Newtown High School’s hockey team won its second straight game with a 6-5 victory over the Joel Barlow-Weston-Abbott Tech team, at Danbury Ice Arena, on January 15. The Nighthawks were beaten 11-3 by Sheehan of Wallingford in their next game, also in Danbury, on January 24. Newtown returns to the ice to take on Masuk of Monroe at The Rinks at Shelton on Wednesday, January 29 at 8 pm.

In the January 15 win, Jack O’Connell netted a hat-trick to the Nighthawks in a back and forth contest.

O’Connell opened the scoring off assists from Adam Kliczewski and Phil Makris. After the Barlow-led team tied it, Makris was assisted by Eli Kirby and James Celentano, and O’Connell scored again, set up by Makris and John O’Sullivan, for a 3-1 lead. Barlow scored again and it was 3-2 Newtown after one wild period of play.

Barlow scored early in the second to tie the game, but Makris, assisted by Kliczewski, made it 4-3 Newtown. O’Connell scored his third, assisted by Kirby and Celentano and it was 5-3 Nighthawks heading to the third.

After Barlow scored only 27 seconds into the final stanza, Celentano answered for Newtown, assisted by O’Connell and Makris. The Falcons got the deficit back down to a goal with five-plus minutes remaining but Newtown hung on.