| Following its 3-2 Public B Finals victory over Chatham on March 1 at the Prudential Center in Newark, the High School North hockey program was back on campus to be recognized by the Middletown Township Public Schools Board of Education and Administration.
Prior to the Board’s March 14 Special Voting Meeting, the Lions players and coaches were honored for their state championship run, which included a 10-0 shutout of Montville, a 5-1 quarterfinals win over High School South, and a 2-1 semifinals triumph over Ramapo.
“It was a fantastic championship run, and I can remember back to Game 1 of the state playoffs, you could tell great things were coming down the line, and they most certainly did,” said High School North Principal Kevin Cullen. “This is an amazing group of student-athletes; an amazing group of parents who raised them; these guys represent who we are and what we stand for in school and on the ice.”
 In the title game, the Lions received the game-winning goal from Chris Imbriale, his first of the season, with just over five minutes remaining in the third period. Lachlan Haegar opened the scoring for North early in the first period, before Joseph Wall tied the game at 2-2 in the waning minutes of the second period. Senior goaltender Luke Chrzan preserved the win by stopping 30 of 32 shots faced.
“Thank you to Board for recognizing a team that had the best season in High School North hockey history,” said Lions Head Coach Don Wood. “In 2015 we won our first state title, but this one was a lot sweeter, especially after making it to the finals last year and not coming away with the win. We couldn’t be more proud to have this group of guys representing the school, the program and our community.”
High School North finished the season with an overall record of 16-6-4. |
