DANBURY — Newtown High School's hockey team overcame an early Milford co-op team lead for a 7-4 win at Danbury Ice Arena, on December 19. The Nighthawks skated into a December 22 home game with Trinity Catholic of Stamford with a 2-1 record.

The Nighthawks fell behind 2-0 only five minutes into the Milford contest, and trailed 3-1 before scoring twice late in the opening stanza. The teams headed into the middle period even at 3-3.

Milford jumped ahead 33 seconds into the second, but Newtown scored the final three goals of the period and the lone tally in the third.

Matthias Paltauf, Aidan Bepko, and James Celentano all scored twice, and Phil Makris also lit the lamp.

Makris and David Brestovansky both had a trio of assists, and Dillon Larkin, Jonathan Radatovich, Andrew Gardner, Bepko, and Celentano all helped set up net-finders.

Celentano tied the game at 4-4 off assists from Larkin and Bepko less than two minutes after Milford's go-ahead tally. Makris gave the Nighthawks the lead, assisted by linemates Paltauf and Brestovansky, with 5:15 left in the period. Markis and Brestovansky assisted Celentano for the sixth goal with 2:21 remaining in the second.

The top line, led by solid stick handling by Makris, generated early chances to pad the lead in the third, but the Nighthawks could not capitalize and found themselves shorthanded but strong on the penalty kill in the third.

Three of Newtown's goals came on the power play. Bepko's goal to knot the score at 3-3 late in the first, Celetano's second goal, late in the second, and Paltauf's late third-period tally all came during the man advantage.