The Upper Montgomery Lightning entered Friday night’s contest against Richard Montgomery on a two game losing streak. The team knew they needed to bear down and play much better. A connected team effort in all three zones was necessary to prevail against an offensively talented by struggling Rockets squad. Upper Montgomery largely succeeded getting contributions from up and down the lineup to throttle the Rockets by a score of 7-4. Lightning junior center Owen Robbins stole the show by scoring four goals and adding an assist propelling Upper Montgomery to victory.
The win advanced Upper Montgomery’s record in conference play to 3-1-1, and concluded play against the other teams in division two of the Montgomery Hockey Conference right in the thick of the conference standings. Gaining the sixth seed in the year end conference rankings would guarantee that the Lightning would miss playing the top two teams in the county (Walter Johnson and Whitman) during the season ending playoff tournament. Likely, a key second half of the season matchup between Rockville / Magruder and Upper Montgomery will determine which squad finishes in sixth place and which squad finishes in seventh place.
The game started off very shaky for Upper Montgomery. Most of the opening four minutes of play was confined to the Upper Montgomery defensive zone. The Richard Montgomery offensive pressure paid off as the Rockets got on the scoreboard first. A poor clear by the Lightning defense was kept in at the right point by Rockets defender Franklin Karton. Karton sent the puck diagonally across the ice to the left corner where it was corralled by Richard Montgomery forward Connor Rosier. Rosier skated up the left wing boards and flipped the puck back over to Karton at the right point. Karton fired a wrist shot at the net through several skaters bodies and legs. Upper Montgomery sophomore goalie Ilan Shterenberg made the save on Karton’s shot with the rebound caroming out to the right side of the net at a forty five degree angle. Rosier was standing right where the rebound shot out and he was able to deposit the rebound past Shterenberg’s blocker side before the Lightning goalie could slide over to make the save.
The Rockets lead would last all of sixteen seconds. Off the ensuing faceoff at center ice Richard Montgomery controlled the puck in the Upper Montgomery defensive zone. Lightning sophomore forward Jake Hudson chased down the zone entry from behind. After controlling the puck, Hudson skated up the right wing boards fighting through a body check and out of his defensive end. At center ice he fired a pass up to Robbins near the Richard Montgomery defensive blue line. Robbins then sent a cross ice pass over to Hudson’s younger brother, ninth grade forward Luke Hudson entering the offensive zone in on a two on one rush with Robbins. Luke Hudson made an immediate and gorgeous one touch return pass to Robbins on the right wing. Robbins unleashed a snap shot low along the ice, short side just inside the right goal post. Richard Montgomery netminder Blake Schoenebeck never had a chance to come back across the net. The primary assist was Luke Hudson’s first career varsity point.
Halfway through the opening period Upper Montgomery would surge to the lead. From the right point Rockets defender Samir Wang fired a shot wide of the net. The puck was kept in at the left point by Wang’s defensive partner Ryan Jones. Jones’ shot was blocked by Upper Montgomery senior defender Cole Howerton–who played the best game of his Lightning career. Howerton’s defensive partner ninth grade defender Lillian Robbins took possession of the puck behind the Lightning net. She sent the puck up the left wing boards to Upper Montgomery junior forward Philip Shkeda. Shkeda skated the puck out of the defensive zone before sending a cross ice pass to Lightning sophomore forward Aiden Zheng on the right wing. Zheng skated the puck from the red line into the Upper Montgomery offensive zone. From between the top of the right faceoff circle and the blue line he uncorked a wrist shot that went high glove side on Schoenebeck. The puck sizzled past Schoenbeck’s glove before hitting the bottom of the crossbar and deflecting down into the back of the net to put the Lightning in front 2-1.
With five minutes remaining in the first period the Rockets struck back to tie the game at two. Upper Montgomery cleared the defensive zone. Richard Montgomery’s most explosive skater, senior 18U AA center Tom Stone gained possession of the puck inside his own defensive blue line. He sent a cross ice pass to the left wing to Rockets forward Caleb Liu. Upper Montgomery’s defense stood up the play at the blue line separating Liu from the puck. The puck slid over to Richard Montgomery forward Connor Myers who skated into the left faceoff circle. From the faceoff dot he cut to the inside. At the inside edge of the left faceoff circle he fired back across where he had come from. The puck rose to mid goal height and drifted past Shterenberg’s blocker.
