blue line by Lightning defender Patrick Sell. He took one stride and fired a wrist shot from deep near the blue line. The puck was deflected right in front of Northwest netminder Joseph Dean by his defense, changing the direction of the shot which found its way five hole past Dean giving Upper Montgomery the lead.

Three minutes later Matthew Mills of Quince Orchard would tie the game at one. Davany Gonzalez of Quince Orchard possessed the puck in the neutral zone along the left wing boards. He passed the puck back to Mills who was standing at the middle of the defensive blue line. Mills gathered the puck and cut right up the boards. Entering the offensive zone along the right wing boards, Mills fired a wrist shot from the top of the right circle past a Lightning defender. The puck went high blocker, far side, past a screened Landon Bernard into the top corner of the net.

A minute into the second period, Northwest/Quince Orchard would jump into the lead. Off of a faceoff win, Northwest defender Micah Chin kept the puck in at the left point. He passed the puck down the left wing boards to Clark Atkinson. Atkinson while covered, returned the puck back to Chin at the left point. Chin sent a wrist shot toward the net from deep. As the puck neared the net, the puck deflected off Lightning defender Jake Roth, changing direction enough to beat Bernard high glove side putting Northwest/Quince Orchard in front.

The next few minutes of the game settled into a chess match where neither team generated much offense. With seven and a half minutes left in the second period, the Lightning would go on the game’s first powerplay when Northwest forward Sohiab Younes was called for interference. On the powerplay, Upper Montgomery would draw even. A bad clearing opportunity by Chin was kept in at the blue line by Lightning defender Sean Levine. Levine quickly pivoted and fired a slap shot from just inside the blue line at the left point. The puck beat Dean cleanly five hole for an Upper Montgomery powerplay goal to tie the game at 2-2.

Three minutes later, Northwest/Quince Orchard would again jump to the lead. After an Upper Montgomery dump in, Chin retrieved the puck in the right defensive corner. He swung the puck up the boards and Rhett Swick swiped it into the neutral zone. Younes picked up the puck along the right wing boards and skated into the offensive zone moving left along the blue line. He cut toward the center of the slot and fired a wrist shot back across the grain to beat Bernard high glove side.

With a minute remaining in the second period, the Lightning would once again tie the game. Upper Montgomery center Henry Honacki coming back on defense laid a crushing body check on a Northwest/Quince Orchard forward who was carrying the puck. The result of the hit was that the intended shot went way off mark and over to the left wing boards. Adam Levine won the puck in the defensive zone. He hesitated a moment and found a wide open Branson Hughes in the neutral zone. Hughes brushed the puck as he fumbled it. Honacki, trailing the play, picked up the puck and skated up ice on the right wing. He entered the offensive zone and ripped a wrist shot through a defensive screen and Dean. The puck went high glove side to even the score at three. Upper Montgomery had scored on three of their ten shots on goal through two periods of play.

The third period started off poorly for Upper Montgomery. Similar to the start of the second period, Northwest/Quince Orchard would score one minute in. Off a bad Lightning turnover behind the net, Nikhil Mudunuri slapped the puck from behind the net back up the boards on the right wing to Younes. Younes centered the puck which was batted to Chin in the high slot. Chin’s wrist shot beat Bernard high blocker side to give Northwest/Quince Orchard yet another one goal lead.

Soon thereafter, Sean Levine was called for roughing, the only penalty assessed to Upper Montgomery during the game. The Lightning penalty kill stepped up and held Northwest/Quince Orchard to only low percentage perimeter chances. With under five minutes remaining in the game, Northwest/Quince Orchard sent the puck around the boards in their defensive zone. The puck was held in at the blue line by Sean Levine at the left point. He smacked the puck to keep it in the offensive zone. Josh Nadler collected the puck and swung around to the outside of the right circle. From a bad angle at the bottom outside of the right circle near the boards, Nadler shot the puck toward the net. Nadler’s shot deflected off the Northwest/Quince Orchard defense and past Dean five hole. The third Upper Montgomery goal of the game that went five hole on Dean.

With time winding down, Cole Howerton laid a massive body check into Mills on a step up just inside the defensive zone blue line. The puck flittered into the corner as the clock ran out giving each side a draw along with an important standings point. Upper Montgomery has one final chance to earn conference standings points versus lowly Rockville/Magruder when league play finishes later this week.

Game Notes:

• The Lightning’s leading scorer TJ Gottesman missed the game.
• The Lightning were outshot by a 23-14 margin, 18-10 over the final two periods of the game.
• The four goals given up with a goalie in net were the most surrendered by Upper Montgomery in a month.
• Henry Honacki scored his team leading sixth goal of the season.
• The Upper Montgomery junior varsity next returns to game action for their final Montgomery Hockey Conference game of the season on Thursday afternoon in a pivotal matchup versus Rockville/Magruder. Game time is 4:50 pm at Rockville Ice Arena.

