Category: Lightning Strike Blog

Fresh off their first win of the season over third ranked Walter Johnson, the Upper Montgomery Lightning finish the first half of the season schedule against perennial state champion Churchill on Monday evening at Cabin John Ice Rink. Puck drop is at 6:30 pm. The Bulldogs have won eight of the last ten Maryland high school ice hockey state championships. The two years that Churchill did not win the state title were last season when they lost in the championship game, and during the COVID health crisis when the Bulldogs were prevented from competing in the state playoffs. Monday’s game will be the first time that the teams have played since their epic Montgomery Hockey Conference quarterfinal matchup last winter. With the winner advancing to the state playoffs, Churchill outlasted the Lightning in a five round shootout by a three to two margin after a one all tie through regulation and overtime.

This year is no different for Churchill. The Bulldogs enter the contest ranked first in the county standings with a 6-0-1 conference record. The Churchill roster is stacked with high-end talent. The Bulldogs trot out a variety of AAA and AA external travel team level skaters. While Upper Montgomery will have very close to its full lineup for the game, keeping up in the game will still be a challenge. Unlike in last year’s playoff game, Churchill will not be overlooking the Lightning this season.

In this game, Upper Montgomery’s success will be defined by how well the team defends and clears the puck out of high danger zones. To be competitive, the Lightning will need to muck up the game and prevent Churchill’s speed from overpowering Upper Montgomery’s inexperienced defenders. Although Andrew Botti is close to returning for the Lightning, he is not yet cleared for participation. The lower scoring the game, and the uglier that the game looks visually, the more of an opportunity Upper Montgomery will have to pull off the massive upset. Last year’s tie in the playoff game before succumbing in the shootout was the first ever points Upper Montgomery has earned against Churchill. In fifteen seasons, the Lightning have never beaten the Bulldogs. The Lightning have also never beaten a team ranked number one. Last year’s victory over second ranked Quince Orchard is the team with the highest ranking that the Lightning have ever beaten.

On offense, the Lightning seem to have progressed from the beginning of the season. When close to the full team is in attendance, the Lightning have scored seven, five, and eight goals in their most recent three games. This is a far cry from the start of the season when goals were non-existent. Nathan Cassel continues to lead the team in points with 7GP, 4G, 10A. He is coming off of a three assist effort versus Walter Johnson. Chris Hassett’s production has ramped up over his last couple of games and he is now second on the team in scoring with 6GP, 5G, 8A. He is also coming off of a multi-point effort over the Wildcats with two goals and four assists. Hassett’s next assist will be a milestone, his 50th career varsity assist. Philip Shkeda is heating up having scored in four straight games. His two goals against the Wildcats helped propel the Lightning to victory. He is tied with Hassett for the team lead in goals with five.

Ryan Jacobson has scored four goals in five games, bouncing back and forth between centering the second line and playing defense. Henry Honacki has begun to get into the heavy traffic areas and his point totals have increased as a result. Honacki now has 7GP, 3G, 3A. Bradley Cupples chipped in with two goals against Walter Johnson and is clustered with Hunter Cameron and Brandon Bernard with two goals and several assists each. The depth scoring from the second and third lines which had been missing early in the season has really helped the Lightning’s offensive production improve. One area that has not improved has been the Lightning’s powerplay. It has been simply putrid. The stink has now reached 18 extra skater advantages to begin the season with no powerplay goals. The streak includes three different five on three extended powerplay chances. The team’s only ‘powerplay’ goal was a penalty shot converted by Cassel against Mount St. Joseph.

Defensively, and in goal, the team must be significantly better. Yes, the team has had to patch together the defensive pairings while working through the injury to Botti, but the defensive blunders have been plentiful and massive. Most of the miscues have led directly to key opposition goals against. The forwards need to do a better job on the backcheck and with breakouts, controlling the game with puck possession and management. The defense must be more physical and not allow the opposing forwards down low beneath them and the goal.

Churchill’s offensive output is led by 18U AA forward, Zachary Silver. Silver has tallied over and over this season. He has 8GP, 12G, 4A. Not too far behind has been Joshua Wong, with 8GP, 6G, 3A and 18U AAA forward Joshua Potenti, 5GP, 6G, 2A. Daniel McNelis has four goals in five games. He plays 16U AAA. Asher Wang, 18U AA leads the Bulldogs in assists. He has 8GP, 2G, 7A. On defense, Churchill has 9th grade 14U AA Alexander Bazyluk with six assists in eight games. Dalton Esko-Himmelfarb has 5GP, 1G, 3A. He plays with the Lightning’s Hunter Cameron on the Little Caps 18U AAA team.

In net for Upper Montgomery is expected to be Ilan Shterenberg. Shterenberg battled to his first career high school varsity victory last time out making enough saves to hold off Walter Johnson. As the team’s goaltending has been spotty this season, the coaching staff is looking for either Shterenberg or senior Landon Bernard to grab the reins on the top goaltender spot. Shterenberg has been lights out at the junior varsity level with six wins, two by shutout, a 1.36 goals against average, and a .941 save percentage. The step up in competition at the varsity level has impact his statistics. Not unexpected for a 9th grade student athlete. Landon Bernard played fantastic last year against Churchill in the playoffs. He stopped 34 of 35 shots and was critical to almost pulling off the greatest upset in the history of Maryland high school hockey. He was also outstanding last year in the opening round playoff game against St. Johns. This year has been a struggle. There have been stretches of nice play sprinkled in with goals that he wishes he had back. In net for Churchill is expected to be 16U AA Macallister Glazer. Glazer splits time with senior Cameron Shure, but receives the starts in goal when Churchill faces stronger competition. Glazer is 3-0-1 on the season with a 3.00 goals against average and a .867 save percentage.

Upper Montgomery desperately needs a good showing to begin moving back up the conference standings and rankings. The team started the season ranked with its highest ranking ever, fifth spot, and then promptly plummeted down the rankings to where it is currently, tenth. Finishing seventh or tenth is preferred rather than landing in eight or ninth spot and having to likely once again face Churchill in the quarterfinal round of the Montgomery Hockey Conference playoffs. The win over Walter Johnson was a step forward. Now the team needs to continue to ascend with a very good performance against a very tough opponent.

#UML, #Bleed Green, #Go Bolts!

The start of the 2023 – 2024 high school ice hockey season has been one to forget for the Upper Montgomery Lightning varsity squad and pleasantly surprising for the Lightning junior varsity squad. The Upper Montgomery program had very high expectations for this season after the conclusion to last year and with so many highly talented student athletes returning. Unfortunately, qualifying for the state playoffs for the first time in program history seems like a distant vision unless the team comes together, plays as a team, and goes on an epic run. There has been too much individual play, too much worrying about everything but winning, and the team’s performance has suffered as a result.

The Lightning varsity squad sits winless at 0-6 on the season. There have been some stretches of good play, but overall, the only consistency to the season has been the limited amount of student athletes available each game due to external travel team commitments and Andrew Botti’s injury. Upper Montgomery has had its full complement of offensive forward lines for only two games this season. Being able to run three full lines allows the student athletes sufficient rest to compete hard over the entire game. Not surprisingly then, the third periods have been Upper Montgomery’s downfall with the team having a minus twelve goal differential in the final period over the first six games of the season.

