Category: Lightning Strike Blog

The Upper Montgomery Lightning are CHAMPIONS! having won the season ending Montgomery Hockey Conference Varsity Tournament. The tournament consists of all teams in the county that did not make the state playoffs. Think of the tournament as the equivalent of the NIT tournament in college basketball. Even through Upper Montgomery was ranked 13th in the state, Montgomery County is only allotted four of the sixteen state playoff berths. Despite the disappointment of missing out on the state playoffs, the Lightning stayed mentally strong and blew through the competition to take the Varsity Tournament title. Upper Montgomery finished the season with its highest ever season ending ranking, fifth in the county and 13th in the state.

In the quarterfinals of the tournament the Lightning destroyed Northwest/Quince Orchard 14-1. The game was a blowout from the outset. Every Upper Montgomery skater tallied at least one point with twelve of the fourteen skaters having multiple points. Chris Hassett led the team with five goals and six points. Ninth grade student athlete Aiden Zheng scored his first career goal and finished with a hat-trick and two assists for a career high five points. Cole Howerton tallied two assists which were his first two varsity points. Henry Honacki chipped in with four assists.

In the semifinals, the Lightning clamped down on Sherwood’s high scoring senior Grayson Winckler to throttle the Warriors 5-1. Hassett, the team’s leading scorer, again led Upper Montgomery with four goals. Brandon Bernard and Philip Shkeda had three assists in the game.

In the championship game, Upper Montgomery crushed Wootton blitzing the Patriots 9-1 to win the title. Hassett concluded his career with another five point game, two goals and three assists. Bernard tallied twice and added two assists. It was the third straight victory for the Lightning over Wootton. Prior to last season, Wootton had won all previous matchups between the two teams.

In a wonderful conclusion to the careers of the Upper Montgomery senior class, Sean Levine, Olivia Robbins, Adam Levine, Hunter Cameron, Bradley Cupples, Chris Hassett, and Brandon Bernard, they all scored in their final high school hockey games. The Montgomery Hockey Conference Varsity Tournament title caps a four year run that has taken the Lightning program to new heights.

#Champions, #UML, #Bleed Green, #Go Bolts!

The Upper Montgomery Lightning crushed Wootton 9-1 on Thursday afternoon to win the Montgomery Hockey Conference Tournament Championship.  All of the teams in the Montgomery Hockey Conference that fail to advance to the Maryland state high school hockey playoffs all compete in the Tournament Championship. It is a highly prestigious achievement and the most coveted accomplishment to date in Upper Montgomery program history.   

The Lightning finished the 2023 – 2024 season ranked 5^th in the conference (the top team which missed out on advancing to the state playoffs) and 13^th in the state this season.  Although 16 teams make the state playoff tournament, there is a limit on the number of teams from Montgomery County—four.  Unfortunately, the squad fell one game short of qualifying for the state playoffs for the second consecutive season. 

In the Montgomery Hockey Conference tournament championship game, the team was led by leading scorer senior center Chris Hassett who tallied two goals while adding three assists. Brandon Bernard finished his high school career with a big game netting two goals and two assists. Senior Hunter Cameron and juniors Andrew Botti and Henry Honacki each added a goal and an assist. Brady Berkhammer dished out two assists. Senior Bradley Cupples and Philip Shkeda each scored in the drubbing of Wootton as well. Senior netminder, Landon Bernard finished out his career with the convincing victory allowing only one goal and making fifteen saves.

Upper Montgomery has now beaten former perennial powerhouse Wootton three straight times (8-2 and 4-2 both last season, and then destroying the Patriots 9-1 this season).

Upper Montgomery has an opportunity to win the program’s most important championship in its 16 year history when the Lightning face off against arch rival Wootton on Thursday afternoon. Game time is 4:20 pm at the Rockville Ice Arena. The team will be looking to capture the Montgomery Hockey Conference Division Two Championship, a title the program won after the 2018 – 2019 season when the Division Two tournament only included the bottom teams in the conference. The winner of tomorrow’s game will have won the post season tournament which now includes all of the Montgomery County programs that did not make the state playoff tournament. In addition, the team that wins the Division Two championship will finish the season ranked fifth in the final year-end conference rankings. Finishing fifth in the final year-end county rankings would be the highest finish ever for the Lightning.

The game will match two programs that do not get along. A prime rivalry has developed originating from animosity stemming from Upper Montgomery beating Wootton in both of the team’s matchups last season. Last year’s victories were the first ever for the Lightning program against Wootton. The Patriots did not take well to losing both times to the upstart Upper Montgomery program. Now, Wootton, once a perennial powerhouse in the county, has fallen into the next cut of programs. Wootton was able to punch their ticket to the Division Two championship game by sneaking past Blair 4-3 and beating the DC Stars 8-4, a game in which the Stars had to use their backup goalie. Both teams now sit one victory away from capturing the Division Two tournament title. Wootton will be looking to atone for last season’s blowout loss to Sherwood in the Division Two tournament final.

