Coach Paul Esposito likes the makeup of his roster heading into the season. His Newtown-New Fairfield co-op high school hockey team appears strong in all positions, and the Nighthawks will strive to win conference and state championships, the coach said.

“It’s going to be a fun season this year. I think we’ve got a pretty-well-rounded roster between the two schools,” Esposito said.

“We have a shot to win this year,” said Esposito, adding that the lineup “reminds me a lot of the roster we had in 2014 when we won the state title.”

Newtown beat the E.O. Smith-Tolland co-op for the Division III title that winter; Newtown-New Fairfield will face E.O. Smith-Tolland late in the regular season this winter.

That game will be fun for nostalgia, and Esposito hopes there are really big contests to be played in March. Last year’s state tournament was canceled due to coronavirus protocol. If all goes as planned, there will be a state postseason and if the Nighthawks stay healthy and avoid the injury bug it can be a magical finish, Esposito believes.

The team has already been hit with preseason injuries, including the loss of Gio Cucco for the season, Esposito said, and will have to overcome graduation of several key players, such as high-scorer Phil Makris. A wealth of experienced upperclassmen and some talented newcomers should pick up the slack, the coach believes.

Captains are forward James Celentano and defenseman John O’Sullivan of Newtown, and forward Ronan McAllister of New Fairfield.

Markus Paltauf returns in goal, and forwards Wiley Harris, Eddie Faircloth, and Cam Gouveia are back. Some of the newcomers Esposito expects to contribute are forwards Alex Schmidt, Jared Ku, and Ryan Anderson, along with goaltender Max Browne.

“You never want to overlook anybody,” said Esposito, adding that New Milford, which reached the South-West/Southern Connecticut Conference D-III finals before falling to Sheehan of Wallingford, is a gritty team, and Masuk of Monroe is always a formidable foe.

The Nighthawks will begin the season on Wednesday, December 15, when the Housatonic co-op visits Danbury Ice Arena at 7:20 pm.

Sports Editor Andy Hutchison can be reached at andyh@thebee.com.