Off to a 1-2 start, the Liverpool ice hockey team would play on the road three times last week, starting with last Tuesday’s visit to Fulton, where it turned into a showcase for both goaltenders and the Warriors were often stymied, but still beat the Red Raiders 2-1.
Already well-known for his ability to stop anything thrown at him, Liverpool goalie Steve Kozikoski did so again on this night, facing 38 shots from Fulton and stopping 37 of them. Only Josh Dynka scored for the Red Raiders, assisted by Evan Beckwith and Stan Kubis.
And Kozikoski needed to be that good, since Fulton’s netminder, Spencer Evans, put in a spectacular effort, recording 48 saves to keep his team close. The Warriors did beat him twice, though, with goals from Bobby Welch and Rich Hart as Nate Dombroski and Jeff Gentile earned assists.
Then the Warriors were off to defend its title in the Ontario Bay Tournament, which began Friday night with Liverpool meeting Mohawk Valley and getting shut down during a 4-0 defeat to the Raiders.
Mohawk Valley, who had just lost to West Genesee two nights earlier, rebounded with a dominant effort where it limited Liverpool to eight shots and overcame Kozikoski’s 38 saves. Brad Mallinder and Eddie White each had one goal and one assist for the Raiders as Noah Lamie and Hunter Mazur got the other goals.
Relegated to Saturday’s consolation game against host Ontario Bay, the Warriors did win there, stopping the Storm 4-1, but even that required patience as the Warriors trailed, 1-0, before erupting for all of its goals in the third period to pull it out.
Welch and Jack Irwin, with two assists apiece, ignited the comeback, which saw Tom Bianchi earn one goal and one assist as Rocco Leone, John Coggiola and Nate Dombroski also find the net. Jeff Gentile, Kyle Terzini and Riley Thompson had one assist apiece.
Early-season returns for Cicero-North Syracuse had shown that it could clearly put the puck in the net. It was keeping the other side from doing the same that was the problem.
Having lost 7-5 to Auburn in its Dec. 4 opener, the Northstars welcomed Watertown IHC to the Twin Rinks last Monday night and proceeded to engage in another high-scoring affair, this one getting to overtime before C-NS lost, 6-5, to the Cavaliers.
What made this one more frustrating for C-NS partisans was that it led 1-0 after one period and that, despite IHC getting on the board, carried a 3-2 advantage to the third period, where it scored twice – and the Cavaliers still caught up.
In the OT period, IHC won it, overcoming a Northstars effort where Logan Field, with three assists, anchored an attack where five different players – Noah Koening, Parker Lane, Zach Matyasik, Brendan Villnave and Jacob Denbleyker – had the five goals, with Koening adding two assists and Dante Ianotti a single assist.
Jack Doren, in goal, recorded 26 saves, but still found himself assaulted by an IHC front line that included Trevor Christopher, who earned a three-goal hat trick, and Chandler Burgenstock, who scored twice and added three assists.
C-NS took its 0-2 record to the north country for a road trip that started Friday at Canton, where it lost a 6-2 decision, only to recover a day later and beat Potsdam 5-2 to get that elusive first victory.
Liverpool has just one game this week, hosting West Genesee at Lysander Arena, with C-NS hosting Rome Free Academy Monday before a game Friday against the Fayetteville-Manlius side with which it shares the Twin Rinks.
