Category: Game Recaps

The Upper Montgomery Lightning began defense of their junior varsity championship with a shutout victory over the DC Stars. The game was played at historic Fort Dupont Ice Arena in downtown Washington, DC. Playing without several key student athletes, Upper Montgomery controlled play throughout the game and clamped down in the third period to help Landon Bernard notch his first career high school shutout in the victory. Five Lightning student athletes made their team debuts in the win.

The first period started off slowly. Both teams were feeling their way through the period. While the Stars had played one game earlier in the season, a tie versus Rockville/Magruder, it was the season opener for Upper Montgomery. For the Lightning the slow start could be chalked up to a combination of continuously changing offensive lines and taking quick shifts to stay fresh throughout the game. Just over halfway through the period, Upper Montgomery would strike first.

Henry Honacki collected the puck in the neutral zone and backhanded the puck off the side boards to TJ Gottesman standing near the offensive blue line. Gottesman made an aggressive move with the puck into the middle of the ice at the Stars blue line. Just as he moved inside the blue line, the Stars defense took the body on Gottesman and the puck flittered away into the high slot. Patrick Sell had moved up from his left defense position to join the rush. Sell got to the loose puck first and quickly fired a wrist shot that went mid-height glove side on Stars starting netminder Gabriel Sokol. For Sell it was his first career high school tally.

Playing with the lead for the second half of the first period, the Lightning stifled the neutral zone creating many turnovers which negated much of the DC Stars offensive game. Shots on goal in the first period were Upper Montgomery seven and the DC Stars four.

The second period was far more entertaining and far more offensive. Upper Montgomery fired eleven shots on goal and the DC Stars had ten shots on Bernard, including a few sequences in tight where Bernard also made saves on the rebound chances. Henry Honacki had multiple breakaway chances and just could not get a puck to go past Sokol. With five minutes to go in the middle period, the Lightning would stretch the lead to 2-0.

After a defensive zone faceoff to the left of Bernard, the puck squirted over to the bottom of the right circle in the Lightning defensive zone. Jake Roth cleared the puck up ice forcefully and apparently close enough to the Stars defense that icing was immediately waived off. Stephen Shkeda and Adam Levine outraced the Stars defense back to the puck which was now sitting below the goal line to the right of Stars backup netminder Anton Tracy. Shkeda collected the puck and swung around the net going left to right while Levine when to the top of the crease and stopped. Shkeda maneuvered around the backtracking Stars defense and centered the puck to Levine. Levine wasted no time and fired a low wrist shot between Tracy’s leg pad and the near post. Going back to last season, it was the third straight junior varsity game in which Levine has scored.

The third period was controlled by the Lightning. The Stars struggled to gain possession of the puck and generate any offense. The Lightning had several chances to extend the lead but couldn’t find the back of the net. Most of the third period was played in the Stars defensive zone or in the neutral zone. The Stars generated just one shot on goal in the third period as they tried to claw back into the game. However, the Lightning’s collective team defensive effort and intensity prevented the home team from mounting any sort of a comeback. A good win to start the season and a well deserved victory for the effort that the Lightning junior varsity put forth.

Game Notes:

• The Lightning outshot the Stars 30-15 for the game.
• Landon Bernard posted his first career high school shutout.
• Patrick Sell scored his first carrier high school goal.
• The Lightning penalty kill was a perfect three for three in the game.
• The Lightning held the Stars to one shot on goal in the third period.
• The Lightning junior varsity next return to action on Monday, November 7 at 3:00 pm against Glenelg at Columbia Ice Rink.

Three Stars of the Game:

First Star—Henry Honacki—Upper Montgomery Center—1 Assist
Second Star—Stephen Shkeda—Upper Montgomery Center—1 Assist
Third Star—Landon Bernard—Upper Montgomery Goalie–15 Save Shutout Victory

Looking to bounce back from last week’s loss to Richard Montgomery, its first loss since early November, the Upper Montgomery Lightning came out flat Friday night. A talented Sherwood Warriors team took advantage scoring three goals in the first ten minutes of the game on their way to a 6-4 victory in the cross division matchup. With the loss the Lightning drop to 5-5-1 on the season with a tough contest looming on Monday night at the Washington County Northstars.

Jeremy Isaacs got the Warriors off to a quick start scoring an unassisted goal just 1:11 into the contest. A turnover in the defensive zone squirted over to Isaacs unguarded in the lower right circle. He made no mistake quickly firing a shot past Lightning netminder Will Mellen to put Sherwood out in front early. Exactly five minutes later the Lightning were caught up ice. Thomas Russell made a save on a shot from the high slot. Riley Shearer outraced the Lightning forwards to the puck in the right corner. His stretch pass up the left wing boards found Jarden Reed in the neutral zone. Coming down the left wing on a two on one break, Reed pulled up at the top of the left faceoff circle and ripped a snapshot high, short side above Mellen’s blocker and into the net for a 2-0 Sherwood lead.

Three minutes later, Christian Winckler finished off a nice passing sequence. Ryan Warner started the scoring play in the neutral zone along the right wing boards. His pass was on the money for Grayson Winckler who skated into the offensive zone and found his brother in the slot with a nifty pass. Christian Winckler’s shot beat Mellen glove side and the Warriors were threatening to turn the game into a rout.

Just before the end of the first period, the Lightning got on the board to cut the lead to 3-1 at intermission. Nathan Cassel passed the puck into the slot area for Chris Hassett. Hassett’s shot attempt was blocked in front with several bodies crowded in the crease area. The puck bounced loose to the right side of the net where Ryan Jacobson was waiting. His quick wrist shot, low and to the glove side of Russell, found the back of the net. Right after Jacobson’s shot went in the goal, he was leveled by Warriors defender Payton Mages. George Benedick took exception. Both Mages and Benedick were sent to the penalty box for coincidental roughing minors. Upper Montgomery had some hope heading into the second period. Shots on goal in the first period were Sherwood 18 and Upper Montgomery 16.

The Lightning went on the powerplay very early in the second period after a slashing penalty was assessed to Christian Winckler. With an opportunity to cut into the Warriors lead, Upper Montgomery was instead caught pinching to keep the puck in the offensive zone. Isaacs collected the puck and skated up ice with Reed on another two on one break. Isaacs slid the puck over to Reed who easily converted past Mellen and the Warriors had reclaimed their three goal lead.

After giving up the shorthanded goal, the Lightning carried play for the next ten minutes of game action clawing their way back into the contest. Off of an offensive zone faceoff from in left faceoff circle, Chris Hassett won the draw into the slot, directly to Jacobson. He wasted no time and fired the puck low, glove side past Russell for his second goal of the game. A minute later the Lightning went on an important penalty kill as Bradley Cupples was called for roughing. The outstanding Lightning penalty kill was up to the task, keeping the Warriors at bay and the team seemed to gain momentum from the shorthanded effort.

With five minutes remaining in the second period, the Lightning would strike to pull within one goal at 4-3. James Botti kept the puck in the offensive one at the left point. He was able to swipe the puck forward a few feet to Nathan Cassel. Cassel collected the bouncing puck along the right wing boards and fired a shot wide of the net on the short side. The puck caromed around back to James Botti at his left point position. He shoveled the puck down low into the left corner finding Hassett. Hassett stick handled along the boards and pushed the puck over to Cassel behind the net. Cassel tried a stuff attempt that was blocked off and the puck flipped high in the air through the slot toward Ethan Hockey at the right point. Hockey judged the arc of the puck. Just as the puck bounced off the ice he unloaded a booming slap shot from the right faceoff dot that went flying past Russell high, glove side for his second goal of the season. While still trailing by one goal, the Lightning had all the momentum.

