It was a rematch of last year’s championship game, but the circumstances were far different this time around.

Matched up against top-seeded EO Smith-Tolland in the first round of the Division III state tournament on March 9, the No. 16 Newtown High School’s hockey team — which qualified for the playoffs thanks to a wild win in their regular-season finale — were outmatched and suffered a 10-0 defeat on the University of Connecticut campus in Storrs.

Just getting into the playoffs, however, was a nice accomplishment for the defending state champs given that their roster was all but completely gutted by graduation last spring.

“This biggest thing for us was to get into the tournament so the young guys see what it’s like,” said Newtown Coach Paul Esposito, whose roster is loaded with freshmen and sophomores.

Newtown went 4-16 this year, capping off the regular slate with a 6-5 victory over visiting Wethersfield-Rocky Hill-Middletown at Danbury Ice Arena in a must-win contest on March 5.

In that game, Ethan Cox scored a hat-trick and Domenic Cartelli netted two goals to help the Nighthawks prevail. Cartelli broke a 5-5 deadlock on a slap shot from just inside the blue line with just 19 seconds left in regulation.

Jack Hanley also scored, and Nick Chaloux made 31 saves for the Nighthawks. The Hawks trailed 1-0 after one period of play before scoring five straight goals. They had four in the second period alone, three of which came in a span of 1:02. The Wethersfield-led team clawed back with four consecutive goals of its own before Cartelli got the game-winner.

Chaloux made a sprawling save to keep his team within a goal late in the opening stanza. Cartelli used his speed to outrace a defender to a loose puck and scored on a breakaway to even the game midway through the second. Cox banged home goal from in close for a 2-1 lead only 17 seconds later. Just 45 seconds later it was 3-1 thanks to Hanley’s power play goal with 6:08 to play. Cox added to the lead in the final minute of the period and scored again early in the third.

Devin Marsh assisted three goals, Lucas O’Brien assisted two, and Matthew Pelisson, Ben Harrison, Sean Ferris, Cox, and Hanley all had helpers in the pivotal victory.

The Nighthawks, this winter, were involved in a handful of one-goal games and found a way to get wins in four of them. 

“The kids worked hard all year. There was never any lack of effort,” Esposito said.