ONONDAGA COUNTY – All season long, the Cicero-North Syracuse ice hockey team had fought to get above the .500 mark and improve its place in the Division I standings.
When the Northstars visited State Fair Coliseum last Tuesday night, it took on the Fayetteville-Manlius side that used to call the Twin Rinks home before moving across town.
Here, C-NS put together one of its best all-around games of the season, blanking the Hornets 4-0 as it took charge in the second period, scoring three times after a scoreless first.
Hayden Scott converted twice, with Drew Matyasik and Tyler Milewski getting the other goals. Andrew Davis, Tanner Long and Cole Prevost had one assist apiece.
F-M had plenty of its own opportunities throughout the night, but kept getting turned back by a stingy C-NS defense as goaltender Leyton Sullivan stopped all 30 shots he faced.
Two nights later, C-NS lost a 6-3 non-league decision to Oswego, the Buccaneers grabbing a 3-2 edge after an active first period and blanking the Northstars in the second to gain control.
No one on C-NS could stop Oswego’s Ian Cady, who piled up five goals. Scott, Kyle Debejian and Nate Bustin found the net for the Northstars, each of them also earning assists.
In its only game last week, Liverpool had to face a Baldwinsville side that had won 11 in a row and climbed to no. 10 in the state Division I rankings.
The Bees did get its 12th straight win, putting away the Warriors 5-1 despite another stellar performance in goal by James Welch.
All told, Welch would make 42 saves, but the Bees would start to solve him in the second period, a trio of goals producing a 3-0 advantage.
Two more goals followed in the third as, once again, B’ville’s production spread out. Five different players – Brayden Penafeather-Stevenson, Garrett Sutton, Mitch Burlingame, Nick Cary and Drew Flynn – earned those five goals.
Jamie Gipe chimed in with two goals. Single assists went to Kaleb Deluca, Brady Garcia and Zach Treichler as the Warriors only managed a third-period goal by Evan Haskins, with an assist from Cole Bradley.