Three troubling trends have developed over the first portion of the season. One, a lack of goal scoring. This seems to have been rectified in two of the past three games, a 9-7 loss to Sherwood and a 7-5 loss to Mount St. Joseph. The second issue is the poor finishes mentioned above. Not having a full roster has placed a burden on the student athletes present at each game and they have run out of steam deep into the games. The third issue and the most glaring have been the defensive breakdowns. This may be a result of the top skaters having to play excessive minutes each game as the team has played with a short bench throughout the season. It may be playing without top defender Andrew Botti for the entire season. It may be that the defensive skaters have just not been good enough. It is no secret that the top teams in the county prevent goals. A look at the standings this season as well as last season show a dramatic difference in all teams’ records when giving up three or fewer goals in a game. Quite simply, the Upper Montgomery defensive lapses and breakdowns have been awful and are the leading contributor to the 0-6 start.

Upper Montgomery’s offensive success can be defined by how well the offensive leaders of the team perform. Nathan Cassel leads the team with 6GP, 4G, 6A. He is coming off of a three point effort versus Mount St. Joseph, including converting on a penalty shot goal. Chris Hassett’s production has led the Lightning program for the past two seasons, and he is once again contributing. He is second on the team in scoring with 5GP, 3G, 4A. Ryan Jacobson has scored three goals in four games, bouncing back and forth between centering the second line and playing defense. Philip Shkeda is heating up having scored in three straight games. The difficulty for the Lightning has been getting the offense going especially against the top teams in the conference, scoring twice against Whitman, once against the DC Stars, and twice against BCC. Depth scoring from the second and third lines has been very limited with many of the team’s forwards either underperforming or having all of their scoring centralized in the Sherwood game. Consistent depth scoring would dramatically advance the Lightning’s chances over the second half of the season.

Defensively, and in goal, the team must be significantly better. Yes, the team has had to patch together the defensive pairings while working through the injury to Botti, but the defensive blunders have been plentiful and massive. Most of the miscues have led directly to key opposition goals against. The forwards need to do a better job on the backcheck and with breakouts, controlling the game with puck possession and puck management. The defense must be more physical and not allow the opposing forwards down low beneath them with unobstructed looks at the goal.

If the poor performances do not change quickly expect the coaching staff to provide more playing time to the younger student athletes that have thus far historically played the majority of their high school hockey career at the junior varsity level. When the back half of the varsity schedule flips and the Lightning are facing less talented opposition, the lower portion of the roster will be more capable of receiving playing time and will push the top skaters for playing time. While the depth of the Lightning’s roster should have been able to handle one or two student athletes missing a game here or there, the team has not stepped up and performed.

In net for Upper Montgomery Landon Bernard has had stretches of nice play this season sprinkled in with goals that he wishes he had back. The team knows what Bernard is capable of with last season’s playoff performance as a benchmark of how good he can play. The Lightning will need to see more of that shut down goaltending to have a successful back half of the season.

Going into the season, the junior varsity was expected to be better than last year with the team needing 9th grade goaltender Ilan Shterenberg to be a difference maker in net. The junior varsity games were expected to be lower scoring as the team used its defensive strength to focus on preventing the opposition from scoring. This is exactly how the season has played out. Shterenberg has played very well for the junior varsity this season having won all four of his starts and having posted two shutouts to begin his high school career. His season statistics are a .940 save percentage and a 1.03 goals against average. In limited action last week against Mount St. Joseph at the varsity level he stopped 16 of 18 shots on goal. Anticipate Shterenberg seeing additional varsity game action as the coaching staff gets him experience as preparation for next season. His play in net will ultimately determine how successful the team is and how far the Lightning junior varsity advances in the junior varsity county playoffs. He has the talent and ability to steal any game by himself.

The core reason for the junior varsity’s 4-0 undefeated start to the season has been the team’s leadership and team defensive play. Unlike what may be occurring with the varsity, the junior varsity is not worried about who scores and how the game looks visually. The junior varsity has worked hard each game and has focused on defense only giving up four goals over the first four games of the season. The penalty kill has been a perfect 13-13 on the season including a couple of long 5-3 kills.

Offensively, the coaching staff knew it would be a mixed bag. Some games it was anticipated that the squad would generate offensive much more capably than last season. Other games, it was thought to still be extremely difficult to mount much of an attack. This is because the team has no one individual skater that can take over a game by themselves and propel the team to victory. It was going to be more of a success by committee approach and that is what has played out.

Josh Nadler has led the way scoring in each of the first four games of the season. He leads the team with five goals. Cole Howerton has scored three goals in the first four games of the season. TJ Gottesman also has four points on two goals and two assists. Sean Levine has three points, and the depth scoring has started to come through. AJ Marks and Aiden Zheng have played better over the past couple of games, and both have two points. Adam Levine has chipped in with two assists, both on nice passing plays with Nadler finishing on each occasion. The offense has been just enough with the team averaging 3.5 goals per game.

Defensively, the Lightning’s experience and team defense has stood out. Jake Roth, Cole Howerton, Patrick Sell, Miles Wendland, Avery Evans, and Behr Schickler have limited the opposition’s quality scoring chances. When breakdowns occur, the forwards have been in position defensively to clear the danger areas and get pucks out of the defensive zone. The combination has allowed the Lightning to play with the lead or tied for all but 8:30 of game actions this season. The maximum effort displayed so far and the commitment to each other combined with the stellar defensive play must continue for the team to reach its goals. It’s been a nice start, but the middle of the season needs to be strong against stronger competition to position the squad well for the season ending conference playoffs.

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

The Upper Montgomery Lightning face off on Tuesday afternoon against last year’s state champion, the Walter Johnson Wildcats. Although this year’s Wildcats are not as loaded as last year’s squad, they remain a formidable opponent, ranked third in the county standings and rankings. The Wildcats enter the contest with a 3-1-1 record, having tied top ranked Churchill in their most recent game action. Game time for Tuesday’s matinee is early, a 3:15 pm start at Rockville Ice Arena. The Lightning have gotten off to an incredibly disappointing start to the season, and will be looking to spring the upset.

Upper Montgomery will have very close to its full lineup for the game. It will be only the third time this season that the team will likely dress a full complement of forwards. Being able to run three full lines should allow the student athletes sufficient rest to compete hard over the entire game. The third periods have been Upper Montgomery’s downfall with the team having a minus twelve goal differential in the final period over the first six games of the season.

Three troubling trends have developed over the first portion of the season. One, a lack of goal scoring. This seems to have been rectified in two of the past three games, a 9-7 loss to Sherwood and a 7-5 loss to Mount St. Joseph. The second issue is the poor finishes mentioned above. Not having a full roster has placed a burden on the student athletes present at each game and they have run out of steam deep into the games. The third issue and the most glaring has been the defensive breakdowns. This may be a result of the top skaters having to play excessive minutes each game as the team has played with a short bench throughout the season. It may be playing without top defender Andrew Botti for the entire season. It may be that the defensive skaters have just not been good enough. It is no secret that the top teams in the county prevent goals. A look at the standings this season as well as last season show a dramatic difference in all teams’ records when giving up three or fewer goals in a game.

