DANBURY — The Newtown-New Fairfield high (NNF) school co-op hockey team continued its winning ways to begin the season, following up its 6-0 win over Fox Lane of New York on December 13 with three victories in a span of four days leading up to Christmas Eve.

The Nighthawks battled through this tough stretch of games with solid goaltending, good defense, and timely scoring to win all three and sit atop the leaderboard in Division III.

After a 5-2 victory at Milford on December 20, the Nighthawks played two games in as many days at Danbury Ice Arena, edging Staples of Westport 3-2 on December 22 and topping the Housatonic co-op 5-2 the next afternoon.

In the win over Milford, at Milford Ice Pavilion, the Nighthawks scored the first three goals and held the lead throughout. Alex Schmidt led the way with a hat-trick, scoring his first two off rebound opportunities and his last on a length of the ice empty-net goal in the waning minute. Adding the helpers on his goals were Jack Meade and Sebastian Cilia.

In the second period the third NNF goal was scored shorthanded by Luca Moura on a nice hustle play storming down the middle of the ice with Milford defensemen chasing. Sebastian Cilia started the play with a strong defensive stop before Blake Ballard headmanned the puck to the speedy Moura. On the same power play, only seconds after the ensuing faceoff, Milford got it back on a redirection in front once again cutting the deficit to two.

The third period saw NNF get a power play chance of their own and Jack Albano cashed in off a clean faceoff win by Jared Ku to the left of the Milford net. Albano wasted no time in snapping home the biscuit for the three-goal lead again. Milford got one back later in the period off a broken play before Schmidt iced it in the closing minute.

Garrett McCollam had his first action in goal this season and made several quality saves including a breakaway stop to start the game. McCollam registered 16 saves on 18 shots.

Two days later the Hawks returned to the friendly confines of Danbury Ice Arena for an afternoon tilt vs an undefeated Staples team and turned back the Wreckers with Max Browne making a few sensational saves in the final frame, including key stops on breakaway chances. Staples was a bit shorthanded and was outshot by NNF 29-17 but got some quality looks that Browne fought back on the way to being named the team’s player of the game.

Newtown-New Fairfield raced out to a 2-0 first period with a goal early on and another in the final minute of the opening stanza. The Nighthawks took the lead on a beauty from Ryan Anderson who took a breakout pass from Cilia and raced up and down the right side shooting from the top of the circle and following his rebound which he jammed home. Jack Meade sniped one later in the period as Schmidt set him up nicely after getting a feed from Andrew Sanchez.

NNF was going to need each goal it could muster as Staples twice cut two goals leads to just one. The Wreckers came out strong in the middle period cutting the deficit in half and scoring on the very first shift after the Hawks were unable to clear the puck from their own end and it cost them. The third period saw the Hawks turn up the heat and they were rewarded in the closing minutes with the eventual game winner off the stick of Jared Ku for a 3-1 lead late in the third period. Schmidt and Cilia worked hard to set up the goal. Staples scored late with only 12 seconds remaining, again off a goal mouth scramble, capitalizing on a power play and extra attacker with the Staples net empty. After the last draw the NNF players bottled up the Wreckers in neutral Ice to seal the hard-earned victory.

It was a quick turnaround when the team returned to Danbury less than 24 hours later to take on the Housatonic co-op from upstate. Like rinse and repeat the Nighthawks once again had that 2-0 lead at the conclusion of the opening period. This game, however, had six different goal scorers on the seven scored as they disposed of a pesky Housy team 7-2.

Moura struck first driving the net in tight from the angle off a dish from Ballard. Meade jumped in a bit later in the frame off a rush from Cilia as he rung one off the pipe and in on a strong snap shot from the slot. The second period was relatively quiet with only one goal coming off the stick of Sanchez who blasted one from just inside the blue line thru the five hole of the screened Housy netminder.

The Third period saw the teams trade a pair of goals before the Hawks pulled away late with two additional markers. Ashton Albert lit the lamp from inside the line on the power play off a give and go with Schmidt. The first Housy goal came off their second breakaway shorthanded as the NNF defense got a little wide after not settling the puck in the offensive end and got beat for one unable to recover on the break.

John Kenny responded a short time later on a quick wrist shot from the circle after a beautiful rush up that also included Moura and Albert who ultimately tapped the puck over to Kenny. With the Hawks shorthanded a misplay on the clear led to the second Housy goal.

Albano became the sixth different goal scorer on the day with a goal-mouth feed from Meade and a one-time finish. The final NNF goal was a quick wrister from the angle near the boards as Sanchez, set up by Albano, popped in his second of the day. McCollam, like Browne, was solid in this one picking up his second victory between the pipes turning aside 15 shots along the way.

The Hawks enjoyed a few days of rest and relaxation for the holidays before resuming practice and gearing up for two tough ones, at Masuk on Wednesday and home against Branford on Thursday.

The coaches are pleased with the results but admitted they are still nowhere close to where they want to be as the season progresses. The effort and intensity are good and thought process and creativity are coming, said Nighthawk coaches, adding that they would like to see more consistency in execution.

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