Markus Paltauf, a former Newtown high school ice hockey goaltender, helped Rutgers University win its first North East Collegiate Hockey League (NECHL) Division I Ice Hockey Championship at Long Beach Arena, Long Island, over the weekend of February 28-March 1.

In his first season with Rutgers, he logged 920 minutes played, racking up 483 saves, and finished the season with a 7-5-0-2-1 (W-L-T-OTL-SOL) record. Leading up to the tournament, Paltauf helped Rutgers secure the No 1 seed and then played all games throughout the tournament. He then went 2-0 over the final weekend with a 4-3 semifinal win over Farmingdale State, and followed that up with a convincing 6-2 win over No 2 seed Canisius University in the finals.

In the finals, Rutgers was down 2-1 after the first period and then came out with purpose, skill, and speed, scoring four unanswered goals in the second. Their last goal was an empty-netter near the end of the third period. During the second and third periods Rutgers withstood a barrage of chances and scoring opportunities from Canisius during numerous penalties called against Rutgers, including two five-on-three penalty kills. Paltauf finished the weekend with a .934 save percentage along with a 2.50 goals against average to help capture the Championship. In addition, he was awarded the NECHL Rookie of Year.

During his four years playing for the Nighthawks, Paltauf was awarded the team MVP four years in a row, and was also selected First Team All-State and First Team SWC/SCC during his junior and senior years. He also holds many team records, including most saves in a season with 795, most saves in a game with 67 during the SWC finals as a sophomore, and best save percentage over a single season at .945 as a junior.