Nighthawk Skaters’ Win Streak Ends, But Team Bounces Back

By Andy Hutchison

DANBURY — After two full weeks without a game under their belts, a somewhat rusty Newtown High School hockey team took to the ice for a game the coaches and players have been looking forward to since last March.

The Nighthawks put their six-game winning streak on the line against the Brookfield-Bethel-Danbury IceCats — who had knocked the Hawks out of the Division III state playoffs last March — January 29 at Danbury Ice Arena. Newtown couldn’t hold onto a late 2-1 lead, however, and fell 3-2 in overtime. The Hawks dropped to 6-3 overall, and BBD improved to 8-2 in a battle of two of the best teams in South-West Conference’s Division II hockey. The Nighthawks, thanks to snow postponing games, had not played since January 15, and BBD had a pair of contests in that time.

“It took us about four or five shifts for the kids to actually get going,” said NHS Coach Paul Esposito, adding that once the skaters got back into game mode, they played strong first and third periods. It was the middle stanza that proved costly. The Hawks used only two forward lines in the game and the players were working extra hard just to hold onto the lead in a penalty-filled second period, which included a five-on-three BBD power play.

BBD’s Steven Segiet scored the game-winner with 2:03 left in the eight-minute overtime after he forced the extra session with the tying goal with only 3:57 remaining. Segiet hustled to the net and one-timed a cross-ice feed from up high by Trevor Kurijaka, who had been robbed on multiple late-game scoring chances by Newtown goaltender Mike Allwein (42 saves thanks, in part, to a quick glove). The winning goal was scored after the Hawks turned over the puck at the blue line.

Segiet scored all three of BBD’s goals to overcome first-period tallies by Newtown’s Christian Blais and Ted Benoit. Alex Kelly had an assist. The game marked the return of Owen Sandercox to the Newtown defensive corps. Sandercox had been out of action since sustaining a concussion back on opening night in mid-December.

“It’s always tough to lose a game in overtime, but our boys played hard and, at the end of the day, someone’s got to win and someone’s got to lose,” Newtown High School  Assistant Coach Mike Jones said.

Esposito was pleased with his team’s efforts against a three-school opponent but acknowledged that the Hawks were disappointed not to pull out a win that seemed to be theirs until the waning minutes of regulation.

Newtown hopes to get another chance at redemption against the IceCats in the postseason. “I just told the kids, ‘Listen, we could match up with these guys in [the South-West Conference Tournament]. We can match up with them in the Division III tournament as well,’” Esposito said.

In the meantime, the Hawks have the remainder of the regular season to worry about and the NHS skaters bounced back following the defeat to the IceCats with a 4-3 win over Joel Barlow of Redding in Danbury in one of those rescheduled snow-postponed games, on January 31.

The Nighthawks got their seventh win in ten games overall by building a 4-0 lead and hold off their conference rivals.

Tyler Hanley had a hand in all four tallies, assisting on goals by Blais, Parker Rodbell, Evan Isaacs, and Benoit. Blais also had an assist, as did Hunter Dolyak and Matt Vitti.

Esposito and the rest of the coaching staff members were pleased with the play of goaltender Brandon Logel who got his first win with a 15-save performance, along with the efforts of Hanley and Sandercox.

The Nighthawks, after that long game layoff, find themselves busy (weather permitting), with three games scheduled in a four-day period, Friday, February 4, against EO Smith-Tolland-Windham, up at the University of Connecticut, February 5 against Suffield-Granby-Windsor Locks in Enfield, and February 7 against Shepaug-Litchfield, back in Danbury for a 3:20 faceoff in another makeup game.