Though schools were off during the holidays, the Cicero-North Syracuse ice hockey team was far from idle, challenging itself in a two-day trip to the Albany area.
First, the Northstars faced Bethlehem (Section II), the state’s no. 7-ranked Division I team, and was unable to keep pace, taking a 7-3 defeat to the Eagles.
Though C-NS got a goal in each period, Bethlehem stayed in front of them, keeping Northstars goaltender Jordan Miller busy as he finished the game with 33 saves.
Goals were scored by Tyler Murray, Josh Matyasik and Nick Sciore, with assists credited to Jake Den Bleyker, Matt Cramer and Holden Sarosy.
C-NS would look to turn it around the next day against Shaker/Colonie, and did so in a big way, netting four unanswered goals in each of the first two periods to build an 8-0 advantage as it went on to prevail 9-2.
At the forefront of this attack, Den Bleyker netted a three-goal hat trick, adding an assist as Carter Wisely matched that point total thanks to two goals and two assists.
Murray scored twice and Cramer had three assists, with Sarosy adding a goal and two assists. Dan Quick contributed a goal and assist as Nate Wagner had two assists. Single assists went to Matyasik, Sciore, Ethan Osgood, Ricky Reilly and Nate Sorbello.
Without much rest, C-NS had another road trip last Wednesday night, traveling to Whitesboro, and it got shut down most of the way in a 3-1 defeat to the Warriors.
They were scoreless until the second period, when Whitesboro found the net twice, fired up by the work of goaltender Cameron Manley, who stopped 35 of the 36 C-NS shots he faced.
Not until the third period did the Northstars solve Manley with Murray’s goal, assisted by Sciore and Quick. Andrei Terenzetti put in two of Whitesboro’s three goals, with the other going to Andrew Maycock.
Liverpool, off for two weeks after a Dec. 21 9-0 shutout win over Mohawk Valley, faced Batavia Notre Dame on Friday at Lysander Ice Arena and, led by Connor Boland, won big again, this time 8-1.
The Warriors built a 4-0 advantage through two periods and then doubled that total in the final period as Boland continually found himself open and converted, to the tune of five goals.
Matt Gagnon (three assists) and Anthony Benedetto (two assists) helped out Boland as Jack Irwin, Marco Palumbo and Logan Switzer Hand also earned goals. Irwin joined Pat Langlois, Chris Zimmer, Joe Terranova, Matt Markusz and Kyle Kirkby in the assist column.
Back on the ice Tuesday night, Liverpool hosted defending sectional Division I champion Syracuse Tuesday before CBA/Jamesville-DeWitt visits on Friday.
As that goes on, C-NS has three games this week, hosting Cazenovia Monday and going to Ithaca Wednesday before a key battle with Baldwinsville Friday night at the Twin Rinks.