With two minutes remaining in the second period a defensive zone coverage breakdown doomed Upper Montgomery. The Warriors gained possession of the puck in the Lightning defensive zone, working the puck down low in the right corner. The puck was then centered into the slot where it eluded two Lightning skaters and found Christian Winkler alone in front. Mellen made a terrific save on Winckler’s quick shot from the low slot. The puck bounced up and off the back end boards where Aidan Sachs fired a quick wrist shot past Mellen low, glove side as he scrambled back into position. The failed clear deflated the Lightning who had fought so hard to get back in the game. The Lightning outshot Sherwood by a wide margin, 19 to 8 in the second period.

Four minutes into the third period Noi Jonasson ended the competitive portion of the game scoring a “Michigan Goal”, lacrosse style to add insult to Upper Montgomery. Warriors’ defender Timothy Rocca retrieved the puck in the neutral zone along the right wing boards. He passed the puck up ice to Jonasson at the attacking blue line. Jonasson skated past three Lightning defenders and curled around the net on his backhand from left to right. He collected the puck, then scooped and spun, flinging the puck past Mellen’s left shoulder into the net making the score 6-3.

Upper Montgomery would score a power play goal with 29 seconds remaining to close out the scoring. Hassett scored on a wrist shot from just right of the slot off assists from James Botti and Benedick. But, by then, it was just a matter of the final score in a game in which the Lightning started slowly and could never quite get over the hump.

Game Notes:

• The loss was the Lightning’s second straight defeat since a five game winning streak ended.
• The Lightning outshot Sherwood 46-34 for the game.
• Will Mellen gave up the most goals he has allowed all season (six). He made 28 saves on the night.
• The Lightning penalty kill was excellent once again smothering all three Warriors’ powerplay opportunities. The Upper Montgomery penalty kill is now 40 of 43 on the season, 93.0%.
• The Lightning powerplay finished the game 1-4, but the powerplay tally came with 29 seconds remaining in the game after the outcome had been decided.
• The Lightning gave up their fifth shorthanded goal of the season in the second period. Upper Montgomery has lost all five games in which they have allowed a shorthanded goal.
• The Lightning are next in action on Monday, January 24th at 7:00 pm when they travel to Hagerstown to take on the Washington County Northstars.

Three Stars of the Game:

First Star—Jarden Reed—Sherwood Forward—2 Goals
Second Star—Ryan Jacobson—Upper Montgomery Forward–-2 Goals
Third Star—Thomas Russell—Sherwood Goalie—Win, 42 Saves, .913 Save%, 1 Assist

The Upper Montgomery Lightning completed a run for the ages by defeating top seed and undefeated Richard Montgomery 2-1 to win the Montgomery Hockey Conference junior varsity championship game Thursday afternoon at Laurel Ice Gardens. The win completes a stunning turnaround from last season when the Lightning finished dead last in the conference standings, a season in which they were not very competitive. This year, after a slow start to the season, the Upper Montgomery Lightning won their final six games and will forever be CHAMPIONS!

Upper Montgomery was a substantial underdog coming into the championship game against Richard Montgomery even while finishing in second place in the regular season conference standings. The Rockets had blown through the regular season and their first two playoff games to arrive at the championship final with a 10-0 record and having outscored their opponents 53-12. In conversations leading up to the game, it was felt around the league that the final would be a coronation of the experienced and talented Rockets team. Upper Montgomery’s appearance in the final was a nice story but the team had no real chance to prevail. The confident Lightning squad thought otherwise. They were out to prove they belonged and were a worthy adversary.

At the opening faceoff, Richard Montgomery started five student athletes who were all juniors or seniors and saw regular playing time on the Rockets varsity squad. However, it was clear from the beginning of the game that the Lightning would not be intimidated or pushed around. The Lightning competed all over the ice and did not allow Richard Montgomery to generate speed through the neutral zone or many good scoring opportunities. The Lightning forwards backchecked hard and did not allow any outnumbered rushes up ice. With 3:46 seconds left in the first period, the Lightning went on the first powerplay of the game. Rockets forward Jacob Swivel was called for roughing on a check without an attempt to play the puck. As was the case for most of the season, the Lightning generated very little on the abbreviated powerplay which was cut short after only a minute when Lightning center Josh Nadler was called for slashing.

A rather uneventful first period ended with no score and low shots on goal totals for both teams. Richard Montgomery had five shots on goal and Upper Montgomery had four shots on goal in the period. The flow and feel of the game was that the first goal would be critical to deciding the eventual champion. As the game went along in the second period, it appeared that Upper Montgomery continued to gain confidence with the score still tied 0-0. The Lightning were skating strong and playing fast. They exited the defensive zone well and continued to get pucks in behind the Rockets defense. Bradley Cupples found himself in alone chasing down a puck rolling toward the net, but he was only able to get a whack at the puck sending it on net. He was unable to lift the puck high enough to get it over the glove hand of Rockets netminder Ian Hutchinson. Richard Montgomery continued to be thwarted entering the Lightning defensive zone and they were not generating many good offensive scoring chances.

With five minutes remaining in the second period, the Lightning were back on the powerplay after Rockets defender Ellison Mohan was called for hooking. Upper Montgomery had good puck movement and some opportunities with the advantage but were unsuccessful in getting one past Hutchinson. After the powerplay ended, the coaching staff made a subtle line change with Cupples centering Joshua Miller and Adam Levine. Levine who had been out on the recent powerplay for the first minute, was substituted in at right wing. Off of an offensive zone faceoff, Cupples won the draw from the left faceoff circle back to the right point. Lightning defender Geroge Benedick controlled the puck at the blue line and skated left toward the center of the ice as Levine fell back and covered at the right point. With the Rockets blocking up the center of the ice, Benedick dropped the puck down to Cupples in the left corner and retreated back to his right defense position. Levine who had been covering for Benedick at the right point, broke down the center of the slot and received a nice pass from Cupples while in stride. Levine shot low, stick side, back across from where Hutchinson had just moved coming across the goal crease to face up to the impending shot. Levine’s shot slid just inside the left post giving Upper Montgomery the lead late in the second period with 2:38 remaining. It was the monumental moment in the game as the Lightning had grabbed the lead against the heavy favorites.

A holding penalty late in the second period to Lightning defender Andrew Gean provided some tense moments for Upper Montgomery. Once again, the Lightning penalty kill was up to the task and did the job. The second period ended with Upper Montgomery on top 1-0. Shots on goal in the second period were Richard Montgomery again with five while Upper Montgomery had nine. The shots on goal totals through two periods were Richard Montgomery ten and Upper Montgomery 13.

The Upper Montgomery faithful were noticeably tense as the team tried to protect the one goal lead. The Richard Montgomery faithful were also noticeably tense as they never expected to be trailing heading into the third period. The Rockets’ tenseness was palpable on the ice as Richard Montgomery student athletes began trying to do too much and Upper Montgomery was able to create turnovers and easy clearing attempts. Although Richard Montgomery began directing more pucks on net, the shots were from far out near the blue line or very wide bad angle shots outside the faceoff circles. Landon Bernard did not have any difficulty making the saves.

With just over five minutes left in the game, the Lightning would score a very important insurance goal. Stephen Shkeda kept the puck in the offensive zone at the left point after a Rockets’ clearing attempt was not fired hard enough around the boards from the far right corner. He fired a rising wrist shot toward the net. It appeared to be a harmless shot that Hutchinson was following all the way in. As the puck went past him in the left faceoff circle, Joshua Miller stuck his stick out waist high and deflected the puck causing it to begin flipping end over end. The trajectory of the shot changed enough that the puck floated up over the catching glove of Hutchinson and into the top right corner of the net. Now up 2-0, the goal gave Upper Montgomery added energy and a small amount of breathing room. It also created a very nerve wracking five plus minutes of high drama.