Upper Montgomery’s success will be defined by how well the offensive leaders of the team perform. Nathan Cassel leads the team with 6GP, 4G, 6A. He is coming off of a three point effort versus Mount St. Joseph, including converting on a penalty shot goal. Chris Hassett’s production has led the Lightning program for the past two seasons, and he is once again contributing. He is second on the team in scoring with 5GP, 3G, 4A. Ryan Jacobson has scored three goals in four games, bouncing back and forth between centering the second line and playing defense. Philip Shkeda is heating up having scored in three straight games. The difficulty for the Lightning has been getting the offense going especially against the top teams in the conference, scoring twice against Whitman, once against the DC Stars, and twice against BCC. Depth scoring from the second and third lines has been missing with many of the team’s forwards either underproducing or having all of their scoring centralized in the Sherwood game. Consistent depth scoring would dramatically advance the Lightning’s chances over the second half of the season.

Defensively, and in goal, the team must be significantly better. Yes, the team has had to patch together the defensive pairings while working through the injury to Botti, but the defensive blunders have been plentiful and massive. Most of the miscues have led directly to key opposition goals against. The forwards need to do a better job on the backcheck and with breakouts, controlling the game with puck possession and management. The defense must be more physical and not allow the opposing forwards down low beneath them and the goal.

Walter Johnson’s offensive output has been evenly distributed, led by its external travel team student athletes. 18U AAA forward Brendan Klotz who plays on the same external travel team as the Lightning’s Hunter Cameron has 5GP, 4G, 5A. Henry Horwell who plays on the same external travel team as the Lightning’s Henry Honacki has 5GP, 4G, 2A. Adam Pyott who plays 18U AA has five goals in five games. The Walter Johnson defense has also gotten in on the scoring led by Patrick Murphy who plays on the same 18U AA team as Brandon and Landon Bernard with 4GP, 3G, 1A, and Liam Mannle 16U AA who has 5GP, 3G, 1A. Ruslan Titov has 5GP, 1G, 3A and senior team leader 18U AA Jonathan Corwin has two goals in four games.

In net for Upper Montgomery is expected to be Landon Bernard. Bernard has had stretches of nice play this season sprinkled in with goals that he wishes he had back. Knowing so many of the Wildcat student athletes, he will be motivated to play well and stonewall Walter Johnson. Bernard will be backed up by 9th grade netminder Ilan Shterenberg. Shterenberg has played very well for the junior varsity this season having won all four starts and having posted two shutouts to begin his high school career. His season statistics are a .940 save percentage and a 1.03 goals against average. In limited action last week against Mount St. Joseph he stopped 16 of 18 shots on goal. If the game gets out of hand, anticipate Shterenberg will see additional game action as the coaching staff gets him experience at the varsity level as preparation for next season. In net for Walter Johnson is expected to be Isaac Russ. Russ has played in the majority of the games for the Wildcats this season and has posted respectable statistics, a 3.11 goals against average and an .860 save percentage.

Upper Montgomery is in desperate need of playing well and getting a much needed first win of the season on Tuesday. A win over Walter Johnson would be the first in program history and a terrific way to jump start the season. Up next after Walter Johnson and the Thanksgiving break is top ranked Churchill before the schedule lightens up over the second half of the league season.

#UML, #Bleed Green, #Go Bolts!

The Upper Montgomery Lightning face off on Wednesday afternoon against the Mount St. Joseph’s Gaels. This will be the Lightning’s second non-conference private school matchup of the season. Game time is scheduled for 4:00 pm at Laurel Ice Gardens. The Lightning have gotten off to an incredibly disappointing start to the season, one that was filled with so much pre-season promise. Thankfully, the team still has the opportunity to reach all of its pre-season goals.

Upper Montgomery will have very close to its full lineup for the game. It will be only the second time this season that the team will dress a full complement of forwards. Being able to run three full lines should allow the student athletes sufficient rest to compete hard the entire game. The third periods have been Upper Montgomery’s downfall with the team having a minus twelve goal differential in the final period over the first five games of the season. Upper Montgomery will be looking to reverse that trend against the Gaels.

Mount St. Joseph’s will be quite the test. While not a powerhouse like the more prominent private school teams, the Gaels are comparable with the top teams in the Montgomery Hockey Conference. In their opening game of the season the Gaels jumped out to a 3-1 lead over South River (a Maryland Student Hockey League state playoff participant last season), before having late game difficulties of their own. South River scored five unanswered goals and hung on for a 5-4 victory. Mount St. Joseph also had difficulty staying out of the penalty box taking six minor penalties during the game. Conversely, Upper Montgomery has earned only six powerplays all season long. Earning just six powerplays and scoring zero powerplay goals over the first five games of the season is completely inadequate.

Two troubling trends developed over the first couple of games this season. One, a lack of goal scoring, seems to have been rectified in last Tuesday’s 9-7 loss to Sherwood, a game in which Upper Montgomery led 3-0 after the first period and 4-1 mid-way through the game. The second issue is the poor finishes ad third period defensive breakdowns. This may be a result of the top skaters having to play excessive minutes each game as the team has played with a short bench throughout the season.

Returning to the lineup against the Gales will be Chris Hassett, Ryan Jacobson, and Owen Robbins. All three missed last Friday’s game against BCC while they were with their external travel teams. Olivia Robbins will also be in town looking to score in back to back games after notching her first goal of the season against the Barons playing in her first game of the year. Upper Montgomery’s success will be defined by how well the offensive leaders of the team perform. Nathan Cassel leads the team with 5GP, 2G, 5A. Chris Hassett is second on the team in scoring with 4GP, 3G, 3A. Both Hunter Cameron and Ryan Jacobson have scored two goals in three games. The difficulty for the Lightning has been getting the offense going, having scored only eight goals in the four games outside of the Sherwood contest.

Defensively, the team must be significantly better. Yes, the team has had to patch together the defensive pairings while working through the injury to Andrew Botti, but the defensive blunders have been massive. Most of the miscues have directly led to key opposition goals against. The forwards need to simply do a better job on the backcheck, and controlling the game with puck management. This will help the inexperienced defense and the forwards who are playing defense this season for the first time.

Mount St. Joseph’s scoring was evenly distributed in their game against South River. Forwards Aiden McIntyre and Ryan Currie had two assists. Four different Gaels’ student athletes scored in the game. Nate Carr was in net and stopped 24 of 29 shots on goal. With Mount St. Joseph’s being located in Baltimore, Upper Montgomery does not have a wide scouting report on the Gaels.

