Earlier this month, the Upper Montgomery Lightning held its annual year-end team celebration. The 2025-2026 Lightning varsity squad once again advanced to within one game of making the Maryland Student Hockey League (MSHL) state playoffs. This is the third time in the last four seasons that the program advanced to the quarterfinals of the Montgomery Hockey Conference (MHC) playoffs. The winners of the MHC quarterfinal games automatically advance to the MSHL state tournament. The Lightning junior varsity squad advanced to the semifinals of the MHC junior varsity playoff tournament. It is the second consecutive season in which the junior varsity has lost a very close game in the semifinals.
The year-end team celebration was also a chance to honor the graduating seniors of the program:
Jason Woodman—Heading to Mississippi State to study in their renowned wildlife and fisheries program.
Owen Robbins—Heading to play junior hockey for the Connecticut Nor’Easter in the Eastern Hockey League while continuing his studies as a mathematics major at Montgomery College.
Brady Berkhammer—Heading to Montgomery College in the fall.
Philip Shkeda—Heading to Ohio State to study Industrial Engineering.
The program also honored several student-athletes for their individual performances this past season.
Seventeen of the twenty-four student-athletes received academic achievement awards from the MSHL.
Ilan Shterenberg—Voted by the other coaches in the MHC as Honorable Mention Division 2 goalie.
Tima Zamaray—Received the Junior Varsity Rocket Richard Award for most goals with 11. Received the Junior Varsity Art Ross Award for most points with 14.
Matt Rivera—Set a junior varsity playoff record for goals in a game with four. Tied the junior varsity program record for points in a playoff game with four. Set the junior varsity program record for goals by a defender in a season with eight. Set the junior varsity program record for points in a season by a defender with twelve.
Miles Gleason—Named to the First Team Division Two All-Conference Team as a forward. Received the Varsity Rocket Richard Award for most goals with 17.
Owen Robbins—Named to the First Team Division Two All-Conference Team as a forward.
Jason Woodman—Awarded the UML 2025/2026 season Hobey Baker Award.
Brady Berkhammer—Named to the First Team Division Two All-Conference Team as a defender. Also named to the First Team MHC All-Conference Team as a defender. Named to the Second Team MSHL All-State Team, becoming the first Upper Montgomery student-athlete to earn all-state honors in six seasons.
This season Brady’s individual statistics at the state level—Third in Goals, Assists, and Points. Inside of MHC, for defenders tied for first in goals, first in assists, and first in points. For all skaters, Brady was tied for fourth in goals with 14, first in assists with 17, and second in points with 31. Brady’s career statistics: 64 Varsity Games, 19 Goals, and 50 Assists. His 50th career assist, on Miles Gleason’s powerplay goal against Whitman in the playoffs, guaranteed Brady’s automatic induction into the MSHL Hockey Hall of Fame. Brady received the Varsity Art Ross Award for most points with 31.
#UML, #Bleed Green, #Go Bolts!