The Lightning destroyed Northwest / Quince Orchard in the quarterfinal round of the Division Two playoffs winning by an outlandish 14-1 score. There were many notable offensive performances against Northwest / Quince Orchard. Aiden Zheng scored his first career high school varsity goal and then added two more for a hat-trick.  Cole Howerton recorded his first career high school varsity point with an assist. Adam Levine scored his first varsity goal of the season.  Levine now has matching 1, 1, 1, 1 goal totals each season ninth grade through senior year. Several students had big multiple point games–Chris Hassett (who is climbing up the Maryland Student Hockey League all time points and assists lists), Hunter Cameron, Brandon Bernard, Brady Berkhammer, Owen Robbins, and Henry Honacki. Every skater had at least one point. The team then conquered Sherwood 5-1 exacting revenge over last year’s Division Two playoff semifinal loss as well as a loss to the Warriors earlier in the regular season. Chris Hassett scored four goals, Brandon Bernard and Philip Shkeda each chipped in with three assists, and Landon Bernard made 26 saves in the victory. The Lightning are 8-2-1 over their last ten games against conference opponents.

Often, the Division Two tournament is won by the team that is able to mentally rise up and overcome the disappointment of having missed out on the state playoff tournament. Or, the tournament is won by the team that has the most available skaters for the games. Wootton has played both of their Division Two playoff games without leading scorers Ilhom Abdulaev (15GP, 18G, 23A) and Grady Sellman (12GP, 12G, 6A). While we are not confirming why both highly talented forwards have skipped the first two Division Two playoff games, rumors are circulating that once Wootton was eliminated from making the state playoffs, both seniors have decided that their high school hockey careers are over.

In addition, the Montgomery Hockey Conference Division Two playoff games are played mid-week when many of the student athletes have competing travel team practices in preparation for the travel team league championships. This may also mean that high scoring Justin Heller (16GP, 15G, 16A) and Owen Goozh (16GP, 9G, 11A) are unavailable.

Bernard will once again start in net for Upper Montgomery. He posted terrific statistics in the MHC playoffs this season and last year. He had a .966 save percentage and a 0.98 goals against average in his first three career playoff outings, never giving up more than one goal in a game. Bernard backstopped the Lightning junior varsity to the Montgomery Hockey Conference junior varsity championship two years ago. He excelled in those playoffs as well giving up only four goals over three games, including posting a shootout victory. He has given up zero goals and one goal this week in the first two Division Two playoff games. In net for Wootton will be Kevin Yu. Yu is 10-6-1 this season with a 4.88 goals against average and an .796 save percentage.

Wootton plays run and gun hockey usually with individual skater rushes up ice. The Patriots rely on outscoring their opponents which worked very well at the beginning of the season when they played extremely weak competition in the lower division of the conference. When the Patriots competed against the top teams in the county, they have been soundly defeated with no game closer than a four goal margin. Defensively, Wootton is porous and there will be plenty of chances for the Lightning to find the back of the net.

The Lightning’s top forward line will consist of senior co-captain and center Chris Hassett (18GP, 19G, 19A), playing between Philip Shkeda (18GP, 12G, 9A) and Brandon Bernard (19GP, 6G, 6A). They should have freedom of movement in the Wootton offensive zone. The team’s second line will be composed of senior co-captain and center Hunter Cameron (16GP, 5G, 6A) playing with Henry Honakci (19GP, 6G, 3A) and Josh Nadler. The season ending loss of Ryan Jacobson (6GP, 4G, 1A) (out long term with a lower body injury) and now Nathan Cassel (15GP, 11G, 18A) who missed the entire Division Two playoffs and is out for the season with an upper body injury definitely impacted the Lightning’s secondary offensive production. Depth forward Adam Levine who scored versus Northwest / Quince Orchard missed the Sherwood game and will not play against Wootton. Upper Montgomery’s third forward line will be centered by senior Bradley Cupples (14GP, 2G, 7A) who returns after missing the last two games playing with rising ninth grader Aiden Zheng. Olivia and Owen Robbins both will miss the championship game as they have conflicts with their external travel teams being out-of-town. The Lightning will need to band together to overcome the absences of these five valuable skaters.

The return of top Upper Montgomery defender Andrew Botti really stabilized the Lightning’s defense. He will log extensive minutes against Wootton and will play almost exclusively against the Patriots top offensive threat, defender Sam Hosier (18GP, 35G, 18A). The other defensive pairings will be determined at game time when the Patriots roster is known. Anticipate that 9th grade defender Miles Wendland and sophomore Brady Berkhammer will play together, and that junior Cole Howerton will pair with Botti receiving plenty of ice time. There may also be forwards dropping back on defense to play shifts depending upon game situations.

The week long Division Two playoff run ends on Thursday afternoon with the crowning of a champion. The Lightning’s senior class has been on a mission to elevate the program to new heights. Recognition around the county has occurred. Upper Montgomery is now unable to sneak up on any of the top programs. Capping the season with the Division Two championship would be an incredible send off for the seven seniors still competing. They have helped bring the program from the bottom of the county rankings and standings to the pinnacle of winning the Division Two title. It is anticipated to be another high scoring tilt. All of the program’s supporters are hoping that the Lightning execute the game plan, smother the Patriots, and leave the ice after skating the trophy as CHAMPIONS!

#Win the Championship, #Get it Done, #UML, #Bleed Green, #Go Bolts!

The Upper Montgomery Lightning will be looking for revenge on Wednesday evening when they face off against the Sherwood Warriors in the semifinal round of the Montgomery Hockey Conference Division Two playoff tournament. The Warriors knocked the Lightning out in the semifinal round of the Division Two tournament last season with a come from behind victory. Sherwood also defeated Upper Montgomery earlier this season 9-7 in a high scoring up and down the ice type of game. It was another come from behind victory for the Warriors. Each team sits two victories away from capturing the Division Two tournament with Wootton awaiting the winner in the Division Two championship game on Thursday afternoon. It is a repeat of last season’s end to the Division Two tournament.