Three Stars of the Game:

First Star—Micah Chin—Northwest Defense—2 Goals, 1 Assist
Second Star—Matthew Mills—Quince Orchard Defense–1 Goal
Third Star—Sean Levine—Upper Montgomery Defense–1 Goal, 1 Assist

The Upper Montgomery Lightning showed extreme class in Sunday’s victory over winless and completely overmatched Churchill. In a game that was beneficial for neither program, Upper Montgomery handily defeated the Bulldogs by a score of 12-2. In reality, Upper Montgomery could have easily scored in excess of 20 goals. Many of the experienced Lightning student athletes were told not to shoot after the first couple of minutes of the second period and the coaching staff did a nice job of utilizing the entire bench throughout the game. Defenders were switched to playing forward and forwards were switched to playing defense. The Lightning also started backup goaltender Chris Hassett in net.

Going into the contest the coaching staff was expecting the game against Churchill to be non-competitive. Churchill is by far the weakest junior varsity program in the Montgomery Hockey Conference. As anticipated, the outcome was decided just about four minutes into the game. Upper Montgomery’s opening goal was scored by Stephen Shkeda. In the offensive zone, Lucas Eyman battled along the boards to win the puck. The puck squirted over to TJ Gottesman at the top of the right circle. Gottesman’s wrist shot went wide of the net on the short side. The puck rebounded off of the back end boards to the left of net. Shkeda was standing just off the left post outside of the crease area. He banged home the puck before Churchill netminder Lucas Petrosyan could get across the net into position to make a save.

Uncharacteristically, Upper Montgomery seemed to relax after the initially tally. On the very next shift, Churchill would momentarily tie the game. Joshua Gerstein knocked the puck from the Churchill defensive zone into the neutral zone where it was collected by Victor Levonenko. Levonenko skated the puck up ice into the Upper Montgomery defensive zone. He shot low along the ice from in between the top of the circles. The puck avoided Hassett’s glove hand low along the ice to tie the game at one.

Just ten seconds later the floodgates would open. Off the ensuing faceoff at center ice, Henry Honakci went forward to win the faceoff and skated into the offensive zone. He shot the puck from the high shot and Petrosyan made a pad save. Adam Levine was cutting to the net and jumped through both Bulldog defenders to reach the rebound in the lower portion of the left circle. Levine spun and shot the puck in the same motion. The puck went five hole on Petrosyan to open the floodgates and the rout was on.

Eight seconds after Levine’s goal, Jason Woodman would strike to make it 3-1. This time Lightning center Josh Nadler collected the puck off of the center ice faceoff. Nadler skated into the offensive zone and shot very similar to Honakci’s shot moments earlier. Petrosyan again made the pad save on the initial attempt. The rebound bounced to the right circle where Woodman was crashing the net. Woodman outraced a Churchill defender and shoveled the puck high into the top portion of the open net.

On the next shift, AJ Marks would score to push the game out of reach at 4-1. Marks goal would cap off a sequence where Upper Montgomery scored three goals in 31 seconds, and four goals in 1 minute and 5 seconds sandwiched around the Churchill tally. Gottesman battled along the side wall and caused an errant pass by Churchill. The puck was stolen by Marks in the neutral zone. Marks skated into the offensive zone and fired a chip shot high blocker side past Petrosyan.

After stretching the lead to 4-1, Upper Montgomery began to take their foot off the gas. The next five minutes of the game settled into what felt like a pickup hockey game. Then, off of a sharp angle shot, Hassett paddled the puck into the left wing corner. Cole Howerton collected the puck and cleared the puck up the boards to Gottesman just inside the Lightning defensive blue line. Gottesman collected the puck and skated up ice weaving his way through several Bulldog defenders. Once in alone on a breakaway, Gottesman elevated the shot off the ice and above Petrosyan.

A minute and a half later, Gottesman would strike again. Patrick Sell collected the puck inside his defensive blue line and skated toward the left wing boards eventually all the way into the offensive zone. He shot the puck toward Petrosyan who made a pad save. As was the case throughout the entire period, Petrosyan did not control the rebound which shot into the crease. Gottesman won the race for the puck and backhanded it past Petrosyan’s skates.

Thirty seconds later the Lightning would tally their seventh and final goal of the first period. Sean Levine collected the puck along the left wing boards. Like Sell moments earlier, he skated from the defensive zone into the offensive zone. Upon entering the offensive zone, Levine nudged the puck forward to Nadler. Nadler skated laterally across the ice from left to right all the way to the side of the net. With Adam Levine setting a screen in front of the goal, Nadler shot high above Petrosyan’s glove hand.

