Jr Hawks’ Hockey Team Competes In Spring Tournaments

The Newtown Jr Nighthawks’ hockey team is the first spring tournament team which includes students in grades 6 through 8 from St Rose, Reed Intermediate School and Newtown Middle School.  Newtown Middle School

At the first spring tournament the Jr Hawks played in, the Hawks placed second to the Brewster Bulldogs, a well established travel program. The team played in two more tournaments prior to the summer break. The team is coached by Tim Hanley and Peter McLean, with help from Newtown High School Coach Paul Esposito and his NHS coaching staff. Next season the plan is to have a pee wee team and a bantam spring tournament team, Esposito said.

Esposito, also a Newtown Middle School teacher, started the youth hockey program for up-and-coming Newtown skaters to play together as a town and to build a stronger foundation for the high School program. In the past, hockey players would often branch off to go play at the private schools due, in part, to the fact there wasn’t a solid program for youth travel players to participate in at the high school level. Several members of the team are training with Cody Foss at the Fitness Loft, along with high school team members as they prepare for next winter.