Liverpool’s ice hockey team began a week of non-league action that bridged 2014 and 2015 with a .500 mark, hoping at least to stay in that general range by the time it went back to the Division I ranks at the midway point of the regular season.
The Warriors, off for 11 days since at 5-2 win over Watertown IHC on Dec. 18, returned to action last Monday night, visiting defending Section III Division II champion Auburn, and struggled all the way through a 6-2 defeat to the Maroons.
Down 1-0 early after Jake Morin’s goal 2:26 into the game, the Warriors tied it, 1-1, late in the first period, only to get run over in the second period.
During that frame, Auburn, out-shooting Liverpool 21-1 in that frame, put up three unanswered goals, the last of them coming from Brian Franceschelli with just 14.8 seconds left in the period The Warriors could not recover, the deficit growing to 6-1 in the third period before a late goal made it a bit closer.
Kyle Terzini and Bobby Welch got credit for the Warriors’ goals, with Tom Bianchi assisting on both scoring plays and Parker Boyer adding an assist. Steven Kozikoski finished with 26 saves as Franceschelli (two goals), Morin (one goal, two assists) and Kaiden Tubbert (three assists) set the pace for the Maroons’ attack.
Without any rest, the Warriors went to Oswego less than 24 hours later and, somehow, played its best hockey in the final period to break open a tight affair and beat the Buccaneers 5-2 at Crisafulli Rink.
The aura of “The Fort” helped Oswego match Liverpool’s production in a 2-2 first period. A long stalemate followed, both sides getting plenty of chances, but not converting.
Once the Warriors pushed in the go-ahead goal early in the third period, though, it took charge, tacking on two more insurance goals to support Kozikoski, who again got 26 saves.
Donny Husted scored twice to lead a deep, well-balanced attack. Welch, Carson Ferguson and Nick Northrup earned one goal apiece, with Bianchi and Nate Bittel each getting a pair of assists. Welch and Tyler Garofalo also had assists.
Yet another non-league game awaited Liverpool on Friday at Cortland-Homer. Looking for back-to-back wins, the Warriors instead fell flat in a 4-1 defeat to the Golden Eagles.
Bianchi’s first-period goal had Liverpool in front 1-0, but Cortland-Homer goalie Tyler Wallace turned everything else back from that point forward, getting 33 saves overall, and the Golden Eagles scored twice in each of the last two periods as Josh Button, Mike May, Nick Johnson and Danny Turck each found the net.
This moved the Warriors back below .500 (5-6), something it hoped to fix as it hosted Watertown IHC Wednesday before facing Fayetteville-Manlius Friday at Cicero Twin Rinks.
