The Thanksgiving holiday break signifies the mid-point of the high school hockey season. For the Upper Montgomery Lightning getting into the second half of the season can’t arrive soon enough. Both the varsity and junior varsity have struggled at the start of the season with matching 1-5 records. The Upper Montgomery varsity opened the season with an 8-0 shutout of the DC Stars, had a big lead against the Silver Spring Blazers entering the third period in week two, and then have played very few good periods of hockey since. The defense first mindset disappeared with the teams unexpected explosion of goals five periods into the season. The varsity lineup has had zero semblance of consistency on a week to week basis. Three long term injuries combined with constant lineup juggling when highly talented members of the team have been of town with their external travel teams has crippled the anticipated varsity roster.
Offensively, when playing with the expected lineup, the team has received several standout performances. The Lightning’s leading defensive (and overall) scorer, senior 18U AA Brady Berkhammer has been awesome so far this season, (6GP, 7G, 11A). He is tied for the county lead in scoring with 18 points. He is by far the leading defensive scorer, six points clear of the closest defensive scorer in the county. He is the leading defensive scorer for all of the Maryland Student Hockey League. Upper Montgomery’s top line of senior 18U AAA center, and team captain, Owen Robbins (3GP, 2G, 7A), flanked by fellow senior and last season’s leading scorer Philip Shkeda (4GP, 6G, 4A), paired with ninth grade 16U AA Miles Gleason (3GP, 9G, 3A) have been DOMINANT. Unfortunately, the trio has played together only twice this season. Robbins has missed half of the initial portion of the season with his external travel team. Shkeda is still out for the next month or so with an upper body injury. The good news is that Gleason is expected to return this week from his own recent month long absence due to a medical issue. Outside of junior 16U Upper A forward Aiden Zheng (5GP, 2G, 3A), the younger student and depth skaters have not been able to contribute offensively.
On defense, several younger students have played meaningful minutes alongside Berkhammer and junior 16U Upper A Miles Wendland. This experience will help in future seasons, but the young defenders are at a size and speed disadvantage currently. This may be one of the reasons that the team’s penalty kill has been abominable. Upper Montgomery has successfully killed off three powerplays during the opening six games while giving up five powerplay markers to the opponents.
Upper Montgomery’s primary goaltender junior 16U AAA Ilan Shterenberg pitched a 25 save shutout in the season opener. Overall, he has a .900 save percentage and a 3.56 goals against average. When he has been out of town with his external travel team, the Lightning’s younger netminders have stepped in. The defense in front of them has been porous as Upper Montgomery has given up the most goals in the county through the first half of the season. Since the opening night shutout, goals scored against the Lightning each game have been eight, nine, six, nine, and seven. The number of breakaways given up has been astonishing. Then, when the defense plays well for a long stretch during a game, weak goals have gone in past the Lightning’s quartet of goalies.
With rematches to come against teams Upper Montgomery has faced during the first half of the season, the Lightning will be looking to change their fortune. The only way to accomplish a season turnaround is on the defensive side of the ice. The team must be committed defensively and stick to the team’s systems. The Lightning must suffocate the game and play very physical against high powered offensive skaters. The goaltending also needs to be better. There have been several games recently when a soft goal or two against has deflated the team and sucked the energy out of a comeback rally. Most of the Lightning’s game will come down to which team is better in their own defensive end of the ice. Will the Lightning skaters show the urgency necessary to limit and contain the opponents, or will the team allow skater to float all over the ice unencumbered. There was too much watching and swiping at pucks during the first half of the season rather than hard nosed aggressive physical play.
The Lightning junior varsity has done a pretty good job of adhering to the team’s systems. The challenge at the junior varsity level has been that the young Lightning are playing with eight incoming ninth graders. These young students are learning how to play at the high school level where the competition is much more advanced than at the youth hockey level. So, plays that used to work for these students are counteracted at the higher level of play. The junior varsity’s schedule has been very difficult. The team has been competitive against the best teams in the county losing by close margins to the top ranked teams, and playing with these top teams for much of the games.
Offensively, the team is led in scoring by ninth grade forward Tima Zamaray (6GP, 4G, 3A). Junior Mason Jagoz had a hat-trick in the team’s win against the DC Stars and is tied for the team lead in goals (6GP, 4G, 1A). From the defensive side of the ice, sophomore Matt Rivera has flourished offensive as he has gained confidence in his second season. He has scored on three end-to-end rushes over the first six games of the season. The team has picked up some additional depth scoring from Wyatt Ostrander, Max Israfilbek, and Jason Woodman. Zamaray, Ostrander, ninth grade defender Lenny Roth, and sophomore goaltender Porter Stutsrim-Lyons (skating out) have each scored their first career high school goals.
The young defenders, Dylan Kim and Lenny Roth have come a very long way from the summer off-ice workouts. They have adapted quickly to how they have to play at this level to be successful. Due to the weekly varsity lineup shuffling, each has played some unanticipated games with the varsity this season. Junior Max Curtusan has laid the body well and has improved significantly from last season.
In goal, the Lightning’s three goalies have each played in games this year. Stutsrim Lyons has the most experience and it has shown as he has a .926 save percentage and a 2.52 goals against average. Both Stephen Rickman and George Schickler have bright futures. To gain extra experience they have been staffing the Walter Johnson junior varsity games as the Wildcats do not have a junior varsity eligible goaltender.
The first half of the 2025 – 2026 season has been one of growth and development for the green and gold’s younger student athletes. It is now time for the students to parlay the learning and development into substantive results during the second half of the season. How quickly the team develops the defensive habits and edge necessary to lead the program forward will determine if the Lightning can again challenge the upper echelon teams in the county. Or, is the team simply too young to compete right now this season. The squad’s performance leading up to the December holiday break will tell us a lot.
#Second Half Wins, #UML, #Bleed Green, #Go Bolts!