In net for Upper Montgomery is expected to be the varsity debut of 9th grade goalie Ilan Shterenberg. Shterenberg has played very well for the junior varsity this season having won all four starts and having posting two shutouts to begin his high school career. His season statistics are a .940 save percentage and a 1.03 goals against average. Facing the Gaels will be a step up in competition, but an excellent opportunity for Shterenberg to get a taste of varsity game action. If Shterenberg struggles, expect Landon Bernard to play the back half of the game. Bernard himself has struggled at times this season, so getting a break to relax and reset may prepare Bernard for the rest of the conference schedule.

Upper Montgomery is in desperate need of playing well and getting a positive result on Wednesday. A win over a private school program would be a terrific way to jump start the season heading into two difficult matchups sandwiching the Thanksgiving holiday against top Montgomery Hockey Conference rivals Walter Johnson and Churchill.

#UML, #Bleed Green, #Go Bolts!

A shorthanded Upper Montgomery Lightning will face off against perennial powerhouse BCC Friday night at Rockville Ice Arena. Game time is 8:50 pm. It will be an enormously difficult task for the team playing an opponent that Upper Montgomery has never beaten. Last season’s Halloween surprise garnered the program’s first ever points against BCC by way of a 2-2 tie. The team’s rematch at the end of the last regular season was an 8-2 blowout victory for the Barons who were clearly upset with their early season performance. Upper Montgomery will be missing many student athletes for this contest, and it will be incumbent on the experienced student athletes in attendance to play superbly.

Upper Montgomery’s season has not gone as anticipated. The team has struggled mightily on defense and is winless at 0-4 on the season. With a few different plays in each game, the team very well might be 4-0. BCC has lost its first two games of the season. Both losses have been competitive games against the top two teams in the county, Churchill and Walter Johnson. The major challenge this season for Upper Montgomery was going to be how to navigate all of the highly talented student athletes missing games when they were out-of-town with their external travel teams. This week will the toughest test yet as the team will be utilizing many junior varsity student athletes in regular roles throughout the game.

Initially, two troubling trends had developed over the first couple of games this season. One, a lack of goal scoring, but that seemed to have been rectified in Tuesday’s 9-7 loss to Sherwood, a game in which Upper Montgomery led 3-0 after the first period and 4-1 mid-way through the game. The second issue is poor third periods. This may be a result of the top skaters having to play excessive minutes each game as the team played with a short bench throughout the season. The Lightning have a minus eleven goal differential in the third period in the team’s first four games of the season.

In Tuesday’s game against Sherwood several student athletes had strong offensive games. Nathan Cassel was especially good and had five points with two goals and three assists. Chris Hassett also recorded five points, similarly scoring two goals and three assists. Henry Honacki had the best varsity game of his career with a three point game, one goal and two assists. However, the defense was exposed over the second half of the game with Grayson Wincker and Noi Jonasson skating around the Lightning defense and into high danger areas. Winckler had a hat-trick coupled with three assists and Jonasson had two goals and two assists. Upper Montgomery must play a grittier defensive style and compete harder to limit the opposing team’s chances.

For the Lightning, returning to the lineup will be Bradley Cupples who missed Tuesday’s game. Olivia Robbins will make her season debut. Both Cupples and Robbins play a north/south style of hockey and play positionally sound defense. Both traits should help immensely against the Barons.

BCC is led offensively by a trio of highly talented skaters, centers Matthew Duffy and Sebastian Harrison, and winger Alexsandr Talty. BCC also receives significant contributions of offense generated by its two premium defenders, Danny Loughlin and Collin Eccles. Upper Montgomery will have its hands full defensively while still missing Andrew Botti who will miss the game out injured.

In net for Upper Montgomery will be senior Landon Bernard who will be looking to bounce back from Tuesday’s performance against Sherwood. He will be opposed by Viviene Boyle who has stopped a lot of shots against Churchill (30) and Walter Johnson (34). Even though she let in six goals each game, she has kept her team in both games and given the Barons a chance to win. Her .842 save percentage is very respectable especially given the talented opposition she has faced in the first two games of the season.

Missing the student athletes who will be out-of-town with their external travel teams, maybe Upper Montgomery will be forced to change its style of play to remain competitive. It could be a blessing in disguise in that the team will need to be more cohesive defensively and not press up the ice looking for offensive chances and goals. It’s still early in the season and the Lightning are looking to right the ship. Not dissimilar from last season where the team struggled early and then roared back to finish one shootout goal short of qualifying for the state playoffs for the first time in program history. Will this season be a repeat? A slow start followed by a blazing late season playoff run…On Friday, one of the two winless teams will break through with an all-important initial win of the season.

#UML, #Bleed Green, #Go Bolts!

The start to the 2023 – 2024 high school hockey season has not gone as planned for the Upper Montgomery Lightning. With three consecutive losses to begin the season, the Lightning are at the exact same point they were last season. Upper Montgomery is now 0-3 after opening the season dropping close contests to highly regarded Whitman, a 3-1 defeat against the DC Stars, and falling 6-3 to private school non-conference foe Good Counsel this past Tuesday afternoon. In all three games, the third period has proven costly for Upper Montgomery as the team has been outscored 11-1 in the final stanza.

The major challenge this season for Upper Montgomery was going to be how to navigate all of the highly talented student athletes missing games when they were out-of-town with their external travel teams. When Andrew Botti went down injured playing with his external travel team, the Lightning’s depth on defense would be severely tested. Coupled with playing against all of the top teams in division one of the Montgomery Hockey Conference, the program knew there would be some challenging times throughout the season.

Two troubling trends developed over the first couple of games this season. One, a lack of goal scoring. Scoring three goals in the first two games is simply not acceptable for a squad as talented as the Lightning. Against Good Counsel, Upper Montgomery scored three times and fired 42 shots on goal. In the DC Stars game, 37 shots were put on goal and six additional shots clanged off the goal posts or the crossbar. Quality chances are there, the team must convert. The second issue is poor third periods. The Lightning had a minus seven goal differential in the third period as the team has tired throughout the first two games. Against Good Counsel, more student athletes were utilized throughout the game, but the team was still outscored by three goals in the third period. Upper Montgomery now has a putrid minus ten goal differential in the third period over just three games.

On Tuesday, Upper Montgomery will face Sherwood. Game time is 6:30 pm at Cabin John Ice Rink. Sherwood opened its season with a lopsided loss to Walter Johnson, one of the best teams in the state. Sherwood played with a forward in net as their goalie, but that only accentuated the final score and did not determine the game’s outcome.

Sherwood’s entire success revolves around Junior center Noi Jonasson, 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. Running aside Jonasson will be senior forward Grayson Winckler. Winckler is a very good skater who has had success against the Lightning in prior games. The rest of the Warriors lineup is young but speedy, Aidan Cook (who scored the Warriors only goal against Walter Johnson), Oz Sacks, and Cameron Calandro have some offensive pop if left unguarded.

Several Lightning student athletes have begun playing much better then they did in the season opening contest against Whitman. Ryan Jacobson has played especially well moving back to play defense against the DC Stars and Good Counsel. He has scored in consecutive games, including an impressive end to end rush goal against the Falcons. However, he will miss the Sherwood game. Chris Hassett and Nathan Cassel will be relied upon to turn up the offense. Getting depth scoring will be paramount to the Lightning coming away with their first win of the season. Brandon Bernard, Philip Shkeda, Bradley Cupples, Olivia Robbins, and Henry Honacki must come through and find the back of net.

