Newark, NJ —

Every season has a Cinderella, but the story of the Morris Knolls/Hills hockey season brought some originality to the tale as old as time. From fourth place in the Mennen Division to the top of the New Jersey hockey mountain, the Golden Eagles completed a wild and improbable run by taking down the two-time defending champion Governor Livingston/New Providence Highlanders 4-3 at Prudential Center in the Co-Op Boys Ice Hockey State Finals. The title is their fifth in program history, and third in the last six years.

The scoring was started by the usual suspects, as Dylan Williams connected on a power-play goal just 41 seconds into the contest, featuring dishes from superstars Luke Dickerson and Jake McCloud. It was Williams’ eighth of the season. Overall the line accounted for 79 of the team’s 114 goals (69%) this year.

Not fazed at all, the Highlanders answered with star power of their own as seniors Jackson Benward and Brady Silverman added goals within five minutes of each other to capture the 2-1 lead. They would then build off of that in the second period with a five-hole score off the stick of Anthony Labisi to double their lead.

Governor Livingston/New Providence were showing the mettle and dominance that earned them the past two state championships, but Morris Knolls/Hills responded to adversity like they did all season long.

The Golden Eagles would close out the game with three unanswered goals, including a dazzling blast from the slot by Mike Simone, and a classic quick rip from Jake McCloud. The most memorable score To cap things off, with just 38 seconds left, senior Eli Singley played out a dream scenario and potted the championship-winning goal off a dime from Simone. The kicker? It was just his first of the season.

Coach Tim Kepler should consider changing the program’s name to the Phoenix with how his team rose from the ashes to take down the back-to-back defending champs. The 23-24 season was marred with inconsistency and a tendency to let games get away. Knolls/Hills even became the first Mennen Division team to lose to a Haas Division opponent in over a decade.

Entering the state tournament, Kepler’s Golden Eagles were just 8-11-1 and still reeling from a tough 9-2 loss in the Mennen Cup Semifinals. But as any good coach knows, given an opportunity, especially in this sport, anything is possible.

Knolls/Hills then proceeded to go on a tear, beating Lakeland, bouncing Big North powerhouse Pascack Valley, shocking the Halverson Cup champion KJS, and getting revenge on Tenafly on their way to The Rock.

Their success was certainly a team effort, but nobody’s star shined brighter than senior Luke Dickerson. In five state playoff games, the Virginia baseball commit notched 13 goals and four assists, including all five scores in the victory against KJS, and a pair of helpers in the final. His partner-in-crime McCloud added five goals and nine assists in the postseason.

For the seniors on the squad, it was a ride off into the sunset. For Morris Knolls/Hills, the championship is a program-defining victory and one that could lead to many more trips to Newark in the future.

We’ll see what kind of story is written next season.