Upper Montgomery had a terrific finish to the regular season, concluding 5-1-1 in conference games with the only loss to perennial powerhouse Churchill. The squad also played extremely well in close losses to Oakdale, the number one seed in the Maryland state playoff bracket, and Bullis, a powerhouse private high school program. The Lightning had a businesslike approach in dispatching Blair in their playoff opener 5-1, before the Whitman game disappointment.

The Lightning then destroyed Northwest / Quince Orchard in the quarterfinal round of the Division Two playoffs winning by an outlandish 14-1 score. There were many notable offensive performances against Northwest / Quince Orchard. Aiden Zheng scored his first career high school varsity goal and then added two more for a hat-trick.  Cole Howerton recorded his first career high school varsity point with an assist. Adam Levine scored his first varsity goal of the season.  Levine now has matching 1, 1, 1, 1 goal totals each season, ninth grade through senior year. Several students had big multiple point games–Chris Hassett (who is climbing up the Maryland Student Hockey League all time points and assists lists), Hunter Cameron, Brandon Bernard, Brady Berkhammer, Owen Robbins, and Henry Honacki. Every skater had at least one point.

Often, the Division Two tournament is won by the team that is able to mentally rise up and overcome the disappointment of having missed out on the state playoff tournament. Or, the tournament is won by the team that has the most available skaters for the games as they are played mid-week when many of the student athletes have competing travel team practices in preparation for the travel team league championships. The mindset of the Lightning will be critical. With seven seniors still competing, going out with a championship would cap a four year run that has taken the Lightning program to new heights.

Upper Montgomery’s play has evolved and transformed as the regular season progressed. The return of top defender, junior Andrew Botti has calmed the back end and provided additional confidence. At around the same time, Lightning senior goaltender Landon Bernard began playing much, much better in net. The Lightning are 7-2-1 over their last ten games against conference opponents.

Bernard will start in net for Upper Montgomery. He posted terrific statistics in the MHC playoffs this season and last year. He had a .966 save percentage and a 0.98 goals against average in his first three career playoff outings, never giving up more than one goal in a game. Bernard backstopped the Lightning junior varsity to the Montgomery Hockey Conference junior varsity championship two years ago. He excelled in those playoffs as well giving up only four goals over three games, including posting a shootout victory. In net for Sherwood will be Samuel Hutt. Hutt went 5-6-1 this season with a 5.07 goals against average and an .837 save percentage. Sherwood plays run and gun hockey relying on outscoring their opponents. Defensively, there will be chances for the Lightning to find the back of the net.

The Lightning’s top forward line of senior co-captain and center Chris Hassett (17GP, 15G, 19A), playing between Nathan Cassel (15GP, 11G, 18A) and Philip Shkeda (17GP, 12G, 6A) should have freedom of movement in the Sherwood offensive zone. This will be a vast departure from the playoff game against Whitman. The team’s second line will be composed of senior co-captain and center Hunter Cameron (15GP, 5G, 5A) playing with Henry Honakci (18GP, 5G, 3A) and Josh Nadler. The season ending loss of Ryan Jacobson (6GP, 4G, 1A) (out long term with a lower body injury) definitely impacted the Lightning’s secondary offensive production. Upper Montgomery’s third forward line will be centered by senior Bradley Cupples (14GP, 2G, 7A) playing with Brandon Bernard (18GP, 6G, 3A) and Zheng.

On defense the return of top Upper Montgomery defender Andrew Botti really did stabilize the back end. He will log extensive minutes against Sherwood and will play almost exclusively against the Warriors top offensive threats. The other defensive pairings will be determined at game time when the Warriors roster is known. Anticipate that 9th grade defender Miles Wendland, sophomore Brady Berkhammer, and junior Cole Howerton will receive plenty of ice time. There may also be forwards dropping back on defense to play shifts.

Sherwood’s entire success revolves around Junior center Noi Jonasson (8GP, 12G, 10A) and senior forward Grayson Winckler (14GP, 23G, 6A). Jonasson is the most talented skater in all of the Montgomery Hockey Conference. With the last line change, the Upper Montgomery coaching staff will be looking for shut down matchups as Jonasson can single handedly beat any team. He scored five points on three goals and two assists last season against the Lightning in the team’s Division Two semifinal matchup. Jonasson followed that up with two goals and two assists against Upper Montgomery in the early season matchup. Running aside Jonasson will be senior forward Grayson Winckler. Winckler is a very good skater who has also had success against the Lightning in prior games. He tallied a hat-trick in Sherwood’s Halloween night win. The rest of the Warriors lineup is young but speedy, Aidan Cook (14GP, 8G, 5A) and Cameron Calandro (14GP, 4G, 3A) have some offensive pop if left unguarded. Sherwood’s top defender is Tyler Payson (14GP, 2G, 8A).

The Lightning’s powerplay has come alive over the last four games, scoring goals in each of the first three contests and then going three for three against Northwest / Quince Orchard. The team simplified their powerplay system and is getting more shots on net and traffic in front. Upper Montgomery is now up to 7-54 on the powerplay for the season, 13.0% after beginning the season 1-43. The Lightning have gone 6-11 on their recent powerplay surge.

The week long playoff run continues on Wednesday evening. It is anticipated to be another high scoring tilt that the Lightning must prevail in. A chance to play in a championship game awaits the victor. It would be an incredible send off for the seven seniors still competing to bring the program from the bottom of the county rankings and standings to the pinnacle of winning the Division Two title.

