Nighthawks Set Win Mark, Skate Into Postseason With Optimism

By Andy Hutchison

Newtown High School’s hockey team finished the 2010-11 campaign with its most regular-season wins — 14 — in the program’s history. What’s more, even in the team’s 5-3 loss to Guilford in the second-to-last tilt of the season, the Nighthawks played what Coach Paul Esposito believed was his team’s best game. NHS ended the slate with a 7-2 triumph over the New Fairfield-Immaculate co-op team three days later, on February 26. Talk about a great way to enter into the postseason.

The Nighthawks were scheduled to begin South-West Conference Division II-III Tournament action on Thursday (after The Bee went to press. Check NewtownBee.com for highlights). Newtown earned the tourney’s third seed and a clash with No. 2 Watertown-Pomperaug at Danbury Ice Arena. With a win, the Nighthawks would face the winner of No. 1 Brookfield-Bethel-Danbury and No. 4 Joel Barlow of Redding in the title game at 7:10 pm on Saturday, March 5, also in Danbury.

Newtown had a tough-to-swallow 5-4 overtime loss to Watertown-Pomperaug back in December, in the second game of the year. Newtown has beaten Barlow twice and lost to BBD in overtime. Regardless of how far the Hawks go in SWC tourney play, the team will keep skating in the Division III state tourney, beginning the following week.

“Everybody’s really excited,” Esposito said on Tuesday. “There’s a lot of energy with the kids. … We’re very optimistic about our playoff chances.”

Guilford, the defending Division III state champion, is the top team in D-II play this year, Esposito said. “I knew it was going to be a really good game for us,” said Esposito, who decided to schedule it after watching Guilford play a good clean, fast-paced game last winter.

Sure, Newtown lost, but the coach called it, “Our best game so far — many chances that could have gone our way. We showed our hearts tonight. If we take this tempo to the playoffs, we should do well.”

Newtown took an early lead on a goal by Brett Klein, then fell behind 3-1 before responding with goals by Matt Vitti and Parker Rodbell to tie the game. Guilford scored the last two goals to overcome a 39-save effort by NHS goaltender Mike Allwein.

“I think the kids rose to the challenge,” Esposito said.

In the season finale, the Nighthawks jumped all over seven-win New Fairfield-Immaculate, scoring four times in the first period and adding three more in the middle stanza to finish the year 14-5 overall with the 7-2 win at Danbury Ice Arena. Ted Benoit and Rodbell both had two goals and an assist, and Evan Isaacs, Tyler Hanley, and Harmon Coffey all lit the lamp. Christian Blais, Justin Corsello, and Isaacs all had two assists. Esposito nominates three stars of the game after each tilt, and give stars to Corsello and defensemen Hayden Savoia and Owen Sandercox. NHS limited New Fairfield-Immaculate to 18 shots, 16 of which Allwein kicked away to close out the regular season with a 2.21 goals against average.