By Kim J. Harmon

They went from one edge to another.

The Lady Nighthawks were on the very edge of oblivion just a couple weeks ago, harboring a 1-6-3 record and the fear that their goal of reaching the CIAC state tournament for a second consecutive year would quickly be unattainable.

No one gave up sight of that goal, however.

Not the players.

Not the coach.

First-year coach Kathleen Davey was still talking state tournament back at 1-6-3 and even though she appeared to be grasping at straws, vainly trying to keep hope alive, her team nearly made her faith worthwhile.

The Lady Nighthawks won three of their next four games and with a 4-7-3 record had earned enough points (11) to qualify for a CIAC state tournament berth. But there was still one game left on the schedule – against undefeated Shepaug, a perennial powerhouse in Class S searching for the No. 1 seed in the upcoming tournament.

The ‘Hawks needed a tie.

What they got was a loss, 3-1, which knocked them out of the state tournament picture.

“They had the heart and their work ethic was good,” coach Davey explained. “Even when things were tough, they still worked hard. (At 1-6-3), they were jelling and starting to believe in themselves.”

Heading into the final game, there had been some half-hearted talk about it . . . because of the late date or because it was a non-league contest but mostly because neither team needed to play. State tournament berths were secure and, in the case of Shepaug, the No. 1 seed was assured.

Still, the ‘Hawks knew in their hearts they couldn’t back into the tournament that way.

They had to play.

But Shepaug had as much to play for as Newtown and wasn’t about to rest any of its starters for the game. Their strength up front and on defense soon overwhelmed the Lady Nighthawks. Shepaug took a 1-0 lead into the half and then scored two more goals in the second half for the eventual 3-1 victory.

Rebecca Mitchell scored the lone Newtown goal.

“We told the girls, ‘you’re hockey players now.’ They didn’t see themselves that way before,” said assistant coach Russ Davey. “It was a transformation they went through.”