#Win the Championship, #Get it Done, #UML, #Bleed Green, #Go Bolts!

The Upper Montgomery Lightning enter the Montgomery Hockey Conference Division Two playoff tournament having to deal with the disappointment of falling one game short of qualifying for the Maryland Student Hockey League state playoffs for the second consecutive season. It was a somber locker room after last week’s loss to Whitman even though the game was not very competitive. The upper class heavy Lightning were hoping to make history and be the first team in program history to qualify for the state playoffs. Now, the team will need to dust themselves off and focus on capturing the Montgomery Hockey Conference Division Two championship.

Upper Montgomery had a terrific finish to the regular season, concluding 5-1-1 in conference games with the only loss to perennial powerhouse Churchill. The squad also played extremely well in close losses to Oakdale, the number one seed in the state playoff bracket, and Bullis, a powerhouse private high school program. The Lightning had a businesslike approach in dispatching Blair in their playoff opener 5-1, before the Whitman game disappointment. The Lightning are the top seed in the Division Two tournament and begin play next Monday at Rockville Ice Arena. Game time is 4:20 pm.

Often, the Division Two tournament is won by the team that is able to mentally rise up and overcome the disappointment of having missed out on the state playoff tournament. The mindset of the Lightning will be critical. With seven seniors still competing, going out with a championship would cap a four year run that has taken the Lightning program to new heights. A win over Northwest/Quince Orchard would propel the Lightning into the semifinal round. A loss would be shattering. Against credible competition, Northwest/Quince Orchard has had a difficult time keeping the puck out of their own net. It would be a major upset if the Lightning were to lose.

Upper Montgomery’s play has evolved and transformed as the regular season progressed. The return of top defender, junior Andrew Botti has calmed the back end and provided additional confidence. At around the same time, Lightning senior goaltender Landon Bernard began playing much, much better in net. The Lightning are 6-2-1 over their last nine conference games.

Bernard will start in net for Upper Montgomery. He posted terrific statistics in the MHC playoffs this season and last year. He had a .966 save percentage and a 0.98 goals against average in his first three career playoff outings, never giving up more than one goal in a game. Bernard backstopped the Lightning junior varsity to the Montgomery Hockey Conference junior varsity championship two years ago. He excelled in those playoffs as well giving up only four goals over three games, including posting a shootout victory. In net for Northwest/Quince Orchard will be Ryan Stillwell. Stillwell was named the Montgomery Hockey Conference Division Two second team goalie albeit with abhorrent personal statistics. However, if you have watched Northwest/Quince Orchard play, defense is optional. Stillwell went 2-5 this season with a 6.51 goals against average and an .796 save percentage and he played very well. He played mostly against the bottom teams in the county as Northwest/Quince Orchard has only beaten last place Churchill 2 three times and Blair, the team directly ahead of Northwest/Quince Orchard in the standings.

The Lightning’s top forward line of senior co-captain and center Chris Hassett (17GP, 15G, 19A), playing between Nathan Cassel (15GP, 11G, 18A) and Philip Shkeda (17GP, 12G, 6A) should have freedom of movement in the Northwest/Quince Orchard offensive zone. This will be a vast departure from the playoff game against Whitman. The team’s second line will be composed of senior co-captain and center Hunter Cameron (15GP, 5G, 5A) playing with Henry Honakci (18GP, 5G, 3A) and Olivia Robbins (10GP, 3G, 2A). The season ending loss of Ryan Jacobson (6GP, 4G, 1A) (out long term with a lower body injury) definitely impacted the Lightning’s secondary offensive production.

Upper Montgomery’s third forward line will be centered by senior Bradley Cupples (14GP, 2G, 7A) playing with Brandon Bernard (18GP, 6G, 3A) and Adam Levine (9G, 3A). The objective of this line will be to provide energy and tireless effort on the forecheck and along the boards. Their focus will be on chipping pucks out of the defensive zone, dumping pucks in deep behind the Northwest/Quince Orchard net, and playing on the defensive side of the puck. Northwest/Quince Orchard will play run and gun offense with little attention to detail on defense. They also take an obscene number of penalties and are horrible on the penalty kill having given up 26 powerplay goals on the season. Unlike in games against some of the other Lightning opponents, Upper Montgomery should have plenty of optimal scoring chances on Monday.

On defense the return of top Upper Montgomery defender Andrew Botti really did stabilize the back end. He will log extensive minutes against Northwest/Quince Orchard and will play almost exclusively with 9th grade defender Miles Wendland. Wendland has a very bright future within the program as he gets stronger over the next several years. The other defensive pairing will feature a pair of AA external travel skaters, Brady Berkhammer and Owen Robbins. Cole Howerton will play some to spell Wendland throughout the game.

Northwest/Quince Orchard is led in scoring by talented sophomore forward Ethan Custodio who has (13 GP, 25G, 9A). He is part of the pair of offensive dynamos for Northwest/Quince Orchard along with senior Brady Graham (13GP, 24G, 8A). No other Northwest/Quince Orchard skater has more than six points on the season. Where Custodio and Graham have excelled is when they are on the penalty kill having scored eight and four times while shorthanded. However, all of the offensive statistics of the Northwest/Quince Orchard skaters should be taken with a grain of salt based upon the very low level of competition they have played this season. Defensively sound teams have been able to shut down Custodio and Graham.

