The last days of 2016 and the first days of 2017 included the most difficult stretch of the Cicero-North Syracuse ice hockey team schedule.

All of it started on Dec. 30, at the Twin Rinks, when the Northstars welcomed state no. 2-ranked West Genesee. Proving again its high worth, the Wildcats spread its offense around, controlled the puck most of the game and handed C-NS a 7-1 defeat.

For two periods, the Northstars chased WG around the rink when it wasn’t in a defensive mode. Trey Nordin-Abbey would finish with 36 saves, but the Wildcats still built a 5-0 edge through two periods, led by Jay Considine (two goals, two assists) and Marshall Winn (two goals, one assist).

Though C-NS took 16 shots, it wasn’t until Jacob Denbleyker’s third-period goal, assisted by Matt Cramer and Gehrig Sarosy, that it got on the board, by which point WG was comfortably in front.

Now the Northstars had to go to Meachem Rink to face another state-ranked opponent, the Syracuse Cougars, last Tuesday night for its first 2017 assignment. For a long while, C-NS looked poised for an upset, but things fell apart late in a 5-1 loss to the Cougars.

Sarosy scored in the first period, with Den Bleyker and Cramer picking up assists, to put C-NS up, 1-0. It stayed that way until Syracuse pulled even in the second period and continued to attack on Northstars goalie Jack Doren, who finished the night with 34 saves.

That cumulative pressure led to a four-goal third-period Cougars surge, anchored by Bryan O’Mara, who earned four assists. Philip Zollo scored twice, with Matt Eccles getting a goal and two assists.

Now it was time for the C-NS Optimist Tournament, where the Northstars would end up facing Syracuse again in the finals – but only after it won in last Friday night’s opening-round game against Oswego, recording a 6-3 victory over the Buccaneers.

Steadily, C-NS built a 5-2 lead on Oswego through two periods as Zach Matyasik, with two goals and two assists, and Logan Field, with two goals and one assist, led the charge.

Sarosy added a goal and assist as Denbleyker picked up the other goal and Parker Lane added an assist. Though the Bucs applied pressure throughout the night, Doren was up to it, finishing with 40 saves.

Syracuse shut out CBA/Jamesville-DeWitt 3-0, so Saturday’s final was a rematch of the game earlier in the week, and it followed the same pattern, too, an early Northstars lead melting in the face of relentless pressure and leading to a 6-2 defeat.

C-NS had the lone goal in the opening period, and it was still 2-2 through two periods. Goals by Josh Ludden and Logan Ungelich, with Field assisting on both scoring plays and Matyasik also getting an assist, made this possible, as did more great work by Doren, who was on his way to 38 saves.

Having taken just nine shots all game, the Northstars found itself pinned in its own end in the third period, which led to four straight Syracuse goals, just as what happened in the final period earlier in the week. Ryan Eccles, with two goals and one assist, led the Cougars’ well-balanced attack.

Far from all this, Liverpool, who entered the new year with a 3-4 record, climbed to the .500 mark last Wednesday night at Lysander Arena, claiming a 4-1 victory over the Mohawk Valley Raiders in its only game last week.

All of the Warriors’ offense was generated in the first two periods. Tyler Dorval scored twice, while Bobby Welch and Anthony Terranova earned one goal apiece. Assists were credited to Pat Langlois, Carson Ferguson, Jeff Gentile and John Coggiola.

Other than a first-period goal by Henry Froass, Mohawk Valley could not put anything past an airtight Warriors defense anchored by goaltender Sebastian Jesmore, who stopped 26 of the 27 shots he faced.

Liverpool returns to the Twin Rinks Monday night to face Fayetteville-Manlius before hosting Rome Free Academy Thursday night at Lysander Arena. C-NS would have its own game with F-M Wednesday and hosts Mohawk Valley on Friday.