Nine seconds into the second period Upper Montgomery would extend their lead. Off the opening faceoff, Honacki again went forward with the puck. He stickhandled free and skated forward to the top of the right circle. Honacki then fired a wrist shot low past Petrosyan’s pads for a shorthanded goal with Sean Levine in the penalty box for roughing. After Levine’s penalty expired, Sell was called for tripping. On the ensuing powerplay, Upper Montgomery would again score shorthanded to extend the lead to 9-1. Howerton stood up the Churchill attack at the Lightning defensive blue line. He stripped the puck loose and skated down the right wing boards into the offensive zone. Howerton cut to the top of the slot and ripped a wrist shot high glove side to the top right corner of the net.

Two minutes later, Gottesman would score again for his hat-trick goal, the first ever hat-trick in Lightning junior varsity program history. It would also be his fifth point of the game, another Lightning junior varsity record. Behr Schicker passed the puck up ice to Adam Levine in the neutral zone. Levine skated into the offensive zone and executed a drop pass for Gottesman. Gottesman, not expecting the pass, fumbled the puck. Eyman was trailing the play and picked up the puck. Eyman’s backhand shot went on net. Petrosyan made the save with the puck squirting past the goal into the left wing corner. Levine collected the puck and skated around the net left to right. He backhanded the puck in the direction in which he had skated tying up two Bulldog defenders in the process who had converged on him. Eyman received the puck in the left corner and shot towards the slot after coming back over the goal line toward the left circle. Gottesman deflected the shot along the ice between Petrosyan’s right skate and the near post.

With the position shuffling in full force, the coaching staff was attempting to have members of the team who are not normally in a position to score, to light the lamp. With four minutes left in the second period, Sean Levine would tally his first career high school goal. Levonenko’s shot was blocked by Schickler. The puck shot out into the neutral zone where Honacki was first to the puck. He skated up the right wing boards into the offensive zone. Stopping, he intentionally looked for Levine in the high slot. Levine’s wrist shot low along the ice beat new Bulldog netminder Cameron Shure just inside the left post blocker side.

With 34 seconds remaining in the second period, the Lightning would score their twelfth and final goal of the game. Howerton again stood up in the defensive zone and pokechecked the puck free. He skated up the left wing boards this time. Similar to his first goal of the game, he broke wide around the Churchill defender and cut to the middle of the ice. In on net he fired a shot, short side just inside the left post past Shure’s blocker for an unassisted goal.

The third period was played with full running clock and Upper Montgomery doing everything possible to keep the clocking running. The period was spent with the Lightning trying to force feed Jake Roth for his first ever goal in organized hockey. Upper Montgomery took two penalties late in the third period with Levonenko scoring a meaningless goal with just over a minute left with the Bulldogs on the powerplay.

Now, it will be up to Upper Montgomery to flush this non-competitive game. The team needs to move on and get ready for their final two regular season conference games which will determine playoff seeding.

Game Notes:

• TJ Gottesman set a program record for goals in a junior varsity game with three and points in a junior varsity game with five.
• The Lightning outshot Churchill by a 22-8 margin. Several of the Lightning student athletes were told NOT to shoot the puck after the conclusion of the first period.
• Upper Montgomery scored on seven of its twelve shots on goal in the first period.
• TJ Gottesman extended his personal career high points streak to all six games he has played in this season (6GP, 4G, 8A). His twelve points on the season leads the Lightning junior varsity.
• Chris Hassett notched his first career victory in net in the win, stopping six of eight shots.
• The Upper Montgomery junior varsity next returns to game action in a pivotal matchup on Saturday against Northwest/Quince Orchard. Game time is 11:30 am at Laurel Ice Gardens.

Three Stars of the Game:

First Star—TJ Gottesman—Upper Montgomery Forward—3 Goals, 2 Assists
Second Star—Cole Howerton—Upper Montgomery Defense–2 Goals, 1 Assist
Third Star—Henry Honakci—Upper Montgomery Center–1 Goal, 2 Assists

In what was his signature game at the junior varsity level, Upper Montgomery junior goaltender Landon Bernard stole the show Wednesday afternoon. His goaltending performance in the Lightning’s game against top ranked Walter Johnson was superb. Bernard stopped 37 of 39 shots on goal including five breakaway chances in Upper Montgomery’s 3-1 loss to the Wildcats. Both Wildcats goals were scored on two additional late third period breakaway chances. The final score was not representative of how the game played out as Upper Montgomery was winning with less than six minutes remaining in the game.

Going into the contest the coaching staff was expecting the game against Walter Johnson to be challenging. The Wildcats had only given up three goals in their four previous games. Upper Montgomery responded by playing better and tougher than they had in several games and that effort is what kept the team in the game in the opening period. Outshot 9-1 in the frame and having to kill off two Wildcats powerplay chances limited the team’s ability to get into the flow of the game. Still, finishing off the first period tied gave the Lightning confidence that they could compete against Walter Johnson.