The Lightning’s powerplay has come alive over the last three games, scoring goals in each contest. The team simplified their powerplay system and is getting more shots on net and traffic in front. Two of the recent powerplay goals have come off of puck retrievals of missed initial shots and then a secondary shot at the net with skaters in front. Upper Montgomery is now up to 4-51 on the powerplay for the season, 7.8%.

Expect the Lightning to play committed team hockey where the students focus on neutralizing Custodio and Graham on offense and countering against the rest of the Northwest/Quince Orchard skaters that are just not in the same class as the Lightning. The Lightning should be able to take the first step toward a Division Two championship on Monday. But, the game will not be won by just showing up. Upper Montgomery will need to earn the victory by putting the puck in the net and not giving up chances to Custodio and Graham in a run and gun game. The week long playoff run begins with an anticipated high scoring tilt that the Lightning must prevail in. If not, it will be a very long offseason if Upper Montgomery’s season ends on Monday.

#Win the Championship, #Get it Done, #UML, #Bleed Green, #Go Bolts!

The Upper Montgomery Lightning varsity begins play in the Montgomery Hockey Conference Division Two playoff tournament over the next two weeks. The squad had a terrific finish to the regular season. First, Nathan Cassel scored in overtime as the Lightning came back to defeat Rockville 5-4 in the last regular season conference game. The victory over the Rams provided Upper Montgomery with its highest ever final regular season ranking of sixth. Finishing sixth meant avoiding both Walter Johnson and Churchill in the upcoming playoffs. An incredibly close game against private school powerhouse Bullis ended with the Lightning on the wrong side of a 3-2 decision. Upper Montgomery scored with 1:27 left in the game to tie up the score, only to see the Bulldogs tally with 39 seconds remaining to escape with the victory.

In the opening round of the Montgomery Hockey Conference Division One playoffs, the Lightning dispatched the Blair Blazers by a score of 5-1. Blair played incredibly hard and well, but Upper Montgomery just had too much talent. Senior center and co-captain Chris Hassett had two goals and two assists in the game. Brady Berkhammer scored his first career high school goal and also added an assist. Cassel, playing alongside Hassett, had a goal and an assist as well. Bradley Cupples added two assists. Adam Levine had to step up and play regular minutes due to an illness to Philip Shkeda. He chipped in with two assists. Brandon Bernard tallied. Landon Bernard only gave up one goal. He lowered his miniscule playoff statistics to an eye popping .966 save percentage and a 0.98 goals against average over his three career playoff outings.

Unfortunately, the season crash landed the following week as the Lightning were routed by the Whitman Vikings. Upper Montgomery came out flat and was overrun by the Vikings. The game was never close with Whitman winning 6-1 and the Lightning getting outshot by a wide 50-14 margin. Landon Bernard played admirably making 44 saves in the game. The overall team defense was non-existent and Bernard was left out to dry by the Lightning skaters.

The team will have had a few weeks to try and overcome the disappointment of falling one game short of the Maryland Student Hockey League state playoffs for the second consecutive season. Upper Montgomery still has something to compete for, the Montgomery Hockey Conference Division Two tournament title. Unlike the program’s Division Two title at the conclusion of the 2018 – 2019 season, a Division Two championship now is more impressive than the previous championship which was only contested by the bottom teams in the league.

Upper Montgomery opens the Division Two tournament as the number one seed. A quarterfinal round matchup against Northwest/Quince Orchard awaits on the final Monday of February. Often, the Division Two tournament is won by the team that is able to mentally rise up and overcome the disappointment of missing out on the state playoff tournament. With seven seniors still competing, going out with a championship would cap a four year run that has taken the Lightning program to new heights.

#Playoff Wins, #UML, #Bleed Green, #Go Bolts!

The Upper Montgomery Lightning will play one of the most important games in program history on Friday evening when the team faces off against the Whitman Vikings. The matchup will be in the quarterfinal round of the Montgomery Hockey Conference (MHC) playoffs with the winner advancing to the Maryland high school hockey state playoffs. Game time is 8:15 pm at Cabin John Ice Rink. Whitman will be looking to return to the state playoffs again this season. The Vikings reached the quarterfinals last season after beating Leonardtown 4-0 in the sweet sixteen before losing to South River in the state quarterfinals by a score of 4-1. Upper Montgomery will be looking to make the state playoffs for the first time in program history. Last season, the Lightning were oh so close, losing to reigning state champion Churchill (winners of nine consecutive state titles) in this same round of the MHC playoffs. Upper Montgomery lost in a five round shootout (3-2 in the shootout) after a one all tie though regulation and overtime. If Upper Montgomery is able to prevail on Friday, it would be a historic accomplishment and the program would be celebrating for days if not weeks and months.

Friday will be the rubber match between the programs. These two teams have played many close games over the last four seasons. Whitman won the opening game this year by a score of 7-2, but the score was not indicative of how close the game really was. The teams were tied at one with one second left in the second period. Upper Montgomery turned the tables and beat the Vikings in mid-December by a score of 3-2. Last year, Whitman won 5-3. In 2022, Upper Montgomery won 2-1. In 2021, Upper Montgomery won 1-0. Both teams anticipate that it will be a low scoring game defined by puck battles all over the ice, the neutral zone being clogged up, lots of dump ins from the red line with forecheckers charging after the opposing defense, and then chip outs by the defensive side to clear the puck back out to neutral ice. This game will not be pretty to watch. It will be a grind for the full 45 minutes of regulation and maybe longer. An interesting twist to the game comes by way of an odd scheduling quirk. Whitman has played only once over the past five weeks. That game was a stellar effort in a one to one tie against top seeded Churchill.

