NHS Skaters Clinch SWC, State Playoff Spots

By Andy Hutchison

Newtown High School’s boys’ hockey team clinched spots in both the South-West Conference Division II Tournament and Division III State Tournament with its eighth win of the year on February 7. The Nighthawks skated past Shepaug-Litchfield 6-1 at Danbury Ice Arena to improve to 8-4 overall.

Hunter Dolyak had a pair of goals and Christian Blais, Alex Kelly, Parker Rodbell, and Hayden Savoia all lit the lamp as well. Harmon Coffey played a strong defensive game and factored into the scoring with a pair of assists. Blais, Kelly, and Savoia all added assists and had two-point performances.

The Nighthawks bounced back from a 3-0 loss in Enfield against the Suffield-Granby-Windsor Locks team, a D-II foe, on February 5. NHS Goaltender Mike Allwein played well in both games, including a 31-save performance in the loss.

Newtown qualified for the state tournament last year, but narrowly missed out on reaching the SWC tourney.

“We’re excited about getting to the SWCs and now our objective is to win as many games as possible to get a higher seed in the state tournament,” Newtown Coach Paul Esposito said.

That could prove to be huge for the Nighthawks. Last year, the top six D-III teams earned first-round byes and this year a to-be-determined number of top teams stand to get byes depending on the number of tourney qualifiers.

The SWC and state playoffs go back-to-back with few days off in between and Esposito hopes his team is playing the SWC semifinals March 3, and the conference finals on March 5 — and that his team doesn’t have to then lace up the skates for the start of state tourney play until the second round on March 10. The first round is slated for March 7. “It may be a very short, grueling schedule,” the coach said.

The Nighthawks, beginning with Wednesday’s scheduled game with Masuk of Monroe in Shelton (after The Bee sports section went to press), have seven games remaining. Newtown will skate against Joel Barlow of Redding on Saturday, February 12, at Danbury Ice Arena at 4:20 pm.

NHS already knocked off each of those SWC rivals, handing Masuk a 7-1 defeat and edging Barlow 4-3. The Hawks also have a rematch with the New Fairfield-Immaculate team, which they beat 6-1 earlier this campaign.

 The team is looking forward to the return of Brett Klein who missed the Shepaug-Litchfield game after he took a cross-check to the back of the neck and left the Suffield-Granby-Windsor Locks game in a scary moment for the Hawks. Newtown recently got defenseman Owen Sandercox back after missing the first half of the season because of a concussion sustained back in December.