OSWEGO, NY — Men’s Basketball improved to 8-2 Friday night after the Lakers defeated Fredonia 67-44 as the team capitalized in the second half. The Laker defense solidified the win by holding the Blue Devils to 21 points in the half. The Oswego win was headed by junior Liam Sanborn who led on offense with 15 points along with senior Joe Sullivan who tallied 14 points. The Lakers improved to 2-1 in the SUNYAC conference as Oswego will finish out their season with conference game play. The team has another SUNYAC match up Saturday afternoon against Buffalo State at 4 p.m. in the Max Ziel Gymnasium.
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A Look Ahead: Oswego State men’s hockey prepares for SUNY Canton and SUNY Morrisville
OSWEGO N.Y. — After completing nine games into the season, the Oswego State men’s hockey team finds themselves second in the State University of New York Athletic Conference and trending upward towards the national poll. After starting slow with two losses against Hobart College and Elmira College the opening weekend, the Lakers were able to get back on track going 3-0-1 against SUNYAC opponents. The wins coming against opponents like SUNY Cortland, SUNY Brockport, and SUNY Potsdam. The 2-2 tie against Plattsburgh State was the only fall back during that four games stretch. The Geneseo Ice Knights came to the Deborah F. Stanley Arena on November 20th in anticipated match up. The Lakers would fall 6-1 to the Ice Knights after six unanswered goals over the course of the contest. Although the Lakers out shot the Ice Knights 23-17, Oswego could not find a way around Geneseo netminder Matt Petizian.
The Lakers were able to get back in the win column this past weekend with two wins against the Williams College Ephs. The 3-0 and 3-1 victories put Oswego at 5-3-1 overall record. Underclassmen Shane Bull and Garrett Clegg both had stand out weekends with Bull recording a goal and assist in each contest and Clegg with two goals and one assist. Clegg was named Oswego State Athletics Male Athlete of the Week due to his performances. Junior goaltender Steven Kozikoski has continued to come to form in between the pipes for Oswego State making 50 saves over the course of the two games and only allowing one goal. Kozikoski was named the SUNYAC Prestosports Goaltender of the Week due to his performances in this past weekend’s games.
Junior captain Travis Broughman is tied for the lead in points through the first nine games of the season. The forward has two goals and five assists for seven points in these contests. Connor Sleeth has matched that points total with one goal and six assists. The sophomore forward scored his first career collegiate goal in the Teal Game against Cortland and started the season with a six game point streak. On the defensive side, transfer Troy Robillard leads the team in blocks with a total of twelve. The junior defenseman has also tallied one goal and two assists for three points through his eight games played with the Lakers this season.
Around the SUNYAC
With most teams playing five games or more in the conference, SUNYAC fans have been able to see how the conference is going to shake out this season. Without any shock, the Geneseo Ice Knights lead the pack with a conference record of 4-0-0-0-1 with 13 points. Geneseo’s tie comes against Cortland two weekends ago. Their 13 points are followed up by the Cortland Red Dragons with 11 points. The Red Dragons are coming off a 4-1 win over the Morrisville State Mustangs Wednesday night. The Lakers who sit with 10 points and a conference record of 3-0-1-0-1 hold the third spot. Oswego State’s loss came against Geneseo in the Deborah F. Stanley Arena and their tie against the Plattsburgh State Cardinals on the North Country swing. Plattsburgh State and SUNY Brockport are tied for fourth with nine points. However, the Cardinals have already played seven conference games compared to the five the Golden Eagles have completed. The two teams out west, Buffalo State and Fredonia, both have six points and conference records of 2-0-1-0-0. Rounding out the conference, Morrisville and Potsdam are both looking for their first wins of the season after starting 0-0-5-0-0 and 0-0-6-0-0. As the fall semester finishes up, a similar picture has emerged. Geneseo remains to be the top dog in the conference after winning the SUNYAC Championship in 2019-20, and everyone else is chasing the number one team in the nation.