With a minute remaining in the opening period Robbins’ second goal of the game provided the Lightning with a 3-2 lead entering the first intermission. Back pressure by Zheng caused a turnover. Robbins, who was jumping onto the ice from the bench during a line change, grabbed the puck in the neutral zone. He skated up ice on the right wing into the offensive zone. From the top of the right faceoff circle, while falling away from the net, Robbins fired a wrist shot that went far side past Schoenebeck’s blocker. It was a perfectly placed shot that snuck just inside the left goal post above the goalie’s right leg pad and below his blocker.
The evenly played period concluded without either team having a powerplay opportunity. Shots on goal were Richard Montgomery with ten and Upper Montgomery with nine. The up and down the ice period was high scoring and very entertaining for the spectators. However, Upper Montgomery’s coaching staff was not pleased with the loosey goosey style of play which allowed Richard Montgomery to have too much time and space in the offensive zone.
Right off the jump in the second period, Upper Montgomery responded to the coaches messaging during the first intermission. A Richard Montgomery forward wiped out in his offensive zone under intense Upper Montgomery defensive pressure. From the right defensive corner Lillian Robbins sent the puck up the right wing boards to Jake Hudson on the half wall. Hudson turned and whipped an outlet pass hitting Shkeda in stride down the left wing side of the ice. Shkeda carried the puck into the offensive zone. His slinging wrist shot from the left faceoff circle went high across the goal to the far side past Schoenebeck’s glove and into the top right corner of the net.
Three minutes later Shkeda would score his second goal of the evening and fourth goal of the season to extend the Lightning’s lead to 5-2 and give the team a bit of breathing room. A Richard Montgomery shot from the right point was blocked by Owen Robbins. Robbins then chipped the puck high off the glass from his defensive zone into neutral ice. Robbins charged after the puck in the neutral zone and arrived just ahead of the Richard Montgomery defender. He poked the puck forward up ice to Shkeda. Shkeda stickhandled around the Rockets defense coming over to the right side of the ice before cutting wide around the backchecking Rockets. As he cleared the Rockets defenders, Shkeda cut toward the net. Shkeda was patient with the puck coming past Schoenebeck from right to left while Schoenebeck reached forward to try and grab the puck. With the puck on his forehand and clear of the netminder, Shkeda fired a lofting shot into the back of the net past the prone goalie’s stick hand side and blocker.
Halfway through the middle period Karton was called for a hooking penalty putting Upper Montgomery on the powerplay for the first time. The Lightning entered the offensive zone with puck possession with Zheng taking the puck wide on the right wing side of the ice. As he took the puck towards the net a scramble ensued with skaters from each team attempting to gain control of the loose puck. Eventually, Shkeda gained control of the puck in the left corner. He sent a backhand pass to Lightning junior defender Brady Berkhammer at the left point. Berkhammer steadied the puck and settled down play. He then sent a defense to defense pass to Owen Robbins at the right point. Robbins was deployed as one of the defenders with the Lightning on the powerplay. His long range wrist shot to the left side of the net went past a screened Schoenebeck to his stick and blocker side. It was Robbins third goal of the game and second hat-trick of the season. The marker was also his team leading sixth goal of the season.
With two minutes remaining in the period Lightning senior center Henry Honacki and Richard Montgomery senior forward Lester Benitez got tangled up. Benitez muscled up Honacki who cross checked him back in response. Both seniors were shown to the penalty box with Richard Montgomery’s frustration beginning to show trailing by a score of 6-2. The dust up did energize the Rockets who scored a minute later to cut the lead to 6-3 heading into the third period.
