Newtown High School’s hockey team, coming off a runner-up finish in the conference championship tilt, will go after the Division III state title, beginning with a first-round game on Monday, March 10. The Nighthawks, seeded second in the bracket, will face a familiar foe, No. 15 Joel Barlow of Redding, at Danbury Ice Arena. The puck is scheduled to drop at 5:30 pm. Newtown defeated conference rival Barlow twice during the regular season.

The Newtown boys’ basketball team is set to begin Class LL state playoff action on Tuesday, March 11 with a 7 pm visit to Kennedy of Waterbury for a first round contest. Newtown is the No. 22 seed and Kennedy is the No. 11 team in the LL bracket.

Winners of both the hockey and basketball games will advance to play on Thursday, March 13 against opponents, and at sites, to be determined. Check back for coverage and visit casciac.org for complete state playoff information.