Richard Montgomery immediately turned up the offensive zone pressure after falling behind by two goals knowing that their season was slipping away. The Rockets’ renewed tenacity was rewarded when a turnover in the Upper Montgomery defensive zone helped cut the lead to 2-1 with 3:22 left in the game. Off the turnover, Tyler Senko found the puck loose in a pig pile in front of the crease and fired it past Landon Bernard (19 saves, .950 save percentage) setting up a wild finish to the championship.

The final three minutes of the game were intense with Richard Montgomery pressing to score the tying goal. Upper Montgomery forwards and defenders were sliding all over the ice giving everything they had to get pucks across the blue line and out of the defensive zone. Once at the red line with possession, pucks were dumped deep into the Rockets end of the ice, a strategy that worked successfully for the next two and a half minutes of game action. With 47 seconds left in regulation, Richard Montgomery pulled Hutchinson for an extra skater. Upper Montgomery continued to defend with pressure on the puck and prevented the Rockets from getting clean looks at the net. Many Rockets shots were blocked in front, and others went wide of the net. One last clearing effort into the neutral zone as the clock reached zero coincided with the Lightning streaming off the bench in celebration. Sticks and gloves were thrown into the air and strewn across the ice as the team swarmed around Bernard celebrating the first championship in Upper Montgomery history.

Game Notes:

• Shots on goal in the championship game were relatively even, Richard Montgomery with 20 and Upper Montgomery had 18.
• The Lightning gave up only eight goals over their final six games of the season.
• Landon Bernard led all Maryland Student Hockey League (MSHL) junior varsity goalies with eight wins.
• Landon Bernard finished the season with an .880 save percentage and a 2.69 goals against average.
• Brandon Bernard led all Maryland Student Hockey League (MSHL) junior varsity skaters with nine assists. His 15 points led the team.
• Joshua Miller scored his team leading eighth goal of the season in the third period, a key insurance goal that eventually became the game winner.
• Greg Felder finished the season as the team’s penalty minutes leader with 32 penalty minutes in only six games played.
• Adam Levine scored goals in back-to-back games, his first two goals of the season. Both goals were the first goal scored by the Lightning in the semi-final game and also in the championship game.
• The Lightning penalty kill was again perfect in two opportunities against the Rockets and finished the season 43-48, 89.6%.
• The Lightning junior varsity finished the season winning six games in a row and were undefeated in their last seven games, 6-0-1.
• The Lightning finished the season with a record of 8-4-2. A significant turnaround from last season’s 1-6-1 record.

Three Stars of the Game:

First Star—Adam Levine—Upper Montgomery Forward—1 Goal
Second Star—Landon Bernard—Upper Montgomery Goalie—Championship Win, 1 GAA, .950 Save %
Third Star—Bradley Cupples—Upper Montgomery Center—1 Assist

The Upper Montgomery Lightning junior varsity advanced to the Montgomery Hockey Conference junior varsity championship game with a dominating 6-2 win over Rockville/Blair on Wednesday. The Lightning will play undefeated and highly favored Richard Montgomery tomorrow afternoon at Laurel Ice Gardens. Game time is early at 4:15 pm.

After falling behind early on a fluky goal, the Lightning roared back with a complete team effort. Six different student athletes scored goals and only three student athletes had more than one point; Joshua Miller with one goal and two assists, Adam Levine with one goal and one assist, and Patrick Sell setting an Upper Montgomery junior varsity program record with four assists.

The game started ominously for the Lightning as just one minute and thirty seconds into the game the Rams went out in front 1-0. It was not a very good goal to give up. Rams’ defender Connor Combs innocently dumped the puck down ice from his own blue line. The puck went harmlessly on net and Lightning goalie Landon Bernard nudged the puck ahead three feet in front of the cage. Rams’ forward Ari Gardner outraced everyone on the ice from the Lightning blue line and knocked the puck past Bernard before he could re-set in the net. That sequence would be the only two shots on goal for Rockville/Blair in the first period.

Five minutes later the Lightning would start to take over and dominate the game. Controlling the puck in the neutral zone, Josh Nadler entered the offensive zone on the right wing. His snapshot toward the goal went wild and high over the net. Patrick Sell raced forward on the opposite side of the ice in an attempt to keep the puck in the offensive zone at the left point. He was able to bat the puck out of mid-air and down the left wing boards. Adam Levine gathered the puck, turned, and skated toward the bottom of the left faceoff circle. He directed a wrist shot on net from the sharp angle. His shot deflected off a Rams’ defender’s stick, down and past Rams’ goalie Sean Connelly for his first goal of the season.

Three minutes later James Hyman put Upper Montgomery in front 2-1 when he tapped in a rebound that snuck behind Connelly. Sell pushed the puck down the right wing boards to Joshua Miller. Miller fired a wrist shot from a bad angle on net. Connelly made the save, but the puck snuck behind his pads. Hyman beat the Rams defense to the puck and pushed it over the line with four minutes remaining in the period for his third goal of the season, all coming from the crease area.

With just under two minutes before the end of the period Brandon Bernard upped the Lightning’s lead. Both Levine and Bernard came back hard on the backcheck. The Rams turned the puck over just inside the Lightning defensive zone blue line. Levine nudged the puck forward to Bernard who had already circled around to race up ice. Bernard carried the puck down the center of the ice through the neutral zone and into the Lightning offensive end. At the top of the faceoff circles, directly in front of Connelly, he fired a wicked wrist shot high between both Rams defenders, and then by the blocker side of Connelly into the net. For Bernard it was his sixth goal and team leading 15th point on the season. With the majority of play in the offensive zone, at the end of the first period the Lightning had a 3-1 advantage and were outshooting Rockville/Blair 10-2.

Upper Montgomery extended the lead to 4-1 early in the second period. From just inside his defensive blue line, and while the Rams were in a line change, Sell banked the puck off the boards on a nice indirect pass. In stride, Miller collected the puck in the neutral zone and raced wide into the offensive zone on the right wing. He went around the Rams defense on a semi-breakaway and cut in toward the net. Connelly made the initial save on Miller’s forehand shot but was helpless when Bradley Cupples knocked in the rebound into the wide open left side of the net. The Lightning had a 4-1 lead and there was no real pressure being applied by the Rams.

Lightning defender Ethan Hockey was called for interference and Upper Montgomery had no difficulty killing off the minor penalty. Later in the second period, Lightning defender Andrew Gean was called for cross checking behind the net. Once again, the Lightning killed the penalty with ease. For the majority of the second period, the Lightning played responsible defensive hockey. Landon Bernard did not face many high quality scoring chances throughout the entire game.

With a three goal lead to start the third period, the coaching staff’s message to the team was to play disciplined hockey and to make the correct plays. Pucks out of the zone, pucks in deep behind the Rams net, and absolutely to avoid any extracurricular play after the whistle. Even with that message, Rockville/Blair scored just 45 seconds into the third period on a broken play. Off of a faceoff win from the left circle of the offensive zone, Rams center Brendyn Illif won the draw back to defender Aiden Ward. Ward wound up for a slapshot that was blocked by Ethan Hockey. A second attempt by Ward was also expertly blocked by Hockey. Unfortunately for the Lightning, both blocked shots went directly back to Ward. Ward’s third attempt went past the Lightning defense and also past a screened Landon Bernard to provide the Rams with momentum.

However, on the very next shift, momentum changed once again. Rams’ defender JJ St. Aubin was called for boarding Brandon Bernard. The Rams were forced to kill the penalty and all two minutes were played in their defensive zone. Momentum gone. While Upper Montgomery did not score on the powerplay advantage, the Lightning were able to change the momentum of the game after the Rams early third period goal. Ten seconds after the powerplay ended, the Lightning caught a break. Sell fired a wrist shot from the mid-point toward the net. TJ Gottesman was skating through the slot and bent over in an attempt to get out of the way of the puck. He could not and the puck hit him in the lower back. Somehow, the puck tricked over Gottesman’s right shoulder rolled forward and into the net just inside the right post. Gottesman’s first career high school goal again provided Upper Montgomery some breathing room with nine minutes left in the game.

