Friday Night is 'Hockey Night' in Montgomery County

For the majority of high schools in Montgomery County, football season — and the Friday Night Lights that go with it — is over.

But Paul Lofgren is encouraging county sports fans to embrace an icy sport this winter: high school club hockey. And the 2011-12 season kicks off this Friday night.

"We're trying to bring hockey back into the forefront in Montgomery County where it should be and give families a fun activity to enjoy on Friday nights," said Lofgren, who serves as the commissioner of the Montgomery Hockey Conference and also serves as the head coach of Richard Montgomery's team.

As part of a new initiative this year — “Friday Night is High School Hockey Night in MoCo” — all high school games in the county will be played on Friday, which Lofgren believes will help bolster attendance.

The Montgomery Hockey Conference is a member of the Maryland Student Hockey League  and is comprised of teams throughout the county, including , , , , Sherwood and . Churchill won the MSHL state title last season. Wootton won the state title in 2008 and 2009.

Additionally, the league has what are referred to as "co-op" programs and are designed for the schools that cannot field teams made up exclusively of students at that school. Some of these teams include Lofgren's Richard Montgomery team, which may pool from schools such as Rockville to field its teams. Poolesville, Damascus, Blair, Blake and Damascus also have teams in the co-op division.

This is the first season where co-op teams and "pure" teams will play separate schedules and compete in a separate division for their own championship. Lofgren believes this will be a benefit to all schools in the conference as it evens the playing field.

Currently, high school hockey in the county is a club sport and doesn't receive varsity recognition, according to Lofgren. In order for a sport to attain varsity status, at least 40 percent of the schools in the state of Maryland must be able to field a team and Lofgren said there are only about 20 percent of the state's schools currently doing so.

But Lofgren said that shouldn't deter fans and members of the community from supporting the teams. And he is encouraging the school's administration themselves to embrace club hockey.

"I'd like to see all the county's school's athletic directors embrace club hockey and allow the teams to participate in things like student pep rallies and banquet nights to help generate interest in their programs," said Lofgren, who has been league commissioner since 2009 and coach for the Richard Montgomery team since 2003. 

Ray McKenzie, head coach at Churchill said that he is in favor of the way the league is trying to position itself this season.

"The more publicity hockey gets, the more kids get interested in playing, and the more their classmates can come out and see them, the better it is for the kids," McKenzie said. "We're trying to get the sport a little more integrated into the school system. We might not be a varsity sport like football or baseball, but our players can still get support from their classmates and compete for a championship under their school name. And the kids love that. They love to have classmates there and they love to represent their school colors."

Lofgren, who grew up in Boston and still plays hockey in an adult league, credits the recent success of the area's professional hockey team, the Washington Capitals, as well as the U.S. team's Olympic run in 2010, with helping to bring a renewed interest in the sport as a whole. And he's hoping that enthusiasm will carry over into the high school game.

Wootton coach Dave Evans, who has been the school's coach for 17 years and played at Churchill said that the league has improved "tremendously" since he's been involved as both a player and coach.

"The level of play and the consistency of play has improved," Evans said. "We're a club sport but we play at a varsity level."

Scouting report:

Walter Johnson

Coach: Bryan Abraham

Expectations: Abraham, who plays club hockey at Catholic University, is not shy about his desire to win. But he is just as concerned with player development and growth in 2011-12.

"Well, you always want to win, first and foremost. But I also want the guys to have some fun this season. We've got a strong defense that will help carry us through this season."

Key Players: D Tony Verlich (Jr.); D Drew Ohlrich (Soph.); D John Ohlrich; F Jessy Gendleman (Soph.)

First Game: Walt Whitman on Nov. 18