Upper Montgomery jumped to the lead very early in the second period. Wildcats forward Sam Mayster was called for hooking 19 seconds into the period. The Lightning would capitalize immediately only ten seconds later while on the ensuing powerplay. Steven Shkeda won the faceoff directly behind him in the right faceoff circle. TJ Gottesman nudged the puck back a few feet to the right point. Behr Schickler was able to collect the puck at his defensive position along the blueline. He took one stride to the center of the ice and fired a wrist shot toward the net. The shot deflected off of a Wildcat defender and then Wildcats goalie Joseph Villatoro’s goalie stick. The puck ricocheted up in the air and into the far side of the net. For 9th grade defender Schickler, it was his first career high school goal and put Upper Montgomery in front 1-0.

From there it was the Landon Bernard show. The ice was tilted, and Walter Johnson dominated the rest of the period. Among his 17 saves in the second period, Bernard stopped three Wildcat breakaway chances and he made several additional acrobatic saves. Meanwhile, after Schickler’s goal, Upper Montgomery managed just two shots on goal over the remainder of the period. This included spending time on a short lived 5-3 powerplay opportunity that was wiped out by a tripping penalty called against Lightning defender Cole Howerton.

The Lightning had a powerplay early in the third period as well when Gianluca Megna was called for roughing. Upper Montgomery could not capitalize. As Megna’s penalty was expiring, Shkeda was called for roughing on a good hard back check that should not have been ruled a penalty. The Lightning and Bernard held strong and limited the Wildcats to puck possession around the perimeter and long range shots from the points.

Halfway through the third period Walter Johnson would finally break through against Bernard. Walter Johnson defender Patrick Murphy blocked a Lightning shot attempt deep in the crease area in front of Villatoro. Unassisted, Murphy skated the puck up ice on the right wing. He skated past the Lightning defense and curved in alone on Bernard. A lefty shot, Murphy flicked a wrist shot far post above Bernard’s leg pad and past his blocker to tie up the game.

With 3:07 left in regulation, Wildcats defender Jaden Luskin was called for interference as he tussled with Lightning forward Jason Woodman. The late powerplay was an opportunity for the Lightning regain momentum. Possibly, if they could put a late goal past Villatoro, maybe come away with the upset win.

A weak Wildcat clearing attempt went toward the left point where Howerton had a bead on the puck. As he skated in, he attempted to one time the puck toward the net. In one of those hockey plays, the puck slid under his stick and out into the neutral zone. With Howerton’s momentum heading into the offensive zone, Wildcat forward Megna was heading out of the zone in the same direction as the puck. Megna collected the puck and raced up ice by himself. Lightning defender Jake Roth skated hard up the ice and he tried to impede Megna from getting off a clean shot on Bernard. With Roth bothering him, Megna was still able to get off a backhanded shot that somehow got between Bernard’s glove side and his body. The puck barely tricked over the goal line before Bernard could turn and keep the puck out of the net. The shorthanded goal put the Wildcats in front with 2:09 left in the game.

The late shorthanded goal was demoralizing, but the Lightning kept up the pressure for the second half of the powerplay and continuing with Bernard pulled for the extra attacker. With timing running down, Wildcat defender Lucas Chang was able to gain possession of the puck deep in the Wildcat defensive zone and bang the puck up the right wing boards. Megna won a puck battle at the defensive blue line. He skated up over the red line before shooting from next to the boards into the empty net to seal the Wildcats’ hard fought victory.

The effort from the Lightning junior varsity student athletes was non-stop throughout the entire game. Although more talented, Walter Johnson barely escaped with the victory thanks to Bernard’s performance. The last three games, all against the top teams in the Montgomery Hockey Conference, should prepare Upper Montgomery for the remainder of the schedule which begins this upcoming Sunday versus bottom dweller Churchill. The Lightning will need to avoid complacency and playing down to Churchill’s level. The team needs to bring it right from the start of the game and not let up to rack up the two standings points.

Game Notes:

• The Lightning were badly outshot by the Wildcats by a wide 40-8 margin.
• Behr Schickler scored his first career high school goal, a powerplay goal early in the second period.
• TJ Gottesman extended his personal career high points streak to all five games he has played in this season (5GP, 1G, 6A). His seven points on the season leads the Lightning junior varsity.
• Upper Montgomery killed off all five Wildcat powerplays and has now successfully killed off ten straight opponents’ powerplay opportunities.
• The Upper Montgomery junior varsity next returns to action on Sunday afternoon against lowly Churchill. Game time is 1:30 pm at Laurel Ice Gardens.

