LYNN – The Northeastern Conference athletic directors voted 12-0 at their meeting Thursday to allow Lynn Tech hockey players to skate with the Lynn Jets, the combined Classical/English hockey team.School officials had brought up the possibility of folding the Tech team in with the Jets following the resignation of Tech coach Tim Serino at the end of the season. Any such move required approval from the Northeastern Conference. The proposal must still be approved by District A of the MIAA and then sent to the Lynn school committee and Superintendent of Schools Nicholas Kostan.Tech athletic director Ed Shadoff thanked Serino for his dedication to the program over the years and stressed that the decision to look into having the Tech players skate with Classical and English only came about after Serino had decided on his own to step down.”I want to wish Timmy well and thank him for his service,” Shadoff said. “In the 16 months I’ve been here (as athletic director), he’s been very low-maintenance. He was a pleasure to deal with and he ran a wonderful program. He’ll be sorely missed.”Shadoff said economics were a major factor in the decision. The city has already indicated it’s going to be a tough year in terms of the school budget.For the past couple of years, Tech has served as the host school for a combined team that also included North Shore Tech and Essex Aggie. When the arrangement began, Tech had the highest numbers, but this year, the balance shifted dramatically to the other two schools. Shadoff said there were less than 10 players from Tech on the team, although some say the number is actually closer to five.Shadoff said once he received word of the vote from Classical athletic director Bill Devin, he called both North Shore Tech and Essex Aggie. Shadoff said he doesn’t know what plans the two schools have regarding their players.Devin said he expects the arrangement to work out well.”I think it will work out fine. They’re all Lynn kids and they’ve all been involved in Lynn Youth Hockey,” he said.Devin said he didn’t know what would happen to Tech’s ice time. He said the athletic directors are scheduled to meet with FMC (the company that manages Connery Rink) later this month to discuss ice time and a possible increase in the cost per hour for ice.Both Shadoff and Devin said part of the arrangement is that Tech will have a representative on the Jets’ coaching staff.The Jets are coached by Al Melanson, who is recovering from a heart attack he suffered back in February. Devin said Melanson, who had been in Maine Medical Center in South Portland since it happened on Feb. 10, is now at a rehabilitation hospital in Cambridge.