Upper Montgomery’s play has evolved and transformed as the regular season progressed. The return of top defender, junior Andrew Botti has calmed the back end and provided additional confidence. At around the same time, Lightning senior goaltender Landon Bernard began playing much, much better in net. The Lightning are 6-1-1 over their last eight conference games. Further, Upper Montgomery played the top public high school team in the state, Oakdale, superbly leading 1-0 with under five minutes to play before Oakdale was able to prevail. Last week, against top private high school program Bullis, Upper Montgomery was tied with under one minute to play before succumbing. The Lightning must believe there is a chance to pull the upset and defeat Whitman, the third seed in the playoff tournament bracket.

The goaltending matchup will be same as in the team’s first two games this season. Landon Bernard will be in net for Upper Montgomery. He has posted terrific statistics in the MHC playoffs this season and last year. He enters Friday’s game with a .966 save percentage and a 0.98 goals against average in his three career playoff outings, never giving up more than one goal in a game. If Bernard again plays stellar, he can steal the game by himself. He would forever be known as the goalie who took Upper Montgomery to the state playoffs for the first time. Bernard also backstopped the Lightning junior varsity to the MHC junior varsity championship two years ago. He excelled in those playoffs as well giving up only four goals over three games, including posting a shootout victory. In net for Whitman will be Ryan Graf. Graf was recently named the first team MHC All Conference goalie. Graf is a solid netminder. He went 5-4-1 this season with a 2.64 goals against average and an .899 save percentage playing against the top teams in the county.

Whitman’s calling card is their team defense. The Vikings defensive structure and the forwards ferocious back checking are second to none in the league. The Lightning’s top forward line of senior co-captain and center Chris Hassett (16GP, 15G, 19A), playing between Nathan Cassel (15GP, 11G, 18A), and Philip Shkeda (16GP, 12G, 6A) will have their hands full trying to get into the high danger areas in the offensive zone. The team’s second line will be composed of senior co-captain and center Hunter Cameron (14GP, 5G, 4A) playing with Henry Honakci (17GP, 5G, 3A) and Olivia Robbins (9GP, 2G, 2A). Cameron scored two goals in the season opener against Whitman and missed the rematch as he was in Phoenix with his external travel team. The season ending loss of Ryan Jacobson (6GP, 4G, 1A) (out long term with a lower body injury) definitely has impacted the Lightning’s secondary offensive production.

Upper Montgomery’s third offensive line will be centered by senior Bradley Cupples (13GP, 2G, 7A) playing with Adam Levine (8G, 3A) including a career high two assist game in the opening round win over Blair last week and Josh Nadler. The objective of this line will be to provide energy and tireless effort on the forecheck and along the boards. Their focus will be on chipping pucks out of the defensive zone, dumping pucks in deep behind the Whitman net, and playing on the defensive side of the puck. Any offense provided by the third line is gravy. It will be up to the high powered first line to supply offense. The Vikings want to play low scoring, tight checking games and counter attack when their opponents try and rush up ice in hopes of generating more offensive chances. The Upper Montgomery game plan will counter the Vikings desired style of play.

On defense the return of top Upper Montgomery defender Andrew Botti really did stabilize the back end. He will log extensive minutes against Whitman and will play almost exclusively with 9th grade defender Miles Wendland. Wendland has a very bright future within the program as he gets stronger over the next several years. The other defensive pairing will feature a pair of AA external travel skaters, Brady Berkhammer and Brandon Bernard (17GP, 6G, 3A). Berkhammer (17GP, 1G, 7A) scored his first career high school goal last week against Blair in the playoff opener. Bernard is dropping back to play defense this week with the absence of Owen Robbins who will miss the game as he is out of town with his external travel team. Cole Howerton will play some to spell Wendland during the game. The defensive game plan will be simplified to allow the defenders to conserve energy.

Whitman is led in scoring by talented forward Andrew Fou who has (13 GP, 15G, 10A). He is the offensive dynamo for the Vikings and the rest of the forwards play off of his successes. He has torched the Lightning over the past two years totaling four goals. The second highest scoring forward on the team is Charles Ingis with (8GP, 8G, 2A). Ingis scored the back breaking goal for the Vikings in the season opener, a breakaway goal at the beginning of the third period where he fired top shelf high over Bernard’s glove hand. He has also scored four goals against the Lightning over the past two seasons. Jacob Lerman has (13 GP, 8G, 2A). From there, the rest of the Whitman scoring is spread throughout their lineup with no other skater having more than three goals on the season.

Defensively, the Vikings high level external travel skaters dominate their lineup. AAA defender Zach Kraus is the headliner (10GP, 3G, 9A). Morrison Cohen (12GP, 2G, 7A) and Rowen Miller both play AA and will play significant minutes. Upper A ninth grade defender Stephen Mah has come on strong over the last few games. The Whitman defense is not expected to provide offense. Their job is to limit the opposition and make it hard for the Lightning to get to the net and score.

The Lightning’s powerplay has come alive over the last two games, scoring goals in back to back contests. The team simplified their system and is getting more shots on net and traffic in front. Both powerplay goals have come off of puck retrievals of missed initial shots and then a secondary shot at the net with skaters in front. Upper Montgomery is now up to 3-46 on the powerplay for the season, 6.5%. A key powerplay goal in the playoff contest versus Whitman would be huge. Conversely, Whitman has scored eleven powerplay goals this season. Whitman has given up only six powerplay goals while the Vikings have scored six shorthanded goals of their own to even out the scoring while playing with one less skater.

