The Upper Montgomery Lightning varsity squad was anticipated to have a hard time scoring goals this season. With a roster littered with students that had not played meaningful minutes on the varsity team, the preseason poll had Upper Montgomery ranked eleventh out of the twelve teams in Montgomery County. The coaching staff changed the Lightning’s playing style to account for the team’s lack of experience. Upper Montgomery was going to have to play a more physical defensive style to remain competitive in games. Well, the program could not have asked for more in their season opener Friday evening against the DC Stars. It was a treat for both teams to play at the Medstar Iceplex (home of the Washington Capitals practice facility). Behind their top offensive line, the Lightning obliterated the DC Stars 8-0 in a game that was more lopsided than the final score indicates.
Honestly, the Lightning coaching staff had no idea what to expect of the team entering the game against the ninth ranked Stars. A dominant first two periods left the coaching staff uncertain of what this year’s Lightning could achieve. A four goal first period outburst gave notice to the rest of the county that Upper Montgomery needed to be taken seriously. The Lightning were going to be much better than the second to last ranked team.
Concluding the initial shift of the game, Lightning ninth grade forward Miles Gleason scored his first career high school goal. The play started with the DC Stars dumping the puck deep into the Upper Montgomery defensive zone. Junior goalie Ilan Shterenberg stopped the puck behind his own net before he handed the puck to senior defender Brady Berkhammer. Berkhammer continued to the right behind his own net before pivoting back to his left. He rushed up the left wing boards out of the Lightning defensive zone through neutral ice continuing down the boards into the DC Stars defensive zone. At the bottom of the left faceoff circle he sent a pass across the goal mouth toward Gleason cutting down the slot. Gleason fought through a Stars defender’s stick check banging in the pass past DC Stars backup goaltender Gabriel Sokol, a surprise starter in net for Lightning nemesis Anton Tracy.
Two and a half minutes later Gleason made it two for two. The Stars cleared their defensive zone carrying the puck into the Upper Montgomery defensive zone where they lost control of the puck in the right defensive corner. A Stars forward carried the puck around the back of the Lightning net toward the left corner where he was harassed by Upper Montgomery senior forward Philip Shkeda. Shkeda’s persistence on defense led to a turnover up the left wing boards. Lightning captain, senior center Owen Robbins gathered the puck feathering a beautiful bank pass up the left wing boards out of the defensive zone. Gleason used his speed to skate in from the right wing past all of the Stars defenders to collect the puck in the left faceoff circle in the Stars defensive zone. Gleason cut in on Sokol shooting low, far side past Sokol’s glove hand to extend the Lightning lead to 2-0.
After the two quick goals, the Stars were shell shocked. They played much more conservatively over the next eight minutes of game time. It still didn’t slow down Upper Montgomery as the top line, with Berkhammer’s contributions from the back end, flew into the offensive zone every shift. The only saving grace for the Stars was that many of the Lightning’s shots just missed the net high or wide, or on a few occasions, wide open empty net chances were thwarted by passes that just missed the mark by a fraction.
With two and a half minutes remaining in the opening period, Upper Montgomery tallied again. The Stars defense reversed the puck in the left corner of their own defensive end managing to get the puck out to neutral ice. Lightning junior defender Miles Wendland gathered the puck in the neutral zone where he made a swift pass up to Robbins who was standing at center ice. Robbins deflected the puck off of his backhand deep into the Stars defensive end down the left wing boards. The puck spun all the way behind the Stars net where in error the Stars defense sent an attempted outlet pass directly to Robbins in the bottom of the left faceoff circle. Robbins fired a quick snap shot at Sokol. His shot was stopped by Shkeda in the slot, with the forward sending a spinning backhand shot past Sokol for his initial goal of the evening and season.
The Lightning were not done. With less than thirty seconds remaining in the first period the score bulged to 4-0. From a faceoff in the right faceoff circle in the offensive zone, Robbins won the draw to the right wing boards. A corner battle ensued where the Stars fired the puck to the right point where Robbins’ younger sister sophomore defender Lillian Robbins kept the puck in the offensive zone. Her shot sailed wide of the net caroming around to the Wendland at the left point. Wendland’s shot was blocked by the Stars defensive just outside the crease. Owen Robbins smacked the puck toward the goal were Sokol made a save with the puck returning to Robbins. He carried the puck around the net from left to right. Clearing the right goal post he centered the puck off of his backhand for Gleason in the slot. The pass banged off of Gleason’s legs toward the net where it eluded Sokol. Gleason’s first period hat-trick sent the teams to intermission with the Stars reeling, not knowing what ran through them over the opening fifteen minutes of action.
The second period was a repeat of the first fifteen minutes. A minute and a half into the second period, the score became 5-0. Shkeda carried the puck down the right wing into the Stars defensive zone. He layered the puck to Owen Robbins behind the net. Robbins took the puck out the right side where he reversed the puck back to Shkeda. While the DC Stars were puck watching, Shkeda had stepped out from behind the goal line right in front of the net. Shkeda’s backhand shot was blocked by the Stars defense. Gleason corralled the puck in the left faceoff circle. He dumped the puck down low to Berkhammer who had skated in from his left defensive position to support the play. Berkhammer had the puck below the goal line in the right corner. He took the puck behind the net to the left, then reversed and returned to the right where he sent a saucer pass over a Stars defender’s stick to Gleason still in the left faceoff circle. Gleason swung the puck across the ice to Robbins covering at the right point. Robbins’ shot through traffic hit pay dirt as it whizzed past Sokol seven hole between his body and stick side arm. After a three assist first period, Robbins had his initial goal of the season.
