Despite battling injuries and illness, the Newtown-New Fairfield (NNF) high school co-op hockey team skated to a 5-3 win over Milford, at Danbury Ice Arena on January 10. The Nighthawks overcame an own goal and a few penalties to improve to 7-1 this winter.

Down three regulars and one sub, the Hawks controlled the flow of the game but were turned back numerous times by a solid Milford goaltender. The seal was finally broken by senior captain and team point leader Alex Schmidt roughly five minutes into the contest as he raced through center ice and gained the offensive zone wide then cut back in front releasing a rising backhander into the net. Jared Ku provided the headman pass to get the play started.

John Kenny was next to light the lamp when he picked up a feed from Sebastian Cilia in the high slot as the Hawks applied a great amount of pressure in the Milford end. Kenny’s low shot found its way just inside the left post for a 2-0 lead.

With NNF killing a penalty Cilia inadvertently caught his own net trying to clear a puck that surprised goaltender Max Browne and added a little adversity to the contest. The period ended with a 2-1 Hawk lead.

Cilia laughed off the own goal and redeemed himself with a nice unassisted goal just moments into the second period. Cilia gathered in a loose puck in the offensive zone and hit the net on a nice backhand while maneuvering in low, once again restoring the two-goal lead.

Milford wasn’t ready to call it a night and came back once again on a two-man advantage, banging home a rebound from down low after a few stops by Browne. Schmidt once again was the answer and scored on a pretty snapshot just a few minutes later after also picking up a loose puck and finding space to get off a good hard shot.

The third period was mostly dominated by the home team as the Hawks outshot the Milford squad 19-3 but Milford got close in the final minute when the goaltender pulled in favor of an extra attacker and rammed home a rebound in tight. Schmidt iced it only seconds later, off the ensuing faceoff, with an empty netter for the hat-trick.

Browne picked up his third win of the year with 23 mostly-routine saves in back of the Hawks’ solid defense.

The Nighthawks had a makeup game against Fox Lane N.Y., at the Brewster Ice Arena on January 15. It was noticeable from the opening puck drop that the team was flat and showed little energy against a team that they had previously beaten 6-0 to start the season. The Hawks lit the lamp first on a nice rising snapshot from the middle by Cilia with Schmidt assisting but the lead was short lived.

A few minutes later the score was knotted at one as the Hawks allowed a Fox Lane forward to walk out from behind the net and tuck one behind goaltender Max Browne. If not for Browne and a few sensational stops the NNF squad would have found itself down at the conclusion of the first due to numerous breakdowns in coverage, but instead the score remained tied.

Starting the second period on the power play both the coaches and fans expected the Hawks to come out flying but instead it was Fox Lane scoring not once but twice shorthanded on the Hawks. The first came just seconds after the draw which was won by NNF but stolen immediately for an uncontested chance and goal on the surprised Browne. The second came about 30 seconds later off an odd-man rush.

Finding themselves down and struggling it was Quinn Harris who began to right the ship. Fresh off a line change, he charged the net and one-timed a nice pass from the corner by Schmidt to bring the group within one. The shot was quick and just under the cross bar.

The score remained that way for the next ten minutes until Schmidt picked up a chip pass from Cilia at center ice and raced in front of the benches and by the Fox Lane defender cutting back across the ice and goal mouth, patiently waiting out the goaltender, and depositing the tying goal in the back of the net.

The third period began with the score still knotted at 3-3 but with a more inspired Hawk team. The juice paid off as just prior to the halfway mark of the period, after sustained pressure in the Fox Lane zone, it was Cilia with a similar shot as his first goal off a nice set up by D partner Ashton Albert for the eventual game winner. Just a minute after reclaiming the lead it was Schmidt again, on an eerily similar goal to his first, this time going the opposite direction but time-picking the short side to snap the puck home after Jack Albano set the play in motion with a good stop in neutral ice.

Capping the scoring with under five to play it was Schmidt with the hat trick, redirecting an Albert slapshot from the point, his third hatty of the season. This came with a second assist to Quinn Harris who fed Albert up the wall after continual zone time.

Netminder Browne came up big numerous times early when called upon to keep things within reach and ended the night with 22 saves. With the win the boys move to 8-1 this season and have qualified for the annual State Tournament. The remaining 11 games will be all about listening, learning, and improving as they hope to stack some wins and build points for a high seed in the tourney, coaches said.

The road won’t be easy as the Hawks are playing a bit shorthanded missing five to injury and illness. The injured will slowly begin to be reinserted into the lineup in the next two weeks as they rehab. The next two weeks bring top eight opponents New Milford, EO Smith and BBDI into the fold, which will test this group as they proceed.

The coaches reminded the boys of the next man up mentality and that as players they cannot just flip the switch to win games. The effort and attention to detail must be more consistent moving forward, coaches said.

NNF was to visit New Milford on Wednesday before ending the week, Saturday, January 20, at the University of Connecticut to play E.O. Smith and help support the annual Bender Classic featuring a few of Newtown’s finest versus the UConn PD in an effort that raises funds for the Special Olympics. The game is set for 5:25 pm.

The NNF JV group played a home game versus Shepaug Valley Regional and skated to a 2-2 tie on January 11. Jake DeBellis got things going with a nice one-timer after a two on one rush for his first goal of the campaign. Patrick Moody gave DeBellis a layup on a picture-perfect cross-ice pass in the slot to set it up. Luca Moura, subbing in for a few of the injured players, extended the lead with a hard, rising snapshot after a beautiful transition rush for an unassisted goal.

Unfortunately for the JV squad the Hawks couldn’t build on the lead as they peppered the Shepaug net but couldn’t corral a few rebounds to finish. Shepaug got on the board in the third period when a rising shot eluded a screened sophomore goalie Carter Bisson who made a play on the puck but couldn’t pick it off with the traffic in front. Shepaug scored again to salvage the tie.

Antonio DiBiase played a strong defensive game for the hometown kids and Bisson turned back 21 of 23 shots.