Three Stars of the Game:

First Star—Landon Bernard—Upper Montgomery Goalie—37 Saves, 2 GA, .949 Save Percentage
Second Star—Gianluca Megna—Walter Johnson Forward–2 Goals including SH GWG
Third Star—Lucas Chang—Walter Johnson Defense–1 Assist

In a rematch of last season’s junior varsity championship game, the Upper Montgomery Lightning dropped a tight game against the Richard Montgomery Rockets Sunday morning at Wheaton Ice Rink. Absent a consistent offensive attack, the Lightning lost 3-1 after Richard Montgomery scored into an empty net with twenty seconds left to clinch the victory. For the Rockets, it was a measure of revenge after their undefeated season last year was ruined by the Lightning in the junior varsity championship game. Junior goaltender Landon Bernard played well once again stopping 22 of 24 shots. As with the last few games, he was let down by the team’s play in front of him on both Richard Montgomery goals.

The start of the game got off to a sleepy start. Not surprising considering the 9:15 am Sunday morning start time. Richard Montgomery was able to get their legs going first and broke on top a little over three minutes into the game. Off a faceoff in the Lightning defensive zone, the puck was won sideways to the left wing boards by Rockets forward Jack Evans. Connor Rosier sent the puck from the side boards into the low slot on a shot or pass that went right to Jaxson Hartle. Hartle was unguarded at the back post. He had plenty of time, enough to settle the puck and push it into the open far side of the net. Upper Montgomery musted just one shot during the opening period.

In the second period, the Lightning played better and began to take the body more frequently. The game stalemated for most of the period which was mainly played in the neutral zone. Each team failed to convert on their lone powerplay opportunity. Just after the Rockets killed off a tripping penalty to Evans, a defensive breakdown gave the Rockets the break they needed to extend their lead. Evans controlled the puck in the Rockets defensive zone along the left wing boards. He skated up ice and was able to clear the Lightning defense at the offensive zone. He cut toward the net from the left wing boards in alone on Bernard. His forehand shovel shot was a body blow that squirted between Bernard’s glove hand arm and his side, just nudging over the goal line for an unassisted goal.

Two minutes later Upper Montgomery cut the lead in half. Similar to the Rockets first goal, Upper Montgomery scored off of a faceoff from the left wing circle. Stephen Shkeda won the face off to the left wing boards. TJ Gottesman controlled the puck and sent it around the boards behind the net to Shkeda. Shkeda sent a perfect centering pass from the right corner boards out front. Standing alone in the slot was Branson Hughes. Hughes had his stick on the ice and fired a quick snap shot along the ice five hole through the pads of Rockets’ netminder Gregory Saffell to bring Upper Montgomery to within one.

The third period was a quagmire with neither team able to generate many high quality scoring chances. Richard Montgomery had the better of play simply because of two powerplay opportunities over the first half of the third period. The Lightning killed off both penalties with Bernard making a few nice saves to keep the score 2-1. With a late powerplay opportunity of their own, Upper Montgomery was not able to capitalize. Needing to push at the end to tie up the game, the Lightning were not able to generate much offensive flow finishing the third period with just three shots on goal. A late empty net goal scored by the Rockets’ Benjamin Giblin cemented the win for the Richard Montgomery.

The Lightning’s collective team play was much better against Richard Montgomery. The game followed a practice session where the coaching staff focused on body checking, positional play, and being more responsible with the puck. Competing hard against the second place team in the conference was a step in the right direction for the young junior varsity squad. The effort and compete factor will need to ramp up even further for Upper Montgomery in the upcoming week. Next up on the schedule is a non-conference game against Walter Johnson’s top ranked junior varsity team.

Game Notes:

• The Lightning were outshot 25-8 by the Rockets.
• TJ Gottesman extended his personal career high points streak to all four games he has played in this season (4GP, 1G, 5A).
• The Lightning penalty kill had its best performance of the season killing off all three Rockets’ powerplay opportunities.
• The Upper Montgomery junior varsity next returns to action against Walter Johnson in a non-league game on Wednesday afternoon. Game time is 1:45 pm at Rockville Ice Arena.

Three Stars of the Game:

First Star—Jack Evans—Richard Montgomery Forward—GWG Goal, 1 Assist
Second Star—Landon Bernard—Upper Montgomery Goalie—2 GAA, 22 Saves, .917 Save Percentage
Third Star—Jaxson Hartle—Richard Montgomery Forward–1 Goal

The Upper Montgomery Lightning junior varsity dropped their second consecutive game on Tuesday afternoon 4-2 against BCC at Rockville Ice Arena. The game seemed headed toward a tie until a late defensive miscue cost the Lightning a chance at a point. In the non-conference game, BCC controlled play from the outset and Upper Montgomery seemed to be chasing the game for the better part of two and a half periods. Junior goaltender Landon Bernard played well and was let down by the team’s play in front of him.

