Update: The Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference announced that the quarterfinal-round game will be played at Bennett Rink in West Haven on Thursday, March 7; puck drop is set for 7:15 pm.

DANBURY — The Newtown and Wilton high school boys’ hockey teams were not able to settle anything through 45 minutes of regulation and an eight-minute overtime in their regular-season meeting — a 3-3 tie back in early January. But Newtown took all of 1:46 to take the lead for good on the way to taking care of unfinished business in a convincing manner with a 7-2 triumph in their rematch. The eighth-seeded Nighthawks had seven different goal scorers in their Division III state tournament opening round win over the ninth-seeded Warriors at Danbury Ice Arena on March 4.

Andrew Gardner, Matthias Paltauf, Aidan Bepko, Jonathan Radatovich, Michael McCann, David Brestovansky, and Phil Makris all lit the lamp to send Newtown to its first state playoff victory since winning the D-III title back in 2014.

The Nighthawks advanced to the quarterfinal round on Thursday, March 7, another rematch, as the Hawks are slated to take on top-seeded Hand of Madison. Newtown lost 6-2 to Hand on February 24 in a rescheduled contest that was closer than the final score indicates; the game was tied 2-2 heading into the third period, Newtown Coach Paul Esposito noted.

In the victory over Wilton, it was a tremendous team effort, as evidenced by the well-dispersed scoring, although four of the goals came about via individual efforts and were unassisted.

Gardner got the scoring started on a goal set up by Radatovich. Paltauf was assisted by Makris late in the opening period for a 2-0 lead. Wilton struck in the final half minute of the stanza to cut the lead in half, but it was all Nighthawks in middle period.

Bepko and Radatovich, assisted by Jetson Ku, scored 1:24 apart just 3:23 into the stanza. McCann whipped home a shot in the final minute of the period as Newtown carried a 5-1 lead into the third.

Brestovansky scored on a shorthanded breakaway 3:05 into the third. After a Wilton tally, Makris carried the puck through the neutral zone, got around the defense, and put home Newtown’s final tally, on the power play.

“We were happy with the way the guys came out — the intensity level,” said Esposito, whose team was aggressive on the forecheck, leading to Newtown finishing with a 35-26 shots on goal advantage.

Newtown goaltender Markus Paltauf made two dozen saves.

In their January meeting, Wilton finished with a 34-25 shots advantage, including a 9-2 differential in the overtime period. Based on how that game went, the Hawks were expecting a close one again.

“I thought it was going to be a one-goal game either way,” Esposito noted.

The Hawks are hoping for a much different outcome on the scoreboard against Hand as well, but entered the game with confidence.

“We know if we play great two-way hockey — solid hockey — focus on our objective, we can skate with Hand,” Esposito said.

The Nighthawks are 9-11-1 overall. Wilton finishes with the same record. Hand is 17-3-1.