Four minutes later Gleason had his fourth goal of the evening. The Stars defense dumped the puck into the Upper Montgomery defensive zone. Berkhammer controlled the puck to the left of the Lightning net. He looked up ice spotting Gleason breaking down the right wing. A beautiful stretch pass hit him in stride between the red line and offensive blue line. Gleason accepted the pass heading in alone on a breakaway. With the Stars defense hustling back to try to cut off Gleason, the speedy forward stayed to the right. He made a quick head fake like he was going toward the middle of the net. Instead, he fired a wrist shot from six feet in front of the net high just inside the near side goal post, once again picking on Sokol’s glove hand. Before the second period was six minutes old, the game had transitioned into running clock. It also enabled the Upper Montgomery coaching staff to begin rolling forward lines giving the younger students regular shifts in a varsity game with little pressure attached.
Late in the second period, Shkeda would score his second goal of the evening. Off of a faceoff in the left faceoff circle in the Lightning offensive zone, Robbins won the draw to the left wing boards to Shkeda. Shkeda immediately sent the puck to the left point to Wendland. Wendland’s long range wrist shot was blocked by the Stars defense which allowed them to clear their defensive zone. Gleason backtracked to possess the puck in the neutral zone. He skated the puck into the offensive zone down the left wing boards. At the bottom of the left wing circle he sent a backhand pass toward Owen Robbins cutting toward the net from the right faceoff circle. Gleason’s pass was slightly off the mark, just a little behind Owen Robbins. The puck went all the way through to the right point where it was kept in the offensive zone by Lillian Robbins. She sent the puck low to the right corner finding Gleason. Gleason’s second attempt to find Owen Robbins in the right faceoff circle was successful, once both Stars defenders went after the puck and missed it. Owen Robbins fired past Sokol low to the near side with the puck striking iron. Shkeda hunted for the rebound sliding the puck low along the ice to the far side of the net before Sokol could locate the rebound.
The only question at the start of the third period was whether or not Shterenberg would earn his first career varsity shutout. At 7-0 the game was over. Two minutes into the third period, Shkeda tallied to earn his first career high school hat-trick. The Stars cleared their defensive zone. The attempted outlet pass was intercepted by Berkhammer in neutral ice. Berkhammer entered the offensive zone down the left side where he was stood up by the Stars defense. The puck was left for Shkeda just inside the offensive blue line. Shkeda sent the puck wide over to the right for Gleason in the right faceoff circle. Gleason’s quick release snapped a wrist shot high and wide of the net. The puck rolled around the boards all the way to Upper Montgomery sophomore defender Matt Rivera at the left point. Rivera dropped the puck to the left corner for Berkhammer. Berkhammer and Shkeda interchanged passing the puck back and forth. Berkhammer took the puck hard to the net where he lost possession. The puck tumbled into the slot where it caromed off the DC Stars defense until Shkeda backhand smacked the puck at the net. Sokol stood unsuspecting as the puck went past his skates into the goal. The only matter left to decide was whether the Lightning could play a solid thirteen minutes of defensive hockey to preserve Shterenberg’s first ever goose egg.
With the lopsided victory the Lightning served notice to the county that the team is far better than the second to last place team. The eight goals were the most scored in the county during the opening week of conference action. Upper Montgomery could have kept scoring, but pulled back once the game was out of hand. The only downside to the obliteration of the DC Stars is now the Lightning will not sneak up on any team in the county. Everyone will be prepared to play the Lightning keen on stopping the team’s offense. Will the offensive explosion continue next week against the Silver Spring Blazers, another team projected to be better than Upper Montgomery? Or, was the Lightning’s offensive performance a one time mirage due to how bad the DC Stars might be this season? Time will tell.
Game Notes:
- Upper Montgomery was outshot in the game 25-22. The Lightning scored eight goals on their 22 shots on net.
- Upper Montgomery forward Miles Gleason’s six points are a program record for a ninth grader.
- Upper Montgomery forward Miles Gleason is the first Lightning ninth grade varsity student athlete to score a hat-trick in his first ever high school game.
- After the first week of the season, Upper Montgomery has the top three scorers in the county, Gleason, Owen Robbins, and Berkhammer.
- Upper Montgomery senior forward Philip Shkeda scored his first career high school hat-trick.
- Lightning junior goalie Ilan Shterenberg stopped all 25 shots on goal for his first career varsity shutout.
- With his four assists, senior defender Brady Berkhammer made a huge dent in closing the gap in the number of assists he needs to qualify for the Maryland Student Hockey League High School Hockey Hall of Fame.
- Upper Montgomery senior captain Owen Robbins’ five point evening set a personal career high for points a game.
- Upper Montgomery did not have a powerplay in the game.
- The Upper Montgomery varsity is next in action on Friday, October 24th when the team plays the Silver Spring Blazers. Game time is 8:30 pm at the Rockville Ice Arena.
Three Stars of the Game:
First Star—Miles Gleason—Upper Montgomery Forward—4 Goals, 2 Assists
Second Star—Brady Berkhammer—Upper Montgomery Defense—4 Assists
Third Star—Ilan Shterenberg—Upper Montgomery Goalie—25 Save Shutout, 1 Assist