For two straight weekends, the Cicero-North Syracuse ice hockey team had high-profile games wiped out by winter weather.
First, it was the C-NS Optimist Tournament on Jan. 5 and 6. Then, a week later, when the Northstars wanted to make up one of those games against CBA/Jamesville-DeWitt at the War Memorial, it got snowed out, too.
It cleared up long enough for C-NS to visit Rome’s Kennedy Arena last Tuesday night for a game against Mohawk Valley, where the Northstars, coming off back-to-back defeats to Ithaca and Syracuse, broke that skid, beating the Raiders 4-2.
A quick start was key as C-NS grabbed a 2-0 lead by the end of the first period. Mohawk Valley fought back with second-period goals by Dan Deal and Hunter Mazur, but the Northstars struck once in each of the last two periods to stay out in front.
Four different players – Matt Cramer, Robert Mitchell, Nick Sciore and Carter Wisely – had the four goals, with assists going to Jake DenBleyker, Casey Koenig and Holden Sarosy. Jack Doren again was strong in the net, stopping 30 of 32 shots he faced.
From there, C-NS proceeded to Crisafulli Rink for Friday’s game at Oswego. The Buccaneers, from the Division II ranks, proved quite tough and would play the Northstars to a 3-3 tie.
Cramer and DenBleyker both had a goal and assist, with Wisely also finding the net. Logan Ungelich and Ethan Osgood added assists as Doren got 20 saves, but allowed Oswego’s Kyle Decker to score twice as Ike Calvarese had the Bucs’ other tally.
Meanwhile, Liverpool remained in fourth place in the Division I National Conference, safe for a playoff spot, but unable to move up the standings.
The Warriors took a 5-2 defeat to Rome Free Academy last Tuesday at Lysander Ice Arena, watching the Black Knights build a 4-0 lead through two periods as Tom Yoxall (two goals) and Danny Mecca (one goal, two assists) led the visitors.
Finally, Liverpool got on the board in the third period as Bobby Welch assisted on goals by Pat Langlois and Jack Irwin. Before that, though, RFA goalie Ethan Siderine kept them out, finishing with 25 saves as Warriors netminder Gavin Buza had 16 saves.
Hosting Thousand Islands Friday night, the Warriors found itself in a wild battle where it scored more than enough goals to win most game, yet still lost, 9-7.
They were tied 2-2 through one period and 6-6 after two periods. By game’s end, Carson Ferguson and Anthony Bentley had each scored two goals, with Welch getting a goal and two assists. Dylan Husted and John Coggiola both finished with one goal and one assist as Connor Boland managed two assists and Langlois also had an assist.
With no time to rest, Liverpool played again on Saturday and lost, 5-2, to Hilton, from the Section V ranks. Goals by Welch and Langlois, each of them assisted by Coggiola, kept the Warriors within range, 3-2, through two periods, but the Cadets got away in the final period despite 26 saves by Gavin Buza.
Liverpool would host Cazenovia Tuesday at Lysander Arena and then go to Clinton Thursday as C-NS, after playing Fulton Tuesday, makes up both of the postponed CBA/J-D games this weekend, one of them Friday at Onondaga Nation Arena, the other Saturday at the War Memorial.