With five minutes left in the contest, a late goal by Miller provided the finishing touch in a game that showcased how well the junior varsity has progressed since the beginning of the season. Miller took a pass from Ethan Hockey and fired a wrist shot past Connelly for the final tally. Tomorrow, the biggest challenge awaits the team in the junior varsity championship game. Upper Montgomery will need to find a way to conquer the Richard Montgomery Rockets who have outscored their opponents 53-12 on the season. The Rockets are undefeated with their 10-0 record, including a 5-2 victory over Upper Montgomery in early November. They have blown through the conference regular season and handled two very good teams in the playoffs. To win tomorrow, the Lightning will have play close to a perfect game and capitalize on the chances they are able to generate.

Game Notes:

• The Lightning held Rockville/Blair to only 14 shots on goal for the game, with just two shots on goal in the first period.
• Upper Montgomery scored on six of its 26 shots on goal in the game.
• The Lightning penalty kill was again perfect in two opportunities and is now 41-46 on the season, 89.1%. The penalty kill has been an area where Upper Montgomery has excelled all season.
• The Lightning junior varsity have won five games in a row.
• The Lightning have upped their record to 7-4-2 on the season with all seven wins coming against conference opponents.
• With the victory, the Lightning advance to play highly favored Richard Montgomery in the junior varsity championship game on Thursday, February 18th at 4:15 pm at Laurel Ice Gardens.

Three Stars of the Game:

First Star—Joshua Miller—Upper Montgomery Forward—1 Goal, 2 Assists
Second Star—Adam Levine—Upper Montgomery Forward—1 Goal, 1 Assist
Third Star—Patrick Sell—Upper Montgomery Defense—4 Assists

The Upper Montgomery Lightning won its first ever junior varsity playoff game late Friday night with a come from behind 2-1 shootout victory over the Northwest Jaguars at Cabin John Ice Rink. With the win, Upper Montgomery advances to the junior varsity semi-final round hosting Rockville/Blair on Wednesday evening at 6:40 pm at Laurel Ice Gardens.

In a gritty and tightly contested game, Upper Montgomery defended all over the ice and limited the Jaguars to just nine shots on goal through regulation and overtime. The Lightning’s game plan was executed very well by the entire team, to identify and defend against Jaguars leading scorer, roving defender Brady Graham. By running multiple skaters at Graham all game long, and constantly applying pressure, the Lightning were able to hold him to a single assist on a broken play. Graham had entered the game scoring eleven goals in six junior varsity games and his eleven goals led the Montgomery Hockey Conference junior varsity by almost double the next highest scoring skater.

The game started slowly as both teams were feeling each other out. A tripping penalty to Jaguars center Nikhil Mudunuri a minute and a half into the game gave Upper Montgomery an opportunity to jump out in front early in the game. However, the Lightning powerplay which has been inept all season failed to generate any good scoring chances. The first period would end with up and down skating, a lot of shots missing wide of the net, and a feeling that the game would be a battle right to the end. Shots on goal in the first period were a paltry four for Upper Montgomery and one for Northwest.

The second period could best be defined as a slog. Upper Montgomery was tough and physical and continued to clamp down on Graham. Coincidental roughing penalties to Graham and Upper Montgomery center Bradley Cupples opened the period. While they were in the box, Jaguars defender Micah Chin was also called for roughing. Upper Montgomery generated nothing on the four on three powerplay. More tight defensive play ensued until Lightning defender Patrick Sell was called for hooking halfway through the period. At this point the game opened up just a bit. Adam Levine sprung Brandon Bernard on a shorthanded breakaway with a nice indirect pass off the boards and immediately went to the bench for a line change (second period line change is the far bench). Bernard cut in alone and faked backhand, forehand and was stopped by Northwest goalie Joseph Dean’s pads. After his shot attempt was saved, Bernard wiped out in the offensive zone corner boards.

Graham collected the puck for the Jaguars in the defensive zone and skated past the Upper Montgomery defense leading to a two on one advantage with Ben Weiner. Graham centered the puck to Weiner in the slot and he whipped a quick wrist shot past Landon Bernard’s glove. The powerplay goal gave the Jaguars a 1-0 lead on just their third shot of the game. It was an unfortunate turn of events with both Lightning forwards caught up ice behind the play. At the end of the second period the shots on goal remained very low, seven for Upper Montgomery and three for Northwest.

The competition for every inch of the ice continued in the third period. With 9:30 left in regulation, Jaguars forward Josh Podsiadlik and Lightning center Josh Nadler were called for coincidental minors, Podsiadlik for roughing and Nadler for slashing. With five and a half minutes to play, the Lightning received the break they needed. Graham was called for hooking on the backcheck and Upper Montgomery went to the powerplay. The Jaguars most talented student athlete was in the penalty box and unable to defend in front of the Northwest net on their penalty kill.

The game tying goal started with a rewind from the Upper Montgomery defensive zone. Bradley Cupples corralled the puck along the left wing boards. He passed cross ice to George Benedick at the offensive blue line along the right wing boards. Benedick entered the offensive zone down the boards and centered the puck looking for Adam Levine cutting to the back post. The pass was intercepted by the Jaguars defense and the attempted clearing attempt was kept in at the mid-point of the blue line by Cupples. Cupples passed the puck over to Benedick at the right point. Benedick’s shot with Levine in front screening Dean was well wide of the net short side. Josh Nadler collected that errant shot behind the net and attempted a wrap around shot coming from behind the net from the right side to the left post. Both Northwest defender were occupied with Levine in the crease area and Nadler’s wrap around attempt banked into the net off the right goalie skate of Dean. With 4:45 left in regulation, the game was tied at one. It had been four games and 16 powerplay chances since the last Lightning powerplay goal.

The final minutes of regulation were played more wide open with both teams pushing up ice looking for the victory. At the end of regulation the shots on goal were Upper Montgomery 15 and Northwest eight. Junior varsity playoff overtime is played three on three for five minutes, and if scoreless, a five round shootout decides the winner. The five minute overtime period was full of wild action. Graham stayed on the ice for the full five minute overtime for the Jaguars and provided matchup problems for the Lightning with the extra open ice. Only five Lightning skaters played in the overtime period; Benedick, Cupples, Brandon Bernard, Cole Howerton, and Nadler.

Cupples found himself in alone on two separate breakaway attempts in overtime. Both coming in alone along the right wing boards toward the net. Dean made a nice glove save off of Cupples wrist shot on the first chance and a desperation pad save on a backhand, forehand move on the second chance with a minute and a half left in overtime. The second breakaway attempt drew a hooking penalty to Jaguars forward Schiab Younis. Upper Montgomery could not convert on the four on three overtime powerplay and the overtime period ended scoreless. Upper Montgomery outshot Northwest eight to one in overtime and for the first time in the game appeared to be the better team.

As the home team, Upper Montgomery had the choice of shooting first or second in the five round shootout. The Lightning coaching staff chose to shoot first.

Joshua Miller came in and faked backhand, forehand and easily scored around the left pad of Dean.

For the Jaguars, Micah Chin faked forehand, backhand and roofed a shot over Lightning netminder Landon Bernard’s outstretched pads and blocker.

Bradley Cupples was the second shooter for Upper Montgomery. He also faked backhand, forehand similar to Miller and scored over top of Dean glove hand.

The second shooter for the Jaguars was Graham. If he scored, the shootout would be tied two apiece and the Jaguars would have used their two most talented shooters in the first two rounds of the shootout. Graham skated in and attempted the same faked used by Chin. His backhand shot was not as high and Landon Bernard got enough of his right leg pad on the shot to block the shot into the goal post where it deflected wide into the corner giving the Lightning an early 2-1 lead in the shootout. It was an enormous save on the county’s most prolific offensive student athlete.