Halfway through the opening period BCC would score first. On the powerplay with Lightning center and team captain Josh Nadler in the penalty box for high sticking, BCC worked the puck around the perimeter off of a faceoff win in the offensive zone. From the right point, Luke Burns passed the puck across the blue line to Alex Elias at the left point. Elias’s low snap shot was saved by Bernard’s leg pads. The rebound went directly to an unguarded Peter Lanpher just outside the crease and he easily smacked the puck into the open side of the net.

Upper Montgomery battled right back tying the game just 45 seconds later. In a corner battle in the Lightning defensive zone, Cole Howerton knocked the puck free to the side boards where the puck was collected by Henry Honacki. Honacki used his speed to race out of the Lightning defensive zone all the way into the offensive zone. He cut from the left wing boards into the center of the ice. From the top of the circles, Honacki fired a wrist shot by Baron’s netminder, Vivienne Boyle, high to the blocker side for his fourth goal of the season. Upper Montgomery was able to use momentum from that goal combined with a too many skaters on the ice penalty to the Barons to finish the period tied at one. Shots on goal for both teams during the period were low, BCC had five and Upper Montgomery had only two.

The Lightning spent the beginning of the second period on the penalty kill after Nadler was called for a double minor penalty for slashing and roughing. It was a double whammy for Upper Montgomery as the team follows a protocol of sitting student athletes when they have picked up three penalties in a game. This is done to prevent that student athlete from inadvertently taking a fourth penalty within the same game and thus being suspended from the next upcoming game. Losing Nadler for the remainder of the game hurt the team. Line combinations needed to be juggled and Upper Montgomery did not have the services of a high quality center for the final two periods.

On the ensuing powerplay, BCC would strike again. It was their second powerplay goal of the game. On the skater advantage, Barons forward Evan Williams scored the first of what would be his three goals in the game. He took possession of the puck on the side boards and muscled through a check by Honacki skating into the slot area. His first shot was blocked by the Lightning defense, but unluckily the puck bounced right back to him. Bernard had committed to make the initial save and was unable to reposition quickly enough to prevent Williams’s second wrist shot from sliding along the ice into the empty side of the net.

Upper Montgomery was able to kill off the second half of Nadler’s four minutes in the box and another penalty at the beginning of the third period to Howerton for interference. Preventing BCC from scoring another powerplay goal enabled the team to hang around and remain in the game. After a penalty to the Barons Evan Rich for roughing, Upper Montgomery would tie the game with seven and a half minutes left in regulation. Off of a faceoff in the defensive zone, Stephen Shkeda lost the draw a few feet behind the Barons center. TJ Gottesman hustled to the puck and pushed it forward a few feet where Shkeda controlled the puck. He skated the length of the ice into the offensive zone along with Jason Woodman on a two on one break. Shkeda elected to shoot the puck. His shot was saved by Boyle’s leg pads. The rebound caromed directly into the crease where Woodman had charged toward the net. Woodman beat the Barons’ defense and Boyle to the puck pushing a backhanded shot into the net to tie the game and record his first career high school goal.

Shortly thereafter, the Lightning had a golden opportunity to take the lead when Barons forward Michael Butkiewicz was called for high sticking. Unfortunately, the Lightning were unable to mount any significant chances with the extra skater advantage. With just over two minutes remaining in the game, disaster struck.

Williams collected the puck deep in the BCC defensive zone at the right circle after a drop pass from Burns. He skated up the left wing board and avoiding an ill-timed pinch on by a Lightning defender. Then, as he approached the attacking blue line, another Lightning defender was beaten by a head and shoulder fake. Williams found himself on a breakaway from the blue line in alone. He faked a forehand shot and got deeper toward the net before shooting high over Bernard’s glove hand into the top right corner of the net. BCC had the lead with only two minutes left in regulation. The disappointing feeling on the goal was that the Lightning had two of their more experienced defenders on the ice for that shift and both badly misplayed the individual rush up ice by Williams.

With Bernard pulled for the extra skater and time trickling down, Williams would salt away the game with an empty net goal. He was assisted by Benjamin Lyons who started the play by blocking a Lightning shot behind the net and Elias who passed the puck up to Williams who had fled the zone early. Williams skated in uncontested for the tap in hat-trick goal.

The Lightning’s collective team defensive and physical play was lacking. There was too much stick poking and swinging in an attempt to win the puck and transition to offensive play. BCC controlled play as evidenced by the wide margin in their shot advantage for the game, 25-9. Upper Montgomery played too much on the perimeter and did not get into the tough areas of the ice. The schedule for the junior varsity does not ease up. The next two games Upper Montgomery will face off against the top two teams in the Montgomery Hockey Conference, Richard Montgomery and Walter Johnson. Much better efforts will be needed if the Lightning are to be competitive in either game.

