By Kim J. Harmon

On a roll.

After stumbling out of the gate at 0-2, the Nighthawks have been on quite a roll, winning four of their last six games to even up their record at 4-4. It was a good week for the ‘Hawks, who beat up Danbury, 17-0, last Thursday before nipping Fitch of Groton, 9-6, on Monday.

Their brief two-game win streak, though, came to a halt down at Fairfield Prep on Wednesday. But Prep, a powerhouse, had to hold Newtown off hard as it beat the locals 13-9.

Sean Raby scored seven unassisted goals in the loss, the best single-game effort by a Newtown lacrosse player in four years.

And at 4-5, the ‘Hawks now have to get ready for a Saturday trip down to Westport to take on_Staples (the team that knocked the ‘Hawks out of the CIAC Division II playoffs last year).

Even though the ‘Hawks are a different team than last the year, they are a different team. Sean Raby and Matt Saunders may be leading the team with 21 and 17 goals, respectively, but offense has come from a variety of sources, with 13 different players scoring at least one goal this season. Saunders, Raby and John Conlon (11 goals) are all in double figures with Bryan Hamilton and Spencer D’Agostino (8 goals each) on the verge.

It’s a balanced team.

And with that balance, just about everybody had a chance to score on Danbury last Thursday at Bruce Jenner Stadium. Danbury, a new team to varsity lacrosse, was simply no match for the Nighthawks and it showed in a very unusual shutout.

The ‘Hawks were ahead 9-0 after one period and 14-0 at the half before the dogs were firmly called off.

In the first quarter, it was like rapid-fire target practice as Raby, Hamilton, Dan Maley and all scored in succession for a fast 4-0 Newtown lead. Hamilton followed up with his second goal and then D’Agostino and Conlon got into the act to give Newtown a 7-0 lead. Raby scored his second soon after and then Hamilton tallied his third of the quarter to lift the ‘Hawks into a 9-0 lead.

It didn’t stop there. Seconds after the opening face-off of the second period, Saunders scooped the ground ball, fired to Raby, who fired down to low post to Conlon for a quick goal. D’Agostino (on an assist from Ben Kunkel) and Raby (assist from Hamilton) both scored to give Newtown a 12-0 lead.

Then, showing how teammates work together, Casey Kirch assisted on a Matt Sullivan goal and then Sullivan returned the favor moments later by assisting on a Kirch goal to give the ‘Hawks a 14-0 halftime lead.

In the second half, the ‘Hawks spent most of their time passing the ball around the field. Conlon did find the net twice in the second half and Raby added his fourth of the game to give the ‘Hawks the 17-0 final.

Brad Bernstein finished with six saves in net.

The easy time the ‘Hawks had didn’t adversely affect them when they got stuck into a tight battle with Fitch of Groton on Monday. Saunders finished with four goals and an assist to lead the ‘Hawks to the 9-6 win.

The ‘Hawks took a 3-1 lead after the first period and a 5-2 lead at the half, but Fitch inched a little closer in the third quarter with three goals to Newtown’s two. But the ‘Hawks scored twice more in the fourth to hold off the Falcons.

Kirch finished with two goals and an assist while Hamilton had one goal and one assist. Conlon and Erik Martenson finished with goals and George Wurtz provided an assist. Bernstein and Shawn Gleason combined five saves as the ‘Hawks outshot the Falcons, 28-12.

Against Prep, the ‘Hawks stayed in the game largely because of great defensive play from Matt Garbarino, Drew Narcum and Mike Nitopi. Goaltender Shawn Gleason made 15 saves in an outstanding performance.

Of course, Raby continued to be nearly unstoppable on the offensive end with a staggering seven unassisted goals (the largest single-game scoring effort since Charlie Heinzer set the school record at eight in 1996). Scott Wargo (1997)_and former coach Scott Stampp (1988) also once scored seven goals in a game.

The effort gives Raby 21 goals for the season.

Saunders added two unassisted goals in the loss to Prep, giving him 17 for the season.