The Livingston High School ice hockey team capped its season with a spot in the New Jersey Public A State Championship final, playing Ridge at the Prudential Center on Monday night, March 7. It was the Lancers’ first state finals game in 40 years; they had defeated Montclair, 4-2, to win the state championship in 1982.The Lancers advanced to the State Championship game by defeating the Westfield Blue Devils by a score of 2-1 in the semifinal round, avenging a 5-2 loss in the McInnis Cup final in Westfield. Junior defenseman Brett Conklin had opened the scoring, and Alex Selvin found the back of the net, while Ryan Zales and Jace Dockx provided assists in the state semi-finals game.The win catapulted the Lancers to a showdown at the Prudential Center Monday night against Ridge High School. Unfortunately, Livingston came up short, losing 6-1. The lone Lancer goal was scored by Jace Dockx on a power play with assists to Austin Vecchio and Dillon Schultz. The loss, said head coach DaveThe loss, said head coach Dave Conklin, “was not overshadowed by the historic success the team had this season. Livingston set school records with 11 shut-outs, team wins with 22, and returned to the state finals for the first time since 1982. The team’s overall record was 22-4-3, marking the most wins in a season in school history.”Coach Conklin continued, “The ice hockey program would like to thank the members of the LHS faculty and staff, the community members and businesses who supported the program with sponsorships, the Livingston Police Department, and above all, our loyal student body fan base. The Lancer faithful showed up in great numbers to support the ice hockey team all year long. We are grateful for your support!”Members of the team include Zach Turbin, Ryan Zales, Shalva Samchkuashvili, Mitchell Friedman, Brett Conklin, Egor Tarasyuk, Dillon Schultz, Austin Vecchio, Ayan Chaudhuri, Zach Silva, Anthony Cassesse, Danny Grossbard, Jace Dockx, Sean Chen, Reed Plotnick, Andrew Qian, Alex Selvin, Spencer Solomon, and Justinas Sanders. Team managers were Alex Gertler, Jamie Gertler, Lindsey Lenchner, Sarah Zollar, Emily Ritz, and Hannah Horowitz.The team was guided by head coach Dave Conklin and assistant coach Dave Melucci.