Next up for the Lightning was Josh Nadler. Nadler continued the theme of going backhand, forehand and easily deposited the puck into the top portion of the net putting Upper Montgomery in front 3-1.

Up next for the Jaguars was Ben Linteris. Linteris took a different approach and came in on Landon Bernard and sent a wrist shot on net from the high slot. The shot hit Bernard’s leg pads and bounced back at Linteris. The Lightning student athletes streamed off the bench in celebration. The only problem was that the shootout was not yet over. Upper Montgomery held a 3-1 lead with two rounds of the shootout remaining.

Upper Montgomery’s fourth shooter, Brandon Bernard, had a chance to end the game by scoring. He followed the pattern of all three shooters before him and used the exact same move, backhand, forehand. Bernard whipped his left handed wrist shot high above Dean’s blocker and into the net. A wild celebration ensued around both Bernards as Upper Montgomery won its first playoff game in program history. The gritty and well deserved win advanced the Upper Montgomery junior varsity into semi-finals.

The remaining teams alive in the junior varsity playoffs are:

Whitman (5) versus Richard Montgomery (1)

Rockville/Blair (3) versus Upper Montgomery (2)

Game Notes:

• The Lightning held Northwest to only nine shots on goal in 41 minutes of action.
• Upper Montgomery had eight of their 23 shots on goal during the five minute overtime period, including two breakaway chances for Bradley Cupples.
• The Lightning junior varsity have now won four games in a row.
• The Lightning powerplay finally scored after a four game and 16 opportunity drought. It was the biggest goal of the season thus far.
• All four Lightning shooters scored in the shootout. The first ever shootout in program history.
• With the victory, the Lightning advance to play Rockville/Blair in the junior varsity semi-finals on Wednesday, February 16th at 6:40 pm at Laurel Ice Gardens.

Three Stars of the Game:

First Star—Bradley Cupples—Upper Montgomery Center—1 Assist, Shootout Goal
Second Star—Joseph Dean—Northwest Goalie—1 Goal Against, 22 Saves, .956 Save %
Third Star—George Benedick—Upper Montgomery Defense—1 Assist

The Upper Montgomery Lightning dominated Churchill 6-1 on Tuesday afternoon to claim the second seed in the upcoming Montgomery Hockey Conference junior varsity playoff tournament. The victory was the third in a row for the Lightning and coincides with the team’s improved defensive play. The Lightning have given up only four total goals combined over the past three games. Upper Montgomery now awaits the winner of a first round playoff matchup between Northwest and Churchill to determine who will face the Lightning in the quarterfinal round of the junior varsity playoffs. It is anticipated that Northwest will advance and the quarterfinal clash will be a rematch of a game played just last week won by Upper Montgomery 3-1.

Upper Montgomery got off to a sluggish start in this game. It may have been the late morning / early afternoon start time. Or, the talent level of the Bulldogs may have contributed to the sleepy start. But, once they got in gear, the Lightning were in complete charge of the game. Cole Howerton scored his first high school goal with two minutes remaining in the first period to jump start the Lightning. Brandon Bernard won a faceoff from the left faceoff circle to the left wing boards. James Hyman won the puck battle, spun and passed the puck cross ice to Andrew Gean at the right point. Gean in turn sent the puck over to his defensive partner. Howerton fired the puck through a bunch of bodies into the top right corner of the net past Bulldogs goalie Cameron Shure.

Penalties at the end of the first period to Churchill forward Ben Sperling for slashing and then high sticking to Upper Montgomery center Josh Nadler off the ensuing offensive zone faceoff left both teams playing four on four hockey for almost two full minutes. The Lightning capitalized with the extra open ice taking advantage 40 seconds into the second period. Brandon Bernard’s shot from the right faceoff circle went wide. The puck caromed around and Patrick Sell hustled to keep the puck in the offensive zone. He collected himself and fired a low wrist shot toward the net. Standing in front of the blue paint directly in front of the net Joshua Miller outmuscled the defense and adeptly deflected the puck five hole on Shure to give the Lightning a two goal lead.

On the very next shift, Bradley Cupples retrieved the puck behind the Lightning net and rushed up ice on his own. He entered the Churchill defensive zone and let fly a wrist shot from the high slot that beat Shure glove side to provide Upper Montgomery a comfortable lead which allowed the team to begin playing more freely. Three minutes after Cupples’ goal, the Lightning would put the game away for good. Howerton let loose with another wrist shot from the point. Shure made the stick save but could not control the rebound. It bounced into the lower portion of the right faceoff circle. Adarsh Nair was first to the puck and he slung a wrist shot past Shure, again on the glove side, to put Upper Montgomery up 4-0.

A minute and a half after Nair’s goal, the Lightning lost focus and intensity. A Churchill rush up ice was non-threatening. The initial shot was blocked, and the puck found Sperling alone in the high slot. He wasted no time and fired the puck past Landon Bernard for the Bulldogs lone goal of the game. After two periods of play, Upper Montgomery held a 15 to 7 shots on goal margin and had full control of play throughout the game.

The third period had the feel of a scrimmage. The referees attempted to keep the game close by calling six penalties on the Lightning over the final twelve minutes of play. While Churchill used the extra skater advantage to fire eleven shots on Landon Bernard, the Lightning again controlled play in the period even while shorthanded. The team finished an impressive eight for eight on the penalty kill, an area that the team has been terrific at all season. The only two goals of the period were shorthanded goals scored by Upper Montgomery.

First, it was Josh Nadler who picked off a pass at the defensive zone blue line and raced up ice past the Churchill defense. He faked backhand and then tucked the puck into the wide open net on his forehand. Then, with just under one minute left in the game, while on a five on three penalty kill, Joshua Miller hit Cupples with a pass up the middle of the ice. Cupples also faked out Shure with a nifty backhand to forehand maneuver before depositing the puck behind Shure for the final margin of victory.

Game Notes:

• The Lightning outshot Churchill 22-18 despite the amount of time spent penalty killing.
• The Lightning junior varsity have won three games in a row for the first time all season.
• The Lightning killed off all eight Bulldogs powerplays and are now 39 for 43 on the season, 90.7%.
• Landon Bernard has stopped 59 of the last 63 shots he has faced for a save percentage of .936%.
• The Lightning now have a ten day break prior to the start of the junior varsity playoffs on Friday night, February 11th hosting the winner of Northwest and Churchill at 9:15 pm at Cabin John Ice Rink.

Three Stars of the Game:

First Star—Bradley Cupples—Upper Montgomery Defense—2 Goals
Second Star—Cole Howerton—Upper Montgomery Defense—1 Goal, 1 Assist
Third Star—Joshua Miller—Upper Montgomery Forward—1 Goal, 1 Assist

The Upper Montgomery Lightning junior varsity prevailed over the Northwest Jaguars 3-1 Sunday evening at Skate Frederick in a game that was tarnished by horrendous officiating. Both coaching staffs were beyond frustrated with the officiating as many phantom penalties were called on both teams and 15 total powerplays were handed out in the non-physical junior varsity game. Upper Montgomery’s student athletes should be commended for keeping on task and getting the necessary two points out of the game. The Lightning benefitted from Northwest’s most talented student athlete, and the Montgomery Hockey Conference’s junior varsity goal scoring leader, Brady Graham missing the game. A win versus last place Churchill in the regular season finale will clinch the second seed in the upcoming junior varsity playoffs. Upper Montgomery would finish the regular season tied for second place in the conference standings but would hold the tiebreaker by virtue of its recent victory over Rockville/Blair.

