Boys Ice Hockey: Union County Final – Westfield vs. Gov. Livingston-New Providence, January 23, 2026
The feedback was constant and consistent from Andrew Lisnock.
Every time Gov. Livingston-New Providence cut into Westfield’s lead, the Blue Devils’ senior captain would skate back to the bench and relay the same message to his teammates.
“We have to respond. We have to get one back next shift.”
Lisnock has seen how fast a lead can disappear in championship games. He and his teammates rallied from a three-goal deficit to win last season’s county title.
One year later in the same game against the same opponent, he was determined to not be on the other side of a rally. He knew how important it was to respond, and to do it quickly. He echoed that message loud and clear.
He and his teammates responded accordingly over and over again. The final result was another championship moment for the Blue Devils.
Thanks to a dominant third period and a hat trick from Lisnock, Westfield captured a third straight Union County Tournament championship with a 7-3 victory over rival Gov. Livingston-New Providence.
Westfield, No. 8 in the NJ.com Top 20, led by just one goal heading into the third period. Lisnock scored 44 seconds into the final period, which started a scoring barrage in which the Blue Devils (12-1) pulled away from the Highlanders (7-9).
Blake Wotanowski extended the lead to two goals with 11:06 left, and Liam Reed put the finishes touches on the title with just 2:01 remaining.
🏆 FINAL | No. 8 Westfield 7, Gov. Livingston-New Providence 3
The Blue Devils pull away in the 3rd period and win a 3rd straight Union County Tournament championship.@Westfieldpuck | @dubfieldsports | @WHS_BlueDevils | #njhockey pic.twitter.com/OGjSNCt0PR
“We came out fast, then kind of slowed down a bit and GL started to crawl their way back,” Lisnock said. “Then we stepped on the gas pedal. That’s huge because guys that are going to be lead this team in the future, they get to see that effort. They get to understand what you have to do to keep going. It doesn’t matter what the score is.”
This story will be updated.
Donovan Hugel is a staff writer covering statewide high school sports for NJ Advance Media and NJ.com. He is on the high school football, ice hockey, and girls lacrosse beats and has been on staff since October…
Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, (updated 8/1/2024) and acknowledgement of our Privacy Policy, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (updated 1/1/2026).
© 2026 Advance Local Media LLC. All rights reserved (About Us).
The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local.
Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site.
YouTube's privacy policy is available here and YouTube's terms of service is available here.
Ad Choices