From an Upper Montgomery shot that was semi-blocked, Stone gathered the puck in his defensive zone. He skated by himself out through the neutral zone and down the right side of the ice into the Upper Montgomery defensive zone. His wrist shot from the right faceoff circle went high over Shterenberg’s blocker into the top left corner of the net for the unassisted goal. Shots on goal in the second period were even once again with Richard Montgomery sending ten pucks at Shterenberg and Upper Montgomery putting eleven shots on Schoenebeck. After two periods of play, each team stood at twenty shots on goal.
Over the third period Upper Montgomery sat back to defend their three goal margin. Five minutes into the period Owen Robbins connected for his team leading seventh goal of the season and fourth goal of the night. Jake Hudson and Owen Robbins teamed up to steal the puck in the neutral zone. Robbins passed the puck to Shkeda on the left wing entering the offensive zone. From the faceoff dot in the left faceoff circle Shkeda sent a wrist shot wide of the goal short side. Jake Hudson got to the puck first on the right side of the ice near the right corner. He sent the puck back from where it came behind the net from right to left. Shkeda coming out of the left corner behind the net had the puck explode off his stick directly back to Hudson. Hudson then returned the puck to Shkeda now in the right corner. Shkeda sent a return pass to Hudson along the right wing half wall. Hudson continued the play sending the puck back to the right point to Lillian Robbins. Her shot from the point was blocked by the on rushing Richard Montgomery forward. Owen Robbins gathered the loose puck and fired an off balance shot high over Schoenebeck’s blocker.
Up 7-3 with ten minutes remaining in the game Upper Montgomery went into somewhat of a defensive shell. This allowed Richard Montgomery to have more offensive zone time. It also resulted in the Rockets outshooting the Lightning by a fifteen to seven margin in the final period. Upper Montgomery’s defense held strong until there were just under three minutes remaining in the game. Rockets defender Wang sent an outlet pass from the right wing of his defensive zone to Rosier just outside the blue line. Rosier skated down the middle of the ice to the Upper Montgomery defensive blue line where Upper Montgomery defenders, senior Patrick Sell and Lillian Robbins interrupted Rosier’s rush up ice. While falling down, Rosier collected the puck in the right faceoff circle. He mustered a weak wrist shot high towards the net. The puck bounced off of Shterenberg’s glove, flittered up over the goalie and bounded into the net. It was fortunate for the Lightning that they had a four goal lead when the weak goal was allowed.
The bad break did not deter the Lightning who continued to play sound defensively. The final three minutes ticked away with Upper Montgomery thwarting the Rockets even when Upper Montgomery senior forward Josh Nadler took at interference penalty in the final minute clearing out a Rockets forward in front of the net. The Lightning now have a little time to appreciate the victory over the Rockets as a rematch against arch rival Wootton is on the horizon in two weeks. Wootton will be looking for revenge after a close game against the Lightning earlier this season and three consecutive Upper Montgomery victories over the past two seasons.
Game Notes:
- Richard Montgomery outshot Upper Montgomery by a 35-28 margin.
- Upper Montgomery junior center Owen Robbins scored a career high four goals and added an assist for a career high five point game.
- Lightning junior forward Philip Shkeda had his second four point game of the season with two goals and two assists.
- Lightning ninth grade defender Lillian Robbins had her first career multi point varsity game with a career high three assists.
- Upper Montgomery forward Jake Hudson had a career high three assist game as well.
- Upper Montgomery ninth grade defender Luke Hudson notched his first career varsity point with a pretty assist on Robbins’ first goal.
- High scoring Richard Montgomery forward Lester Benitez returned to the Rockets lineup after missing the early portion of the season.
- Upper Montgomery returns to action after a week off to face arch rival Wootton. The game will be a rematch of the team’s recent contest won by the Patriots 3-1. Upper Montgomery played well and held Wootton to just three goals which was nine goals below their season average. Game time is 9:00 pm on Friday, November 22nd at Rockville Ice Arena.
Three Stars of the Game:
First Star—Owen Robbins—Upper Montgomery Center—4 Goals, 1 Assist
Second Star—Philip Shkeda—Upper Montgomery Forward—2 Goals, 2 Assists
Third Star—Cole Howerton–Upper Montgomery Defense