The Lightning got off to a quick start in the game. Just 30 seconds in Greg Felder scored his second goal of the season off of a wrap around from behind the net on a broken play. Adarsh Nair pushed the puck from the right wing deep into the offensive zone where the puck was collected by Brandon Bernard. Bernard carried the puck behind the net where he lost control. Felder collected the loose puck at the side of the net and swung it toward the goal where the puck snuck past Jaguars netminder Joseph Dean giving Upper Montgomery the early 1-0 lead. Seven seconds later the penalty parade began. Off the ensuing faceoff, Micah Chin was called for tripping. Before the penalty expired, Lightning defender Stephen Shkeda was called for hooking.

A short break in the penalty parade allowed the Lightning to take what would be a commanding 2-0 lead. Brandon Bernard staked into the offensive the zone and circled around the net. Adam Levine was in front of the goal occupying the Jaguars defense and his positioning blocked the Jaguars defense from coming out to guard Lucas Eyman. Eyman received a centering pass from Bernard and fired a low wrist shot by Dean stick side for his second goal in as many games. Then, it was back to more penalties. Coincidental roughing minors to Schiab Younis and Lightning forward TJ Gottesman followed soon thereafter by an interference penalty to Jaguars defender Drew Blurton where he literally did not touch an Upper Montgomery player. On that powerplay the Lightning were called for too many skaters on the ice when they did not have too many skaters on the ice.

While on the too many skaters penalty kill, Andrew Gean was called for tripping on a beautiful defensive play that was no penalty at all. Through the shorthanded play, the Lightning kept the Jaguars off the scoreboard and exited the first period with the score still 2-0. Shots on goal in the first period were Jaguars nine and Upper Montgomery two, with both Lightning shots on goal finding the back of the net.

A scoreless second period saw Upper Montgomery squander a five on three skater advantage for nearly a minute and a half after a cross checking penalty to Tommy Petzold and a tripping penalty to Trevor Bartolomeo. Toward the end of the period, Lightning center Josh Nadler was called for hooking. While killing the penalty, Cole Howerton was questionably checked from behind by Jaguars forward Schiab Younis. The Lightning powerplay was cut short when TJ Gottesman took his second roughing penalty of the game. With all of the powerplay time, it was another period with low shot totals. Northwest had seven shots on goal while Upper Montgomery managed five shots on goal.

The Lightning began the third period on the penalty kill and it quickly became a five on three advantage for the Jaguars as Cole Howerton was whistled for roughing. Superior penalty killing by Brandon Bernard, Adam Levine, Andrew Gean, Josh Nadler, Josh Miller, Stephen Shkeda, and Henry Honacki did an excellent job all game long controlling play when the Jaguars had the powerplay allowing Northwest to generate very few offensive opportunities. As soon as the five on three advantage ended, Greg Felder took an unnecessary and bad boarding penalty in the offensive zone. While shorthanded, Josh Nadler took his second hooking penalty of the game while backchecking through the neutral zone. His penalty turned into Northwest’s third five on three advantage of the game. Upper Montgomery was able to kill off the five on three portion of the penalty, but the Jaguars finally broke through off of a faceoff play. Jaguars center Nikhil Mudunuri won a faceoff from the left faceoff circle into the slot area and directly to Northwest forward Ben Linteris. Linteris’ wrist shot beat Landon Bernard high to the glove side and brought the Jaguars within one with seven minutes left to play.

The Lightning had an opportunity to put the game away on the powerplay with five minutes left in regulation. Parsa Faroghi was called for tripping but Upper Montgomery did not muster any good chances on net. With thirty seconds remaining on the powerplay, Lightning defender Patrick Sell was called for hooking. Off the defensive zone faceoff, Brandon Bernard took the puck from deep in the Lightning defensive zone and skated up the left wing. He entered the offensive zone and stickhandled wide. As he reached the top of the left faceoff circle he fired a wrist shot short side past the blocker of Dean giving Upper Montgomery a 3-1 lead. The Lightning could not relax just yet as seconds after Bernards’s four on four goal the penalty kill was needed to once again thwart the Jaguars. The penalty kill did the job. A roughing penalty to Northwest forward Ben Weiner with a minute and a half left in the game prevented the Jaguars from mounting a comeback as the Lightning played keep away with the puck while on the powerplay to end the game.

Game Notes:

• Northwest outshot the Lightning by a wide 28-14 margin helped by the many Jaguars’ powerplay opportunities.
• The Lightning have won back to back games and are undefeated in their past three contests, 2-0-1.
• The Lightning killed off eight of the nine Jaguars powerplays including three separate five on three opportunities.
• Landon Bernard stopped 27 of 28 shots on goal for the win and a .964 save percentage.
• The Lightning powerplay was dreadful once again, going 0-6 in the game including a lengthy five on three advantage.
• The Lightning will look to continue their recent hot play on Tuesday afternoon, February 1st when they return to State Frederick to take on the last place Churchill Bulldogs in the final regular season game of the year.

Three Stars of the Game:

First Star—Brandon Bernard—Upper Montgomery Center—1 Goal, 2 Assists
Second Star—Andrew Gean—Upper Montgomery Defense
Third Star—Landon Bernard—Upper Montgomery Goalie—Win, 1 GAA, 27 Saves, .964 save %

The Upper Montgomery Lightning junior varsity played their most complete game of the season Monday evening in beating the Rockville/Blair Rams 6-2 at Cabin John Ice Rink. The Rams entered the game in second place in the Montgomery Hockey Conference junior varsity standings, but were badly outplayed by Upper Montgomery from the opening faceoff. With the victory the Lightning improve to 3-4-2 on the season and 3-3 in conference play.

After controlling play for the first five minutes of the game, the Lightning went shorthanded after a roughing penalty to Greg Felder. However, it was Upper Montgomery that capitalized. Joshua Miller controlled the puck along the left wing boards in the defensive zone and sped up ice past the defense in alone on a breakaway. He deked Rams goalie Lily Bendavid and scored easily on the forehand for his team leading fifth goal of the season. The Lightning killed off the balance of the penalty to extend their excellent penalty kill to 22-24 on the season.

Three minutes later the Lightning were again on the penalty kill after an interference penalty to George Benedick. This time the Rams broke through and tied the game. Jackson Martindill released a shot from the right circle that was saved by Landon Bernard. The rebound bounced into the slot where Ari Gardner snapped a quick shot past Bernard far side into the open net. The score would not stay tied for long. Just 34 seconds later on the next shift, the Lightning would re-take the lead. Bradley Cupples advanced the puck from his left defense position to Brandon Bernard in center ice. Bernard skated the puck down the right wing boards into the offensive zone and whipped the puck from along the right wing boards toward the net. Before Bendavid could get to the puck, the stick of Lucas Eyman got there first. Eyman who had skated hard into the zone on the left wing side, made a bee-line to the back post and he knocked the puck along the ice past Bendavid for his first goal of the season.

A minute and a half later the lead grew to 3-1. TJ Gottesman passed the puck over to Brandon Bernard who quickly shot the puck from the right wing circle to the net. Bendavid made the save but was beaten to the puck by James Hyman who crashed the net looking for a rebound and was rewarded with his second goal of the season. The Rams closed out the entertaining first period with a late goal with 25 seconds left in the period. George Marcolin skated from his defensive position into the middle of the ice and entered the Lightning defensive zone. His long-range shot was saved by Bernard but William Martindale collected the rebound in the left faceoff circle and his quick shot beat Bernard before he could locate the puck and get back into position. The shorthanded goal was the fourth shorthanded goal given up by the Lightning this season and gave the Rams a lift entering the second period.

