DANBURY — The Newtown-New Fairfield hockey team, on January 28, hosted a Hockey Fights Cancer memorial game in honor of former Newtown hockey assistant coach and Newtown Middle School teacher Andrew Tammero, who passed away last summer.

The event, which took place at Danbury Ice Arena when the Rebelhawks took on the Bethel, Brookfield, Danbury, and Immaculate (BBDI) co-op, also served as a fundraiser for the Tammero family.

This was the second Hockey Fights Cancer game hosted by the Rebelhawks, the first being in February 2025 in honor of Tammero after he was diagnosed with metastatic adenocarcinoma.

“He would have been humble and done everything in his power to try to divert the attention away from himself. But I know he would have been honored and grateful for the love being shown to his family. It would have made him happy that his kids got to be the stars with the puck drop. They were the center of his world,” said Newtown Police Department Sergeant William Chapman, who spent seven years as Newtown Middle School resource officer and became friends with the Tammeros.

BBDI won 7-4; Grayson Pimentel, Colby Cheneski, Andrew Stango, and Jack Meade scored the Rebelhawks’ goals, and goaltender Carter Bisson made 45 saves in a matchup that had a lot of meaning off the ice.

“The game meant a lot to me of course. Last season we had a game for him — we ended up losing the game but I remember seeing Mr Tammero during the goals and hits of the game. Seeing us bring happiness to him during his difficult times gave me encouragement going into the game against BBDI,” Bisson, a senior captain, said.

Andrew Tammero’s wife, Autumn Tammero, and their four children — Paisley, Elodie, Lucy, and Oliver — attended the event, each of the four getting to drop the ceremonial first puck of the game.

“Participating in the puck drop was a moment I will carry with me forever. It was an incredibly special honor, and I feel so deeply grateful to have played a small part in a night that meant so much to our community,” Meade, a senior captain, said.

Donations that were accepted at the entrance of the game are going to the Tammero family, as Andrew Tammero was their only financial provider. Donations can continue to be made via Venmo @Nighthawks_Hockey.

The Rebelhawks also wore ceremonial jerseys, representing the NHL’s Hockey Fights Cancer organization that collects donations for V Foundation for Cancer Research.

Both student sections had large turnouts, bringing support for their teams, and this cause, in the stands and around the rink.

“I wanted to go to the game to show my support because Mr Tammero meant a lot to so many people. He was always open and honest with us in health class. He wasn’t afraid to share his own personal experiences because he genuinely wanted us to learn from them and make safe, healthy choices,” NHS Senior Eva Ziemnicki said. “This kind of honesty showed how much he truly cared about our wellbeing. He wanted to protect his students and help us in life which is something that really stuck with me.”

Many players on the ice that night also had the honor of having Tammero as a teacher, including Bisson, Ethan Freylikhman, Cameron Longhi, Jacob Molison, Gavin Hull, Franky Perez, Noah Kirshner, Pimentel, Dylan Potter, Michael Risoli, Meade, Jackson Molison, Ryan Schmidt, and Stango.

“The thing that stuck out to me when I was around him was his humor, positivity, and his love for hockey as he wore Rangers merchandise every day. As a hockey player and to be able to look up to one of my teachers was awesome,” Schmidt said. “Mr Tammero was definitely my favorite teacher growing up. I was always looking forward to seeing him every day to talk about hockey. The way he impacted my life was amazing because he gave me the drive to becoming the hockey player I am today.”

The stands were filled with former students, colleagues, relatives, and friends of Tammero, honoring him through hockey and also his most memorable lessons.

“It’s bittersweet. We miss him every day, but it’s nice to know that he’s not forgotten, and that he made such a positive impact for so many people,” Chapman said. “The best way people can continue to honor him is to follow his daily classroom advice, ‘Be a good human,’ ‘Make good choices,’ and ‘Have a magical day.’”

Ava Lombardo is a Newtown High School senior intern with The Newtown Bee. She is committed to Roger Williams University, in Bristol, R.I., for volleyball and will study Marine Biology & Environmental Science.