In net for Upper Montgomery will be senior Landon Bernard who will be looking to get back on the winning track after finishing last season so strongly. In net for Sherwood will be Samuel Hutt. Hutt will be making his season debut against the Lightning, and he will need to play well to give the Warriors a chance to pull off the upset.

For Upper Montgomery the game is critical to getting right mentally. The team needs to fight through the adversity it is facing at the beginning of the season. Earning a win against Sherwood would be a welcome boost for morale. Simply put, the Lightning need to get their first win of the season and play a complete game, dominating from the start and through the final whistle. The third period collapses must end immediately. All games are winnable games for the Lightning, but only if Upper Montgomery plays as a team and plays the right way. The experienced student athletes need to lead by example, play the system, and put the puck in the back of the net.

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

The start to the 2023 – 2024 high school hockey season has not gone as planned for the Upper Montgomery Lightning. With two consecutive losses to begin the season, the Lightning are at the exact same point they were last season. Upper Montgomery is now 0-2 after opening the season dropping close contests to highly regarded Whitman and a 3-1 defeat against the DC Stars this past Friday evening.

The major challenge this season for Upper Montgomery was going to be how to navigate all of the highly talented student athletes missing games when they were out-of-town with their external travel teams. When Andrew Botti went down injured playing with his external travel team, the Lightning’s depth on defense would be severely tested. Coupled with playing against all of the top teams in division one of the Montgomery Hockey Conference, the program knew there would be some challenging times throughout the season.

The Lightning were not pleased with their performance against Whitman. A tied game at the very end of the second period bottomed out after Whitman scored a goal with one second remaining in the period to take the lead. Versus the DC Stars, Upper Montgomery dominated with 37 shots on goal in addition to hitting the goal posts six times. Unfortunately, Anton Tracy played incredibly well and stood tall in net for the Stars leaving the Lightning on the wrong side of the result.

Two troubling trends have developed at the start of the season. One, a lack of goal scoring. Scoring three goals in two games is simply not acceptable for a squad as talented as the Lightning. The powerplay has not scored over the first two games of the season. Second, the team has a minus seven goal differential in the third period as the team has tired throughout the games. Getting contributions from up and down the lineup will take pressure off the top two lines and allow for sufficient rest on the bench between shifts. If Upper Montgomery’s scoring is centralized amongst only a few skaters, the coaching staff will be forced to constantly rely on those few top end offensive skaters. This is not a recipe for success as their performance will deteriorate as the game progresses.

On Tuesday, Upper Montgomery travels to face its first private school team in program history. The Lightning will face off against Good Counsel. Game time is 4:00 pm at Laurel Ice Gardens. The Falcons compete in the Mid-Atlantic Prep Hockey League and in the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference. A win over the Falcons would provide a bit of fresh air while removing the frustration the student athletes are going through. A victory could springboard the team for the rest of the season, however, it will not be easy. Just because the Upper Montgomery roster looks good on paper, the team will need to rise to the challenge each week and grind out victories. The other programs in the Montgomery Hockey Conference and the private school teams on the Lightning’s schedule are not just going to allow Upper Montgomery to win. The team will have to earn everything. Upper Montgomery has fourteen varsity games remaining in the season so there is a long way to go before the county playoffs start.

Against the DC Stars several student athletes played much better than in the season opening game against Whitman. Ryan Jacobson played especially well moving back to play defense against the Stars. He also had the Lightning’s only goal in the game.

For Good Counsel, the game against Upper Montgomery is their season opener. The Falcons are looking to rebound from a tough 2022 – 2023 season where they finished with a 3-7 record. The Falcons offense was led by Michael Hilligoss who scored twelve goals in eight games, but he graduated high school last spring. Billy Harrison scored ten goals in ten games. Gavin Senko added six goals in ten games. Declan Gallagher and Nick Cubbage led Good Counsel in assists with eight and seven respectively.

In net for Upper Montgomery will be senior Landon Bernard looking to get back on the winning track after finishing last season so strongly. In net for Good Counsel is likely to be Grady Larrance. Larrance played in half the games last season for the Falcons, and he will be looking to improve statistically. Last season, the Good Counsel defense was shaky giving up five or more goals in eight of their ten contests.

For Upper Montgomery the game is critical to getting right mentally. The team needs to fight through the adversity it is facing at the beginning of the season. Earning a win against a private school team would be a welcome boost for morale. Simply put, the Lightning need to get their first win of the season. All games are winnable games for the Lightning, but only if Upper Montgomery plays as a team and plays the right way. The experienced student athletes need to lead by example and put the puck in the net.

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

The Upper Montgomery Lightning were not pleased with their performance this past Friday night in the 2023 – 2024 season opener against the Whitman Vikings. A tied game at the very end of the second period bottomed out after Whitman scored a goal with one second remaining in period to take the lead. It was the third consecutive season that the Lightning have dropped their season opener. Upper Montgomery will be looking to bounce back and get into the win column late this upcoming Friday evening against the DC Stars. Game time is set for 10:00 pm at Cabin John Ice Rink.

While disappointed with the outcome of the Whitman game, the team still has very high expectations for the season. Qualifying for the state playoffs for the first time in program history is still the goal for the Lightning. With an experienced roster dominated by seniors and juniors, the team remains primed to meet these high expectations. The humbling third period against Whitman should incentivize the Lightning. Just because the Upper Montgomery roster looks good on paper, the team will need to rise to the challenge each week and grind out victories. The other programs in the Montgomery Hockey Conference are not going to just allow Upper Montgomery to win. The team will have to earn everything.

The Lightning still reside fifth in the Montgomery Hockey Conference rankings. This is the highest ranking ever achieved by the program. The challenge that awaits the team is that the program will face off against all of the other top teams in the league. Friday’s game versus the DC Stars is no exception. This version of the DC Stars is much improved with an assortment of young talented student athletes.

The Upper Montgomery program has twelve skaters that are only eligible to play in varsity competition, many of whom also play on high level AA or AAA external travel hockey teams. Last season’s top four scorers return looking to propel the Lightning. Senior center and team co-captain Chris Hassett could qualify to be enshrined in the Maryland Scholastic Hockey League Hall of Fame with a big season. He is coming off of two straight seasons leading Upper Montgomery in scoring with 16 GP, 15 G, 19 A, 34 PTS last year and 15 GP, 17 G, 16 A, for 33 PTS during the 2021 – 2022 season. Joining Hassett on the top line will be fellow high octane scorer and Honorable Mention Division One Forward Nathan Cassel. Cassel, a junior, tallied 12 GP, 11 G, 14 A, for 25 PTS last season after tallying 12 GP, 11 G, 6 A for 17 PTS in his 9th grade season. Joining these two talented skaters will be sophomore winger Philip Shkeda, last season’s top 9th grade scorer. Shkeda had a point per game with 14 GP, 7 G, 7 A, for 14 PTS.