The second period was dominated by the Lightning. Although the shots on goal in the period were 6-2 in favor of the Lightning, Upper Montgomery controlled the play. An early unassisted goal by Bradley Cupples again gave the Lightning a two goal lead. Cupples collected the puck in the defensive zone and skated solo up ice around three Rams defenders and beat Bendavid with a wrist shot from in close for his second goal of the season. With three and a half minutes left in the second period Brandon Bernard was called for roughing. The Upper Montgomery penalty kill foursome of Josh Nadler, Adam Levine, Andrew Gean, and George Benedick controlled the play for the entire penalty kill and did not allow the Rams to gain possession of the puck. The one, three penalty kill set up kept control of the puck with dump ins and puck retrievals and cycles for the entire two minute shorthanded situation.

The third period was again controlled by the Lightning with the Rams mustering only four shots on net in their attempted comeback. Three minutes into the third period Upper Montgomery would extend the lead to 5-2 and end the competitive portion of the game. Joshua Miller had control of the puck along the left wing boards in the offensive zone. His contested shot toward the net glanced off of Jordan Lynch in the slot and bounded over to the right wing faceoff circle where it went directly onto the stick of Henry Honacki. Honacki’s wrist shot beat Bendavid high stick side for his second goal of the season. As the game wound down, the Lightning kept up the pressure. Cupples finished out the scoring with another unassisted goal, similar to his tally at the beginning of the second period. Cupples had the puck deep in the defensive zone. He skated up ice through the neutral zone and into the Rams’ defensive zone. He stopped at the top of the faceoff circles and fired a sharp wrist shot from the mid-slot area that Bendavid had no chance of saving. For Upper Montgomery it was by far their most complete game of the season. The coaching staff will be looking for the team to use this game as a springboard toward the playoffs and to continue to play with confidence.

Game Notes:

• The Lightning outshot Rockville 27-17 and gave up only six shots on net in the final two periods of the game.
• The Lightning have scored 11 goals in their last two games.
• The Lightning again gave up a shorthanded goal, their fourth shorthanded goal against in nine games.
• Joshua Miller scored his team leading fifth goal of the season.
• Jordan Lynch had an assist, her first career high school point.
• The Lightning will look to continue their hot play of late on Sunday night, January 23rd when the team travels to Frederick to take on the Northwest Jaguars. Game time is 7:20 pm.

Three Stars of the Game:

First Star—Bradley Cupples—Upper Montgomery Center—2 Goals, 1 Assist
Second Star—Joshua Miller—Upper Montgomery Forward–-1 Goal, 1 Assist
Third Star—Lucas Eyman—Upper Montgomery Forward—1 Goal

In its first major test of the 2021 – 2022 regular season, the Upper Montgomery Lightning went toe to toe with the Richard Montgomery Rockets for the better part of two periods, before eventually succumbing in a 4-1 loss Friday night at Rockville Ice Arena. The game against the Rockets was a step up in competition against a division one team in the middle of the conference standings. Upper Montgomery was able to generate several extremely high quality scoring chances including two breakaway opportunities that they were unfortunately unable to convert. The offensive chances were there even without having two of their top five offensive weapons for the game in James Botti and Nathan Cassel. With the loss, the Lightning fall to 4-4-1 on the season in conference play and 5-4-1 overall.

The beginning of the first period was a feeling out process with both teams unable to generate much offense and very few shots on goal. For the Lightning, junior defender George Benedick stood out by blocking three shots in the first seven minutes of the game. He controlled play with his ability to win pucks in the corners and lead strong breakouts. Halfway through the first period Upper Montgomery would jump in front on a goal by Josh Nadler. For Nadler it was the second consecutive game in which he tallied. The play began in the defensive zone. Olivia Robbins took control of the puck in the Lightning defensive zone along the left wing boards. She skated a few strides to the top of the faceoff circle and fired a rink wide pass to Bradley Cupples. Cupples gathered the puck at full speed and rushed into the Rockets defensive zone along the right wing boards. He stopped abruptly and sent a pass into the middle of the ice in the high slot where Nadler fired a quick wrist shot while in stride and beat Rockets netminder Henry Darko five hole for a 1-0 Lightning lead.

The lead would not last long, just three and a half minutes. Mitchell Bobys would dump the puck into the Lightning defensive zone from the red line. Dylan Goetz would win the puck in the left corner. He battled the Lightning defense and came away with the puck. He fed in front from the side of the goal to a wide open Lester Benitez. Benitez had time and space in the lower part of the slot to send a quick shot past Lightning goalie Will Mellen’s glove hand to even the score at one. Just before the end of the first period Upper Montgomery would go on the penalty kill for the first time in the game after a roughing penalty was called on Henry Honacki. The Lightning would kill off the penalty continuing a streak of 23 consecutive penalty kills that would grow to 25 before the end of the game.

Five minutes into the second period, Benedick was called for checking from behind. A checking from behind penalty automatically comes with a ten minute misconduct penalty. Losing Benedick for twelve minutes of game action was a defining moment in the game as it forced the coaching staff to break up the offensive lines to provide additional defensive coverage. It also left the Lightning without a key contributor on the powerplay. The Lightning would kill off the penalty to Benedick. With six minutes left in the second period and the score still tied 1-1, the Lightning would earn their first powerplay of the evening when the Rockets were called for too many skaters on the ice. It was on the powerplay where the absence of Benedick would prove costly.

Luke Gutmann took possession of the puck for the Rockets. He beat a pinching Lightning defender and sent the puck up the right wing boards to Daniel Martella. Martella skated in on a two on one with Goetz. Getting the defender to commit to him, Martella sent a pass to the left finding Goetz in stride and all alone. Goetz fired a wrist shot from the left faceoff circle far side and past Mellen’s catching glove. With the shorthanded goal, Goetz gave the Rockets a 2-1 lead, a lead that they would not relinquish.

With two minutes to go in the second period, Martella would score a goal similar to Goetz’s goal. Martella skated up ice by himself into the bottom of the left wing circle and uncorked a wrist shot, again far side and high past Mellen’s catching glove for an unassisted goal. The goal energized the Rockets faithful providing them a measure of relief that their team had finally separated from the Lightning. Just after Martella’s goal, the Lightning would again go on the penalty kill as Adarsh Nair was called for tripping.

The third period saw the Lightning in scramble mode as the Rockets began to ride the momentum gained at the end of the second period and exert their offensive firepower. In several sequences in the Lightning zone Mellen made multiple saves in close on Rockets’ chances. Mellen would make 19 saves in the period, only allowing a goal mid-way through the period on a shot by Gutmann from the high slot. While the Lightning came up short in this game, playing the game as close as they did without two of their most important skaters; James Botti and Nathan Cassel (who were both out-of-town with their travel teams) gave the team an understanding of both how close they are to competing with the upper division teams and also how much work remains to be done to beat the higher quality upper division teams.

Game Notes:

• The loss was the Lightning’s first defeat since November 5th against the Blair Blazers.
• The loss to Richard Montgomery snapped the Upper Montgomery unbeaten streak at six games, 5-0-1.
• The Lightning were outshot by the Rockets 44-20.
• Will Mellen gave up the most goals he has allowed all season (four). He made 40 saves on the night.
• The Lightning penalty kill smothered all three Rockets’ powerplay opportunities. The Upper Montgomery penalty kill is now 37 of 40 on the season, 92.5%.
• The Lightning gave up a shorthanded goal for the fourth time this season. They have lost all four games in which they have given up a shorthanded goal.
• The Lightning are next in action on Friday, January 21st at 8:45 pm at Rockville Ice Area for a home game against the Sherwood Warriors.

Three Stars of the Game:

First Star—Dylan Goetz—Richard Montgomery Forward—1 Goal, 1 Assist
Second Star—Daniel Martella—Richard Montgomery Center–-1 Goal, 1 Assist
Third Star—George Benedick—Upper Montgomery Defense—4 Blocked Shots

Brothers James and Andrew Botti helped lead the Upper Montgomery Lightning to a 13-0 blowout win Friday night against the clearly overmatched Wilson Stars. James scored four goals and added an assist and Andrew scored a goal and had three assists in the game which served as a tune up before the Lightning finish the regular season with four games against higher quality opponents. The win, coupled with the DC Stars loss to Sherwood, means that Upper Montgomery has just about clinched its first ever division one playoff appearance.