Game Notes:

• The Lightning were outshot by the Barons 25-9, including 11-3 in the pivotal third period.
• Jason Woodman scored his first career high school goal, the Lightning’s first powerplay goal of the season.
• Henry Honacki scored his team leading fourth goal of the season.
• TJ Gottesman has a point in all three games he has played in this season.
• The Upper Montgomery junior varsity next returns to action against Richard Montgomery on Sunday morning, December 4th, at 9:15 am at Wheaton Ice Rink for a showdown (and rematch) of last season’s junior varsity title game won by the Lightning.

Three Stars of the Game:

First Star—Evan Williams—BCC Forward—3 Goals
Second Star—Luke Burns—BCC Defense—2 Assists
Third Star—Henry Honacki—Upper Montgomery Center–1 Goal

The Upper Montgomery Lightning junior varsity was wiped out on Friday afternoon by Wootton 9-2 in a game that was not competitive. Upper Montgomery struggled all game long to contain Wootton’s run and gun offensive style. The defense played poorly and left Lightning junior goaltender Landon Bernard out to dry throughout the entire game. Just as troubling was Upper Montgomery’s inability to generate much offense with Wootton not focused at all on the defensive side of the game and with Wootton skater Mitchell Golub playing in goal for the Patriots. It was just Golub second career start in net.

Upper Montgomery mustered just three shots on goal in the first period. No shots on goal during a 1 minute and 29 second 5-3 powerplay. Two defensive breakdowns led directly to both Wootton goals and the Patriots had a 2-0 lead after the first period of play. The second period was just as bad as the Patriots would skate around and past Lightning defenders poking and waiving sticks at the puck. The Patriots played with pace while a stationary Upper Montgomery side watched and chased the Wootton forwards around the ice. The score had jumped to 5-0 with eight minutes remaining in the second period before Upper Montgomery would get one back.

Adam Levine dumped the puck in from center ice to the left corner of the offensive zone. He outraced the Patriots defense and backhanded the puck sharply around the net. The puck deflected off a Wootton defender in the right corner, a sharp change of direction which took the puck over to Henry Honacki at the top of the right faceoff circle. Levine had curled into the slot and set a perfect screen as Honacki sent a wrist shot just past Levine’s legs five hole on Golub to put Upper Montgomery on the board. Off the ensuing faceoff, Honacki and Levine forechecked hard. Honacki’s pressure caused a bad Wootton pass that was intercepted by Levine. Levine sent a smooth pass ahead to Honacki who skated around the defense and sent a sharp, low backhander that amazingly went right into Golub’s glove as the goalie slid across the crease badly out of the play. The Patriots outshot Upper Montgomery 15-4 in the second period, illustrating just how much Wootton had outplayed the Lightning.

In the third period, the Lightning’s substandard play continued as the Patriots scored three more uncontested goals. Chris Hassett was inserted into the game in goal simply to give Bernard a break as the Upper Montgomery position skaters had played so poorly in front of him. One nice moment in the middle of the third period was an outstanding hustle play by senior center Stephen Shkeda. Shkeda lost a faceoff in the left circle of the Lightning defensive zone. He outhustled the Wootton defense to the puck. He skated up ice along the left wing alone against two Wootton defenders. As he entered the offensive zone, he attempted to go wide around the Wootton left defender. As he pulled even with the defender, he fumbled the puck. Battling to regain control of the puck, he was able to get off a shot low to the short side. The puck slid along the ice between Golub’s pad and the near post for an unassisted goal, his first goal of the season.

The Lightning know they will have to play significantly better if they want to be competitive against the top junior varsity teams in the Montgomery Hockey Conference. The team needs better puck movement, better positional play, to be better at taking the body to separate the opposition skaters from the puck, to make better decisions with the puck, to play with more intensity, and to have a better understanding of what is needed to be successful. With that said, it is incredibly hard to win eight straight games in a row so the team needs to quickly put this clunker versus Wootton out of mind.

Game Notes:

• The Lightning were outshot by the Patriots 29-10.
• Henry Honacki scored his team leading third goal of the season.
• The Upper Montgomery power play was 0-5, including a lengthy 5-3 advantage early in the game.
• The Lightning will be looking to bounce back from this poor performance in a non-conference matchup versus the BCC Barons on Tuesday, November 22nd at 2:30 pm at Rockville Ice Arena.

Three Stars of the Game:

First Star—#49—Wootton Forward—5 Goals, 2 Assists
Second Star—Justin Heller—Wootton Forward—1 Goal, 4 Assists
Third Star—Matvei Shaposhnikov—Wootton Forward–2 Goals

The Upper Montgomery Lightning junior varsity increased their winning streak to eight games (dating to last season) with an impressive 4-2 road victory over the Glenelg Gladiators on Monday afternoon. In the non-conference game, Upper Montgomery controlled play from the outset and was never really threatened. Junior goaltender Landon Bernard had one of his easiest outings as Glenelg rarely mustered offensive pressure. The victory keeps the Lightning undefeated on the season with their two consecutive victories to begin the 2022 – 2023 campaign.

