After an exhilarating North Lions hockey regular season, which featured the roster addition of superstar junior Bobby Hampton, Middletown is now just one win away from playing in the State Final at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.

With an overall record of 16-5-4, the Lions have had a very successful season. Senior forward Thomas Terranova broke Middletown North’s scoring record, and has the most points in the history of the school.

Senior Mike Corella has broken through as a very capable goaltender who can steal games for his team.

A potent high-scoring offense combined with a solid defense has gotten North to where they stand right now; just one complete game away from playing for a championship.

After beating Jackson Liberty 7-3 in a closer game than the score showed, the Lions defeated Indian Hills 4-0, giving them a berth in Monday night’s quarterfinal matchup with Kinnelon.

As expected, Hampton paved the way for his team with four goals and one assist, with Kevin Felice, Terranova, and Khristian Acosta all contributing to the Lions’ scoring efforts.

As the goals kept coming, the celebrations got more intense for Middletown, as they knew with each score they were drawing closer to the next round.

North Nation was out in full force giving Middletown the energy they needed to push through and chug ahead.

With an 11-4 victory, the Lions have set a match-up with Chatham on the road Wednesday night at Codey Arena in West Orange.

A fan bus has been set up so that the Nation can be out in full force supporting their team as they collectively fight for the ultimate prize.