The second line is likely to have junior Ryan Jacobson 10 GP, 12 G, 4 A, for 16 PTS centering senior Brandon Bernard and junior Henry Honacki. Jacobson had five games last season with multiple goals. Bernard blew up last season as a junior 14 GP, 9 G, 6 A, for 15 PTS and will look to conclude his high school career with another monster offensive season. Honacki’s speed will complement these two experienced skaters and will help drive back the opposing defenses.

The third line will have rugged senior center Bradley Cupples 15 GP, 3 G, 10 A, for 13 PTS last season and 15 GP, 11 A during the 2021 – 2022 season centering senior Olivia Robbins. Robbins was selected and honored by the Washington Post as an All Metropolitan 2nd Team Girls forward last season, the first ever All MET selection in Upper Montgomery team history. She tallied 11 GP, 6 G, 5 A, for 11 PTS last season. The third line right wing will likely be a rotation of forwards vying for playing time or someone off the top two lines double shifting. Junior varsity student athletes will most certainly be called up to play in varsity games based upon the team’s needs, which members of the varsity are out-of-town with their external travel teams, and which student athletes are producing during the junior varsity games. Senior Adam Levine and Junior Josh Nadler both have served as depth forwards in prior seasons and should get first crack at filling the void.

The DC Stars will be led senior forward Eli Rubin 9 GP, 4 G, 1 A last season and juniors Ethan Howe, Reuven Magdar and Tom Quinn. All are good skaters and possess some offensive skill. Younger forwards Ian Cox, Kai Handy-Kanegis, and Patrick Kaufmann will provide depth, something that the DC Stars have not had for many years. The DC Stars played Walter Johnson tough last week and will look to follow up that performance with an eye opening victory over the Lightning.

On defense the Lightning will have top level talent. Senior co-captain Hunter Cameron 14 GP, 2 G, 7 A, 9 PTS last season (and both Upper Montgomery goals last week) is making the transition from forward to defense to anchor and provide stability on the back end. This week he will miss the high school game as he will be out-of-town with his external travel team. With Andrew Botti still out injured, his presence will be deeply missed this week. Cameron will forever be remembered for his game winning overtime goal in last season’s playoff matchup versus St. Johns helping the Lightning to their first every Division One playoff victory.

When he is in town, Cameron will likely be paired with either sophomore Owen Robbins or sophomore Brady Berkhammer, 14 GP, 6 A. Junior Andrew Botti 14 GP, 3 G, 5 A, 8 PTS was expected to anchor the other defensive pairing but was recently injured playing for his external travel team and will miss a significant portion of the season. Both Robbins and Berkhammer had excellent 9th grade seasons and will be counted on to take their games to another level this season. Defensive positions five and six will be a rotation all season long with Josh Nadler, Sean Levine, Jake Roth, Cole Howerton, and Miles Wendland each likely to receive an opportunity to earn shifts during varsity game action as well as several forwards who may drop back to play shifts on defense to help fill the void.

Most of the DC Stars upper level talent is on the defensive side. The DC Stars are similar to Whitman in this regard. Junior Leo Nyberg is the leader on the back line for the DC Stars. He is the DC Stars top returning scorer with 10 GP, 5 G, 3 A last season. He will be joined by senior Rodrigo Mattioli, brothers Jonathan and Benjamin Lust, and Fletcher Lyttleton all of whom will be tasked with shutting down the Lightning’s high octane offense.

In net for Upper Montgomery will be senior Landon Bernard looking to shake off last week’s third period and use last season’s exceptional playoff run as a springboard to dominate this season. Bernard’s individual statistics have improved each season, and he would like to add a varsity county championship to the junior varsity championship he backstopped two seasons ago. Last year, Bernard posted a strong regular season with a 3.65 GAA, and an .866 save percentage to go along with his 8-7-2 record. In the playoffs, he sparkled with a 0.98 GAA and a .966 save percentage. Bernard will be backed up by young but talented 9th grade netminder Ilan Shterenberg. Shterenberg has the technical skills to make the tough save look easy. He will gain valuable playing time this season as the only junior varsity netminder while also seeing some varsity game action. Shterenberg has a very bright future with the Lightning program and has won his first three junior varsity starts.

The DC Stars will play either sophomore Anton Tracy or sophomore Gabriel Sokol in net, or maybe both in a split game. Both netminders shared time in net last season for the DC Stars junior varsity team. Both goalies are big netminders and Upper Montgomery will need to get them to move laterally and open them up for pucks to get through. They will look imposing taking up a lot of the net. Deflections, rebounds, and greasy goals will be necessary to beat these hulking goalies.

In almost every game this season, the Upper Montgomery coaching staff will be forced to supplement the usual varsity squad with several student athletes called up from the junior varsity. This week, anticipate those lesser experienced skaters to receive more playing time as a way to balance out the line combinations. The depth of the Lightning’s roster will be tested but should be able to handle one or two student athletes missing a game here or there. Getting contributions from up and down the lineup will take pressure off the top two lines and allow them sufficient rest on the bench between shifts. If Upper Montgomery’s scoring is centralized amongst only a few skaters, the coaching staff will be forced to constantly rely on those few top end offensive skaters. This is not a recipe for success as their performance will deteriorate as the game progresses.

For Upper Montgomery it is a critical game. The Lightning need to get their first win of the season and rack up standing points in winnable games. The DC Stars game is a winnable game for the Lightning, but only if Upper Montgomery brings its domination mindset and plays a complete game.

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

The 2023 – 2024 high school ice hockey season has arrived. Friday, October 13th is opening night for the Upper Montgomery Lightning varsity. The Upper Montgomery program has very high expectations this season and is looking to build off of last season’s historic accomplishments. Qualifying for the state playoffs for the first time in program history is a realistic opportunity for the Lightning. With an experienced roster dominated by seniors and juniors, the team is primed to meet these high expectations.

The Lightning begin the season ranked fifth in the Montgomery Hockey Conference rankings. This is the highest ranking ever achieved by the program. The challenge that awaits the team is that the program will face off against all of the other top teams in the league. The season opening game is a massive contest versus the fourth ranked Whitman Vikings. It is not a stretch to believe that five teams are realistically competing for the four state playoff berths awarded to teams from the Montgomery Hockey Conference; Churchill, Walter Johnson, BCC, Whitman, and Upper Montgomery.

The Upper Montgomery program has twelve skaters that are only eligible to play in varsity competition, many of whom also play on high level AA or AAA external travel hockey teams. Last season’s top four scorers return looking to propel the Lightning. Senior center and team co-captain Chris Hassett could qualify to be enshrined in the Maryland Scholastic Hockey League Hall of Fame with a big season. He is coming off of two straight seasons leading Upper Montgomery in scoring with 16 GP, 15 G, 19 A, 34 PTS last year and 15 GP, 17 G, 16 A, for 33 PTS during the 2021 – 2022 season. Joining Hassett on the top line will be fellow high octane scorer and Honorable Mention Division One Forward Nathan Cassel. Cassel, a junior, tallied 12 GP, 11 G, 14 A, for 25 PTS last season after tallying 12 GP, 11 G, 6 A for 17 PTS in his 9th grade season. Joining these two talented skaters will be sophomore winger Philip Shkeda, last season’s top 9th grade scorer. Shkeda had a point per game with 14 GP, 7 G, 7 A, for 14 PTS.