Within the rules, Upper Montgomery must do everything possible to win this game. With a senior heavy lineup, the program has been looking toward this opportunity for the better part of four years. The game plan devised for this tilt against Whitman will match the Vikings style of play and will provide the team with a chance to pull the upset. Anticipate a low scoring, tight checking affair where Upper Montgomery focuses on defensive coverage and defensive zone clears. It will not be a visually pleasing game, but expect the Lightning to play committed team hockey where the students focus on neutralizing Whitman’s strengths. Can the Lightning push through and make history after being so close last year? It could be a lucky bounce that decides the game late. There could be an unsung hero who rises up with a key goal. We know for sure that there will be tears in the locker room after the game. The question is whether they will be tears of joy.

#Make States, #Continue the Streak, #Get it Done, #UML, #Bleed Green, #Go Bolts!

After struggling all season, Lightning has power play goals in two consecutive games.

by Shaun Chornobroff

February 5, 2024, 11:04 am

Entering this week, the Upper Montgomery hockey co-op, a team made up of students from Clarksburg, Damascus, Poolesville and Seneca Valley high schools, had yet to score a power play goal this season.

Against Bullis on January 29th, the Lightning notched their first goal with a man advantage.

In the opening period of Friday’s matchup against Blair, a co-op consisting of players from Blair, Einstein, Wheaton, Northwood and Kennedy High Schools, a tripping penalty gave Upper Montgomery a man advantage with 4:43 on the clock.

As the power play dwindled, sophomore defender Brady Berkhammer drifted into the center of the attacking zone and flicked a shot into the top left corner with 2:59 remaining, scoring the first goal of Upper Montgomery’s 5-1 victory in the opening round of the Montgomery County Tournament.

After a season of laboring through wasted power play opportunities, Upper Montgomery may have solved its man advantage woes at an ideal time.

“We went back and simplified it,” said head coach Todd Hassett. “We’re keeping the lines that play together, together … so there’s at least a little better communication and they’ve done a better job.”

Upper Montgomery went into the second period holding the 1-0 lead from Berkhammer’s first high school goal. With 6:35 remaining, Nathan Cassel raced down the right side during an odd man rush and found Christopher Hassett, who took advantage of his opportunity.

After a goal from Blair’s Zander Frey made the score 2-1, Cassel scored with 4:27 remaining in the second.

The top line of Christopher Hassett, Cassel, and sophomore Philip Shkeda have carried the offensive production for Upper Montgomery all season. With Shkeda out due to illness on Friday, the pair combined for three goals and three assists.

“The three of them, for whatever reason, they just work together,” said Todd Hassett, who is also Christopher’s father. “Anytime they’re in the game together, we put them together.”

Before the game, Blair celebrated its senior night. Among the honorees was two-year starting goaltender Lily Bendavid.

Despite being credited with the loss, Bendavid was a bright spot, stopping 28 shots, which included multiple close-range opportunities.

“It gives our team so much confidence when our goalie plays like that,” said Blair Head Coach Jim Caron, who described Bendavid as the bravest player he ever coached.

In two games this season, Upper Montgomery has accumulated 10 goals against Blair. Despite that fact, Caron said the defense was the strength of this Lightning team.

Since the team’s top defenseman, Andrew Botti, returned from injury on Dec. 8, Upper Montgomery has been among the stoutest teams in the county.

In six league games against Montgomery County foes since Botti’s return, the Lightning have given up less than two goals per game. On Friday, Upper Montgomery goaltender Landon Bernard stopped 29 shots.

The final four teams of the Montgomery County Tournament move onto the statewide MSHL playoffs. Upper Montgomery will face Whitman on Friday. To be one of the four teams that qualify, Todd Hassett says his team needs to play what he calls “muck it up hockey.”

“Smart simple hockey, making the right plays, get the puck down low … do the dirty work,” said Hassett. “Go at the boards hard, win the battle, win the races, and get pucks in the net.”

Article edited for factual accuracy.

#Playoff Wins, #Our Time, #UML, #Bleed Green, #Go Bolts!

The Upper Montgomery Lightning open the Montgomery Hockey Conference playoffs hosting the Blair Blazers. The game will be a rematch of a late January game won by Upper Montgomery 5-0. Game time on Friday is 8:20 pm at Rockville Ice Arena. The Lightning finished the regular season strong with a 5-1-1 conclusion to the conference schedule and very close losses to both Oakdale (led 1-0 with under five minutes remaining) and to Bullis this past Monday (tied with 40 seconds remaining). Blair is the third lowest ranked team in the conference having only beaten the lowest ranked team (Churchill 2) three times and edging past Northwest/Quince Orchard (second lowest ranked team) playing without its starting goalie. Upper Montgomery needs to guard against playing down to Blair’s level and being overconfident. The Lightning will need to bring it and dominate right from the beginning of the game and not let off the gas.

In net for Upper Montgomery will be senior Landon Bernard. Bernard has played very well of late and was stellar in Monday’s game against Bullis making 41 saves. His goals against average has shrunk by two goals per game over the back half of the season. His save percentage over his past seven starts is a stalwart .906. His 24 save shutout over Blair on senior night will make for a nice memory years from now. Upper Montgomery will only go as far in the playoffs as Bernard’s play takes the team. The Blazers will play Lily Ben David in net. She has a 5.71 goals against average and a .729 save percentage. She plays behind a porous defense and does well just to provide her team a chance to win against the lower competition Blair has faced this season. In the recent game against Upper Montgomery, she stopped 17 of 22 shots on goal. Upper Montgomery will need to do a much better job generating offense this time around and getting shots on goal.