Upper Montgomery dominated the first period and could have scored many more goals than just the two late ones that found their way past Gladiators goaltender Gavin Coons. Upper Montgomery possessed the puck in the offensive zone for much of the period but had trouble finishing. It wasn’t until just over two minutes remained in the period that the Lightning were able to finally break through. Patrick Sell took possession of the puck in his defensive zone along the left wing boards. He chipped the puck up the boards to left winger James Hyman, who was just inside the defensive zone blue line. Hyman fired a perfectly timed pass to TJ Gottesman cutting up the middle of the ice from his right wing position. Gottesman received the pass at the red line and powered his way through the neutral zone past both Gladiators defenders coming in alone on a breakaway. Gottesman did not make much of a move, but fired the puck past Coons’ glove hand, up high, for his first goal of the season.

A minute later the Lightning would gain full control of the game. In the defensive zone, Cole Howerton won a race for a loose puck along the right wing boards. He shoveled the puck on to Gottesman at the blue line. Gottesman passed the puck left into the center of the ice to Henry Honacki. The pass was well timed and sprung Honacki on a two on one break with left winger AJ Marks. Honacki’s pass for Marks was just out of his reach and slid into the left wing corner in the offensive zone. Marks won the race to the puck and while being tied up by a Gladiators defender, he kicked the puck loose to Honacki. Honacki brought the puck into the left circle, swung around and fired a wrist shot short side and high, upstairs above Coons’ stick and blocker.

The second period was almost a carbon copy of the first period. Upper Montgomery dominated and spent most of the period in the offensive zone. With many open looks shot high or wide, the Lightning again scored just two goals. Halfway through the second period the Lightning would increase their lead to 3-0. Cole Howerton intercepted a pass in his defensive zone. From his location on the right side of the defensive zone, he advanced the puck to TJ Gottesman. Gottesman skated around a pinching Glenelg defender at the blue line which created another two on one break with Marks. Gottesman carried the puck and entered the offensive zone. He then passed the puck across to Marks. Gottesman’s pass was behind Marks who has to contort his body to bring the puck into shooting position. Once he had control in the mid-slot area, Marks fired a wrist shot high blocker side past Coons.

Glenelg continued to play hard and was able to eventually get one past Bernard on a nice individual play. Stephen Killorin picked up a loose puck at his own blue line and raced up ice. He split in between two Lightning defenders and beat Bernard with a wrist shot high blocker side from in tight. That goal gave Glenelg some life and the Gladiators had a momentary push. However, just 16 seconds before the second period’s conclusion, Upper Montgomery added to their lead. A bad turnover in the defensive zone doomed Glenelg. Honacki intercepted a stretch pass that was headed up the high slot area. He immediately fired a wrist shot five hole past Coons before the goalie could get into position to make the save. For Honacki, it was his first career high school two goal game.

The third period saw the high school goaltending debut of Lightning varsity center Chris Hassett. With only one goaltender in the program, Upper Montgomery needs an emergency goaltender to play in junior varsity games if Bernard is unavailable. Once Hassett entered the game, the Lightning defense began to struggle giving up way too many high quality chances. Hassett made more saves in the third period than Bernard did in his two period of play, including stopping a breakaway and an uncontested shot from the low slot. With five minutes left in the game, Glenelg did score on Hassett to make the game interesting down the stretch. Off of a face off loss in the defensive zone, the Lightning failed to possess or clear the puck. The puck entered the left corner where Dylan Hubbard took possession and began to skate around the net. Before he went around the net, Hubbard passed the puck into the slot to Eliot Horwath. Horwath’s shot beat Hassett along the ice toward the far post and just inside the goal to cut the Upper Montgomery lead to 4-2.

The Lightning’s collective team defensive and skating then took over and prevented Glenelg from having many more good chances, squashing any hope of a Gladiators comeback. A good win for Upper Montgomery, but an effort that the team knows will need to improve as the Lightning face stiffer league competition beginning later this week.

Game Notes:

• The Lightning outshot the Gladiators 34-20 for the game, including 22-9 over the first two periods of play.
• AJ Marks scored his first career high school goal.
• TJ Gottesman set a career high with three points.
• Chris Hassett made his high school goaltending debut stopping 10 of 11 shots in the third period.
• There were no penalties called in the game, a first for the Lightning junior varsity.
• Upper Montgomery junior varsity next returns to action on Friday, November 11 at 4:00 pm for an MHC conference matchup against Wootton at Rockville Ice Arena.

Three Stars of the Game:

First Star—Henry Honacki—Upper Montgomery Center—2 Goals
Second Star—TJ Gottesman—Upper Montgomery Forward—1 Goal, 2 Assists
Third Star—AJ Marks—Upper Montgomery Forward–1 Goal, 1 Assist