The Lightning would score routinely throughout the game against Stars junior netminder Jack Kobil. Although he gave up 13 goals, Kobil played outstanding throughout the game making 44 saves, many of them of the incredibly difficult variety. The Lightning also hit the post 6 times. Without Kobil’s play, the score would have been even more lopsided.

Upper Montgomery pressured right from the beginning of the game. On the third shift of the contest, the Lightning would strike for what would turn out to be the game winning goal. Andrew Botti passed the puck up ice from his own blue line to Joshua Miller on the left wing at the Stars blue line. Miller bumped the puck to the middle of the ice and hit Josh Nadler in stride as he was entering the offensive zone. Nadler took the puck wide toward the right faceoff circle and shot the puck back against the grain far side and past Kobil’s blocker for his first career varsity goal. A minute and a half later, Andrew Botti would make the score 2-0 firing a wrist shot from the blue line through traffic in front of the net. James Botti had skated the puck in a circle from the left wing boards back to the point, and then to the right side of the ice and around the net. His pass found Bradley Cupples in front. Cupples turned with the puck in the left circle and fed Andrew Botti at the mid point of the blue line for the shot. Upper Montgomery had been craving depth scoring and the first two goals against the Stars came via the third and second lines, a theme that would continue throughout the game.

After Andrew Gean took a cross checking penalty behind the Lightning net, the Lightning would strike while on the penalty kill. The first of their three shorthanded goals in the game. Off of a faceoff in the offensive zone, a failed Wilson clearing attempt was kept in the zone by George Benedick at the right point. He stickhandled around the Stars forwards into the slot before unleashing a wrist shot that got by Kobil. Midway through the first period the Upper Montgomery defense would score for the third consecutive time. Nadler won an offensive zone faceoff in the left circle back to Gean at the blue line. Gean passed left to his defensive partner Ethan Hockey. Hockey stick handled into the slot and passed the puck to Miller near the left post. Miller’s backhand pass into the crease area found Hockey all alone for an easy score high glove side into an unguarded open net. Wilson would manage to keep the Lightning off the scoreboard for the rest of the period, largely due to the play of Kobil. Shots on goal in the first period were 26-1 in favor of the Lightning demonstrating how lopsided the play was in the first period.

The second period started with the Lightning again on the penalty kill after a roughing minor to Benedick. Starting the period down a skater contributed to a slow start in the period by Upper Montgomery. It would take 5:30 seconds for the team to turn up the heat. From the neutral zone Chris Hasset dropped a nifty backhand drop pass on the left to Hunter Cameron cutting into the Stars defensive zone. Cameron got behind the defense and cut toward the net. His patience with the puck allowed Nathan Cassel to drive the zone and cut to the far post. Cameron found an unguarded Cassel for an easy snapshot into the wide open far side of the net. Kobil had absolutely no chance on the play. A minute later the score would grow to 6-0 on James Botti’s first goal of the game and his first goal of the season. Cupples won another offensive zone faceoff in the right faceoff circle back to Gean at the right point. Gean passed to the middle of the ice where Andrew Botti’s wrist shot trickled wide of the net. The puck bounced off the end boards directly to James Botti alone at the right post for an easy tap in goal. Forty seconds later the score would become 7-0 and the rest of the game was played with a running clock. Ethan Hockey carried the puck down the left wing into the Wilson offensive zone and fired a shot on Kobil. Kobil made the initial glove save but could not control the rebound. The rebound landed at the feet of Nadler who from the bottom of the right circle immediately fired a wrist shot on the rebound attempt. Kobil again made a glove save but could not squeeze the puck. The puck landed in the crease and Adam Levine swatted a backhand whack connecting with the puck and putting it past Kobil for his first goal of the season in limited playing time.

The next several minutes were played either with Upper Montgomery killing penalties to Benedick (roughing) or Cameron (interference) or skating four on four. Just before the penalty to Cameron ended, Stephen Shkeda fed James Botti cutting down the middle of the offensive zone. Botti faked around a Wilson defender and went in alone on Kobil from the middle of the slot on a quick developing breakaway. He easily beat Kobil top shelf glove side to score his second goal of the game as well as the Lightning’s second shorthanded goal of the night. Just as the second period was ending, with five seconds left, Hassett would cap the five goal second period burst. Cameron sprung Hassett into the offensive zone with a pass along the right wing boards. Hassett briefly lost control of the puck, recovered, and passed cross ice to Cassel in the left wing corner. Cassel acted as if he was going to skate around the net, but passed the puck out front prior to fully going behind the net. His pass found Hassett wide open in the slot for a quick wrist shot past Kobil’s glove. Shots on goal in the second period were 20-2 in favor of the Lightning.

Upper Montgomery scored with five seconds remaining in the second period would reach double digits in goals five seconds into the third period. Cupples won the neutral zone faceoff to start the third period directly left to Shkeda who had cut inside the Wilson winger. Shkeda skated the puck into the Wilson defensive zone and fired a wrist shot low glove side and past Kobil for his first goal of the season. A minute later the score would increase to 11-0. Benedick sent the puck up ice from the Lightning defensive zone to Shkeda on the left wing. Shkeda skated into the zone wide and around a Stars defender. He then cut toward the net from the bottom of the left faceoff circle. His shot low to the pads of Kobil was saved. With the rebound sitting in the slot for a brief moment, it was there long enough for James Botti to poke the puck into the net before Kobil could get on top of the puck to cover and force a whistle. For James Botti, it was his hat trick goal.

With 10:35 left in the game, the Lightning would score their final shorthanded goal of the game with Cassel in the box for slashing. Ethan Hockey back checked hard through the neutral zone forcing a turnover at the Upper Montgomery blue line. Hassett took control of the puck and skated the opposite direction on a two on one rush. Hassett floated wide on the right wing allowing Cameron to charge hard at the back post of the net where a perfectly placed pass led to an easy back door tap in for Cameron. The Lightning then would kill off a slashing penalty to Nadler before James Botti would net his fourth goal of the game. Andrew Botti passed the puck from the side of Will Mellen’s net up the center of the ice to Cupples who led a two on one rush with James Botti. Cupples carried the puck into the offensive zone toward the left faceoff circle and drew the defender toward him. With the defender committed, he passed the puck over to James Botti who had a clear lane to fire a wrist shot past Kobil. The goal capped a feel good win, but the Lightning fully understand that the level of competition will increase significantly over the rest of the season.

Game Notes:

• The victory was the second straight shutout victory by the Lightning over the Stars.
• The Lightning outshot the Stars 46-3 over the first two periods and 57-4 for the game.
• Will Mellen lowered his Montgomery Hockey Conference leading goals against average to 1.17 and increased his Montgomery Hockey Conference leading save percentage to .935.
• The Lightning penalty kill smothered all seven Wilson powerplays, while scoring three short-handed goals. the Upper Montgomery penalty kill is now 34 of 37 on the season, 91.9%.
• The Lightning picked up their fifth straight victory and are unbeaten in their last six games 5-0-1.
• The Lightning are next in action on Friday, January 14th at 9:00 pm at Rockville Ice Area for a game against the Richard Montgomery Rockets.

Three Stars of the Game:

First Star—James Botti—Upper Montgomery Defense—4 Goals, 1 Assist
Second Star—Andrew Botti—Upper Montgomery Defense–-1 Goal, 3 Assists
Third Star—Ethan Hockey—Upper Montgomery Defense—1 Goal, 2 Assists