Upper Montgomery may be dangerous while shorthanded as Ben David has been beaten ten times while Blair has been on the powerplay. On the flip side, Blair has done a nice job on the penalty kill giving up just two powerplay goals on the season. This does not bode well for the Lightning who have a ghastly powerplay currently sitting at 1-44 on the season after finally cashing in versus Bullis on Monday. Anticipate major changes to the Upper Montgomery powerplay including personnel changes to try and spark the dormant Lightning powerplay. To say Upper Montgomery has been challenged all season long while on the powerplay is certainly an understatement.

Upper Montgomery had hoped this season for balanced goal scoring throughout its lineup. Last season’s top line of Chris Hassett, Nathan Cassel, and Philip Shkeda has continued to produce again this season. Unfortunately, it has been a continual search for other student athletes to step up and match last year’s offensive production. In last Friday’s game against Rockville, the top line scored all five goals. Against Bullis, the top line scored both goals. There was no secondary scoring. Hassett (15GP, 13G, 17A) and Cassell (14GP, 10G, 17A) have alternated the team lead in assists and points throughout the season. A beautiful give and go passing sequence between the two led to Cassel’s overtime winner on Friday night. A very nice passing sequence between Shekda and Cassel led to the late game tying goal against Bullis with a minute and a half remaining in the game. Shkeda (16GP, 12G, 6A) had been tied for the team lead in goals until Friday. The season ending injury to Ryan Jacobson (6GP, 4G, 1A) drastically impacted the Lightning’s secondary offense. Hunter Cameron has chipped in nicely with (13GP, 5G, 4A). He has scored two goals in two different games, and Cameron scored the tying goal late in the third period against the DC Stars. Each of the team’s other forwards, Brandon Bernard (16G, 5G, 3A), Bradley Cupples (12GP, 2G, 5A), Olivia Robbins (8GP, 2G, 2A), and Henry Honacki (16GP, 5G, 3A) have each played well in a few games where they have accumulated the majority of their points on the season.

The Blazers are led offensively by Jackson Martindill (9GP, 7G, 4A). Chen Chen-Ye is next with (9GP, 4G, 5A). Long-time agitator Ari Garnder leads the team in goals (8GP, 8G, 1A). The Blazers defense has chipped in offensively. Joseph Killebrew (11GP, 4G, 4A), Wyatt Bakalis (9GP, 2G, 2A), and Danilo Azcarate (10GP, 3G, 1A) have provided some complementary scoring. BUT, it is hard to judge these offensive figures as most of the games Blair has played is against very weak competition. Against stronger competition Blair has been involved in one sided games, with the Blazers getting destroyed and scoring two or fewer goals.

On defense the Lightning struggled out of the gate. With top defender Andrew Botti out for the first eight games of the season, Upper Montgomery had difficulty keeping teams out of the high danger areas. With Botti back, the team has played much more responsibly. Senior co-captain Cameron has played several games on defense to help anchor and provide stability on the back end. Sophomores Brady Berkhammer and Owen Robbins will see substantial playing time against the Blazers. Ninth grader Miles Wendland will likely pair with Botti. Expect Cole Howerton to play as the game progresses. If the game tightens up, Olivia Robbins may join her brother on the back end. Outside of Cameron’s production in October’s season opener against Whitman where he scored both Upper Montgomery goals, all other Upper Montgomery defensive skaters have contributed no goals and 17 assists in 61 combined games played.

It’s time to prove it. The playoffs are here. There is no tomorrow for the teams that lose in the opening round of the Montgomery Hockey Conference playoffs. The Lightning have begun to show much more fight and desire as the season has progressed. The effort against Bullis was outstanding. Now, the team needs to back up that performance. Blair does not care about how well Upper Montgomery has been playing. The Blazers are going to look at the matchup as their state playoff game. Blair is going to try and stymie the Lightning, do to Upper Montgomery what Upper Montgomery has been doing to other teams. Blair has nothing to lose and will come to play. Upper Montgomery must dig deep and perform. Whatever it takes. There is no tomorrow, just move on and advance to the Montgomery Hockey Conference quarterfinals. Anyhow, Anyway!

#Advance, #Extend the Streak, #UML, #Our Time, #Bleed Green, #Go Bolts!

Upper Montgomery Lightning senior co-captain, center Chris Hassett will be inducted into the Maryland Student Hockey League Hall of Fame in the spring of 2024. Hassett will be the sixth member of the Upper Montgomery program to receive this prestigious honor.

Just prior to the winter break Chris recorded his 50^th career varsity assist.  On senior night in January, Chris notched his 100^th career varsity point.  In the opening round of the Montgomery Hockey Conference playoffs in early February, Chris scored his 50th career varsity goal. These historic achievements result in an automatic induction into the Maryland Student Hockey League Hockey Hall of Fame.  Chris will receive his induction plaque and other commemorative memorabilia later this spring during the Upper Montgomery year end team celebration.

In his storied high school career Chris finished by scoring 62 goals (third in program history) and adding 64 assists (second in program history), for 126 points (third in program history).  

Outside of high school hockey, Chris plays for the Tri-City Eagles 18U AA external travel team where he leads the Eagles in scoring.

The Upper Montgomery program is proud of Chris’s accomplishment and this very special recognition.