The second line is likely to have junior Ryan Jacobson 10 GP, 12 G, 4 A, for 16 PTS centering senior Brandon Bernard and junior Henry Honacki. Jacobson had five games last season with multiple goals. Bernard blew up last season as a junior 14 GP, 9 G, 6 A, for 15 PTS and will look to conclude his high school career with another monster offensive season. Honacki’s speed will complement these two experienced skaters and will help drive back the opposing defenses.

The third line will have rugged senior center Bradley Cupples 15 GP, 3 G, 10 A, for 13 PTS last season and 15 GP, 11 A during the 2021 – 2022 season centering senior Olivia Robbins. Robbins was selected and honored by the Washington Post as an All Metropolitan 2nd Team Girls forward last season, the first ever All MET selection in Upper Montgomery team history. She tallied 11 GP, 6 G, 5 A, for 11 PTS last season. The third line right wing will likely be a rotation of forwards vying for playing time or someone off the top two lines double shifting. Junior varsity student athletes will most certainly be called up to play in varsity games based upon the team’s needs, which members of the varsity are out-of-town with their external travel teams, and which student athletes are producing during the junior varsity games. Senior Adam Levine and Junior Josh Nadler both have served as depth forward in prior seasons and should get first crack at filling the void.

Whitman will be led by two experienced forwards, Senior Andrew Fou, 15 GP, 10 G, 6A, 16 PTS, and Junior AA travel skater Charles Ingis, 14 GP, 9 G, 4 A, 13 PTS. Anticipate that Sammy Van Leeuwen, 15 GP, 7 G, 6A, 13 PTS, and Jacob Lerman 14 GP, 5 G, 4 A, 9 PTS will receive additional playing time this season. Fou’s speed will be noticeable all game long. He hurt the Lightning last season driving wide and scoring twice in Whitman’s 5-3 victory. This season Upper Montgomery has the last line change as the home team and will be strategically deploying the defense to stop Fou.

On defense the Lightning will have top level talent. Senior co-captain Hunter Cameron 14 GP, 2 G, 7 A, 9 PTS will make the transition from forward to defense to anchor and provide stability on the back end. He will forever be remembered for his game winning overtime goal in last season’s playoff matchup versus St. Johns helping the Lightning to their first every Division One playoff victory. Cameron will likely be paired with either sophomore Owen Robbins or sophomore Brady Berkhammer, 14 GP, 6 A. Junior Andrew Botti 14 GP, 3 G, 5 A, 8 PTS was expected to anchor the other defensive pairing but was recently injured playing for his external travel team and will miss a significant portion of the season. Both Robbins and Berkhammer had excellent 9th grade seasons and will be counted on to take their games to another level this season. Defensive positions five and six will be a rotation all season long with Josh Nadler, Sean Levine, Jake Roth, Cole Howerton, and Miles Wendland each likely to receive an opportunity to earn shifts during varsity game action as well as several forwards who may drop back to play shifts on defense to help fill the void.

Whitman plays a very structured and defensive system. They are very difficult to score against giving up only 30 goals in 12 league games last season, an average of just 2.50 goals per game. Many of their high end travel skaters play defense led by senior Rowan Miller, 18U AA, juniors Morrison Cohen, 16U AA, and Zach Krause, 16U AA, and sophomore Benjamin Luo, 16U AA. Young 9th grade defender Steven Mah is an up and coming defender who will likely see game action on Friday night.

In net for Upper Montgomery senior Landon Bernard returns looking to use last season’s exceptional playoff run as a springboard to dominate this season. Bernard’s individual statistics have improved each season, and he would like to add a varsity county championship to the junior varsity championship he backstopped two seasons ago. Last year, Bernard posted a strong regular season with a 3.65 GAA, and an .866 save percentage to go along with his 8-7-2 record. In the playoffs, he sparkled with a 0.98 GAA and a .966 save percentage. Bernard will be backed up by young but talented 9th grade netminder Ilan Shterenberg. Shterenberg has the technical skills to make the tough save look easy. He will gain valuable playing time this season as the only junior varsity netminder while also seeing some varsity game action. Shterenberg has a very bright future with the Lightning program.

Whitman will play senior Ryan Graf in net. He is a very capable netminder who had a 2.58 goals against average and .899 save percentage last season. With last year’s netminding partner Reed Crichton having graduated, expect Graf to play every varsity game this season for the Vikings. He is a technically sound netminder who will keep the Vikings in every game.

The Upper Montgomery coaching staff will be supplementing the varsity squad with several student athletes that have thus far historically played the majority of their high school hockey career at the junior varsity level. Look for the game day roster to include several new faces called up from the junior varsity. Anticipate the roster to fluctuate all season long primarily based upon which student athletes are healthy scratches when they are out of state with their external travel teams. The depth of the Lightning’s roster will be tested but should be able to handle one or two student athletes missing a game here or there.

It all starts on Friday evening. The season begins now….

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

The 2023 – 2024 high school ice hockey season has arrived. Friday, October 6 is the opening game for the Upper Montgomery junior varsity, followed by the Upper Montgomery varsity opening the season a week later on Friday, October 13. The Upper Montgomery program has very high expectations this season and is looking to build off of last season’s historic accomplishments. Qualifying for the state playoffs for the first time in program history is a realistic opportunity for the Lightning. If the team is successful in making the state playoff tournament, all of the Lightning supporters are invited to the end of season team celebration.

With an experienced roster dominated by seniors and juniors, the team is primed to meet these high expectations. The Lightning begin the season ranked fifth in the Montgomery Hockey Conference rankings. This is the highest ranking ever achieved by the program. The challenge that awaits the team is that the program will face off against all of the top teams in the league. The season opening game is a massive contest versus the fourth ranked Whitman Vikings. Winnable games against the DC Stars and Sherwood are followed by a gauntlet of games. First versus third ranked BCC and followed by a massive contest against second ranked Walter Johnson. Then, a rematch of last season’s quarterfinal round county playoff game–with the winner advancing to the state championship playoffs—awaits against perennial powerhouse and numerous state champion top ranked Churchill.

It is not a stretch to believe that five teams are realistically competing for the four state playoff berths awarded to teams from the Montgomery Hockey Conference; Churchill, Walter Johnson, BCC, Whitman, and Upper Montgomery. Longer odds face Wootton and Sherwood, and it would take an upset for a team like Richard Montgomery, DC Stars, Rockville, or Churchill 2 to qualify for the state playoffs. Northwest and Blair are seeking to build back up to contender status.

