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Hockey Team Welcomes Young Additions And Transfers

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Hockey Team Welcomes Young Additions And Transfers

By Andy Hutchison

Graduation claimed, among others, standouts Christian Beitel and Tucker Grose, but the Newtown High School boys’ hockey team has multiple reasons to believe this year could mark a return to the playoffs this winter.

After missing out of the Division III state playoffs by just two games a winter ago, Coach Paul Esposito has his sights on not only qualifying for the playoffs, but also contending for a title — along with a D-II South-West Conference championship — this time around.

Esposito scheduled some tough opponents, including Division I schools, to challenge his team last winter. This time around, the coach implemented a lighter schedule with the goal of boosting his team’s playoff chances and creating a winning attitude in the world of Newtown hockey.

“In order for our program to grow in Newtown we need to start winning,” said Esposito, alluding to the fact more up and coming youth skaters may become interested in pursuing hockey if they see winning ways at the high school level. “We’re young and we need to have a certain amount of success.”

Esposito is keeping his eye on the future as well as aiming for success this year. The players and parents pay for ice time and bus transportation — in addition to all of the equipment — to skate at the home rink, Danbury Ice Arena. Practice ice time is limited to three days a week and Esposito is using one of those sessions for junior varsity games each week to allow for the less experienced players to gain more game action ice time.

The Nighthawks, although they lost some offensive punch in Beitel and Grose, return a bulk of talent on offense and defense and also welcome some newcomers whom Esposito believes could make the difference in extending the season into the playoffs.

Four freshmen and a pair of transfers from Immaculate of Danbury join the team.

“We have six quality players coming in that I think are really going to help our chances this year,” Esposito said.

The seniors are goaltender Dylan Deselin, defender Sean Kennedy, and center Rob Norling, one of the transfers from Immaculate — all captains. In addition to that trio, junior assistant captains are forwards Hunter Dolyak and Matt Vitti.

Forward Brett Klein, a sophomore, is the other Immaculate transfer. Klein is eligible to play from the get-go since he is coming off his freshman year but transfer rules stipulate that upperclassmen must sit for 30 days before playing, Esposito said, so Norland’s presence won’t be initially felt.

Dolyak is coming off a strong season in which he registered 16 points and had only 10 penalty minutes. Sophomore Josh Branchflower made an immediate impact as a first-year highschooler with 15 points last winter, and will be looked to for goals this winter. Senior forward Ted Benoit and sophomore defender Dave Landau are among the many key returnees.

The freshmen are Parker Rodbell, Chris Erikson, Evan Isaacs, and Tyler Hanley. They may be young, but the incoming players have youth hockey experience, the coach said.

“Most of these guys have played for me quite a bit,” said Esposito, speaking of his coaching them at the youth level.

Esposito thinks scoring will be a strength this season.

“We have some guys who can score some goals this year,” the coach said. “We’re capable of winning.”

Deselin is the starting goaltender and returns with varsity experience under his belt, and sophomore Michael Allwein is the backup at the start of the campaign.

Tough teams in the SWC, Esposito said, include the Brookfield-Bethel-Danbury team, Masuk of Monroe, and Joel Barlow of Redding. Although the schedule does not feature any tough D-I contests, defending D-III champion Staples of Westport was added as a nonconference game. The season was scheduled to get underway Wednesday in Danbury against the Housatonic-Northwestern co-op (after The Bee sports section went to press). Newtown will host the Windsor-East Granby co-op Saturday at 5 pm in Danbury.

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