The Upper Montgomery program has twelve skaters that are only eligible to play in varsity competition, many of whom also play on high level AA or AAA external travel hockey teams. Last season’s top four scorers return looking to propel the Lightning. Senior center and team co-captain Chris Hassett could qualify to be enshrined in the Maryland Scholastic Hockey League Hall of Fame with a big season. He is coming off of two straight seasons leading Upper Montgomery in scoring with 16 GP, 15 G, 19 A, 34 PTS last year and 15 GP, 17 G, 16 A, for 33 PTS during the 2021 – 2022 season. Joining Hassett on the top line will be fellow high octane scorer and Honorable Mention Division One Forward Nathan Cassel. Cassel, a junior, tallied 12 GP, 11 G, 14 A, for 25 PTS last season after tallying 12 GP, 11 G, 6 A for 17 PTS in his 9th grade season. Joining these two talented skaters will be sophomore winger Philip Shkeda, last season’s top 9th grade scorer. Shkeka had a point per game with 14 GP, 7 G, 7 A, for 14 PTS.

The second line is likely to have junior Ryan Jacobson 10 GP, 12 G, 4 A, for 16 PTS centering senior Brandon Bernard and junior Henry Honacki. Jacobson had five games last season with multiple goals. Bernard blew up last season as a junior 14 GP, 9 G, 6 A, for 15 PTS and will look to conclude his high school career with another monster offensive season. Honacki’s speed will complement these two experienced skaters and will help drive back the opposing defenses.

The third line will have rugged senior center Bradley Cupples 15 GP, 3 G, 10 A, for 13 PTS last season and 15 GP, 11 A during the 2021 – 2022 season centering senior Olivia Robbins. Robbins was selected and honored by the Washington Post as an All Metropolitan 2nd Team Girls forward last season, the first ever All MET selection in Upper Montgomery team history. She tallied 11 GP, 6 G, 5 A, for 11 PTS last season. The third line right wing will likely be a rotation of forwards vying for playing time or someone off the top two lines double shifting. Junior varsity student athletes will most certainly be called up to play in varsity games based upon the teams needs, which members of the varsity are out-of-town with their external travel teams, and which student athletes are producing during the junior varsity games. Senior Adam Levine and Junior Josh Nadler both have served as depth forward in prior seasons and should get first crack at filling the void.

On defense the Lightning will have top level talent. Senior co-captain Hunter Cameron 14 GP, 2 G, 7 A, 9 PTS will make the transition from forward to defense to anchor and provide stability on the back end. He will forever be remembered for his game winning overtime goal in last season’s playoff matchup versus St. Johns helping the Lightning to their first every Division One playoff victory. Cameron will likely be paired with either sophomore Owen Robbins or sophomore Brady Berkhammer, 14 GP, 6 A. Junior Andrew Botti 14 GP, 3 G, 5 A, 8 PTS will anchor the other defensive pairing and will play heavy minutes all season long. Both Robbins and Berkhammer had excellent 9th grade seasons and will be counted on to take their games to another level this season. Defensive positions five and six will be a rotation all season long with Josh Nadler, Sean Levine, Jake Roth, Cole Howerton, and Miles Wendland each likely to receive an opportunity to earn shifts during varsity game action.

In net, senior Landon Bernard returns looking to use last season’s exceptional playoff run as a springboard to dominate this season. Bernard’s individual statistics have improved each season, and he would like to add a varsity county championship to the junior varsity championship he backstopped two seasons ago. Last year, Bernard posted a strong regular season with a 3.65 GAA, and an .866 save percentage to go along with his 8-7-2 record. In the playoffs, he sparkled with a 0.98 GAA and a .966 save percentage. Bernard will be backed up by young but talented 9th grade netminder Ilan Shterenberg. Shterenberg has the technical skills to make the tough save look easy. He will gain valuable playing time this season as the only junior varsity netminder while also seeing some varsity game action. Shterenberg has a very bright future with the Lightning program.

The coaching staff will be supplementing the varsity squad with student athletes that have thus far historically played the majority of their high school hockey career at the junior varsity level. Look for the game day roster to fluctuate all season long primarily based upon which student athletes are healthy scratches when they are out of state with their external travel teams. The depth of the Lightning’s roster is finally able to handle one or two student athletes missing a game here or there.

The junior varsity season starts on Friday evening with a rematch of last season’s junior varsity playoff quarterfinal. Upper Montgomery will face the Whitman Vikings. The junior varsity will have fourteen skaters and incoming 9th grade netminder Ilan Shterenberg handling the goaltending duties. The team should be much better than last year’s junior varsity squad as there is a significant amount of experience returning on defense. The junior varsity games may be lower scoring than last season as the team uses its defensive strength to focus on preventing the opposition from scoring. The big change in the junior varsity season will be the additional length of the periods, now fifteen minutes up from twelve minute periods that had been played in previous seasons. There will also be several evening junior varsity games scheduled throughout the season.

As mentioned, Shterenberg will handle the netminding duties for the entire season. His play in net will ultimately determine how successful the team is and how far the Lightning junior varsity advances in the junior varsity county playoffs. He has the talent and ability to be a difference maker.

On defense the Lightning will have several experienced defenders and two promising 9th grade student athletes. Seniors Sean Levine 9 GP, 2 G, 2 A and Jake Roth will both see extensive action. Offensive minded defender Cole Howerton 11 GP, 2 G, 4 A, 6 PTS will regularly join the rush looking to use his speed and shot to help deliver offensive firepower. He is likely going to be paired with hulking defensive defender Patrick Sell. Sell’s focus is on using his size and reach to upset the offensive rushes of the opposition. He chipped in with two goals last season, but his value is on the defensive side of the ice and penalty killing duties. Incoming defenders Miles Wendland and Avery Evans both play upper level travel hockey. They both need some seasoning learning how to play high school hockey against older competition. This season will go a long way in their development as both will be integral components of the team moving forward over the next four seasons.

Offensively, it is a mixed bag. Some games it is anticipated that the squad will generate offensive much more capably than last season. Other games, it might still be extremely difficult to mount much of an attack. Up front junior varsity co-captains Josh Nadler 9 GP, 4 G, 1 A, 5 PTS and senior Adam Levine 11 GP, 3 G, 4 A, 7 PTS will look to use last season playing together as a springboard to produce more offensively this season. Junior TJ Gottesman will look to improve on last season statistically 8 GP, 4 G, 9 A for 13 PTS, and be more consistent throughout the season. He is a big hitter and the coaching staff will be looking for that aggression and toughness again this season. AJ Marks will begin his second season with the Lightning. He has a big shot, but needs to hit the net more frequently to add to the two goals he scored last season. Incoming 9th grader Aiden Zheng will get every opportunity to receive top line game action. His speed has the chance to open up the game and stretch the ice. The coaching staff will be working with Aiden all season long on growing the defensive side of his game. Jason Woodman’s enthusiasm and effort will be useful all season. He chipped in with two goals a year ago, and if he can extend his scoring by even just a little bit, that will go a long way. The Schickler brothers will see more extensive playing time after the high school football season ends, but both Behr on defense and Jackson on offense will help provide balance to the forward lines.

The season begins now….

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