Around the Nation
After five weeks of the United States College Hockey Online Division III poll, Oswego State fans have been able to see where the Lakers fall compared to the rest of Division III hockey. Throughout the beginning of the season, the Lakers have been receiving two to four votes per week. Compared to the rest of the SUNYAC, Oswego is one of just three teams currently listed in the poll that represent the conference. Geneseo remained at number one for the fourth straight week receiving eighteen first place votes. The Ice Knights have an 8-0-1 record overall and will not face Oswego State until February 5th when the Lakers travel back to Geneseo. SUNY Brockport also has received votes the first five weeks of the season, but has been decreasing in the votes count due to loses the past couple of weeks. The Golden Eagles got four votes this past week after a 2-3 lost to Connecticut College and a 7-1 victory over Chatham University in the Skidmore College tournament.
As the national poll stands right now, Oswego State will play three more teams that find themselves in the national poll. The first being January 1st in the Oswego State Hockey Classic as current #4 Augsburg University takes on the Lakers at 7:00 p.m. in the Deborah F. Stanley Arena. Eight days later, Oswego will travel down Interstate 90 to take on current #3 Utica College in a Sunday afternoon contest on January 9th. This will the second contest between these two non-conference opponents this season after the Pioneers found themselves victorious in a preseason match up in the Deborah F. Stanley Arena. The final nationally ranked opponent will be the SUNYAC match up on February 5th in Geneseo.
A Look Ahead
Heading into this weekend, Oswego State sets their sights on SUNY Canton and then SUNY Morrisville. Friday night, the Lakers will head two and a half hours up north to take on the Kangaroos in a non-conference battle. Canton comes into the match up posting a 2-2-1 record and on a one game losing streak. Recently, the Kangaroos canceled their holiday tournament due to COVID-19 protocols. This will be the second contest these two teams will play this season after SUNY Canton dropped an exhibition match up to the Lakers earlier in October. This game gives Oswego another opportunity to continue their win streak and gain national attention as the season continues on.
On Saturday, the Lakers will head home for another SUNYAC match up in the Deborah F. Stanley Arena. The Morrisville State Mustangs will return to Oswego to add another chapter to the two team’s history books. The last time the Lakers faced the Mustangs, it was a 7-0 victory on February 15th, 2020. The Lakers have won the last seventeen match ups against the Mustangs and have only dropped one game against Morrisville. Special teams will have an impact on Saturday’s match up as the Lakers post a 25.0 percent power play efficiency compared to the Mustang’s penalty kill that is below an 80.0 percent success rate. Morrisville comes to Oswego after losing Wednesday night to Cortland 4-1. Oswego looks to continue their success in the conference as the team chases the top spot in the SUNYAC. Saturday night is also the annual Teddy Bear Toss game for Oswego State men’s hockey. On the first goal, Oswego State fans are asked to throw teddy bears on the ice. If fans can not attend, there is an online donation portal. Click here for the link.
How to Tune In
Hockey Night in Oswego on WTOP 10 kicks off at 6:30 p.m. on Twitch and on campus on Channel 10.2. Oswego State fans can find puck drop at 7:00 p.m. on WTOP 10. WNYO, SUNY Oswego’s radio station, will also be broadcasting the game live on their website and on 88.9 FM.
Image Provided by Shelby Peplowski, WTOP 10 Photography Department
SUNYAC Standings Provided by the SUNYAC website
USCHO Division III National Poll Provided by the USCHO website
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Lakers Fall Short Against Bears
POTSDAM, NY- The Lakers fell short to the Potsdam Bears 64-54 in Potsdam on Saturday in a game where the Lakers took the lead early but were unable to capitalize in the second half.The first quarter started off the way the Lakers wanted to draw it up as both Logan Castiglione and Shania Iglesias connected on three-pointers to give the Lakers a 6-2 lead with 8:11 in the first quarter. Castiglione would lead the Lakers at the end of the first quarter with eight points including two three-pointers. The Lakers would shoot from over 50% in the field in the first. The Lakers would lead 17-9 at the end of the first quarter.
The second quarter started with the Bears going on a 9-0 run to take an 18-17 lead over the Lakers. The Lakers struggled from the field only shooting from 25% in the quarter. Shania Iglesias led the Lakers with nine points at the half. The Lakers barely edged out the Bears at the half leading 26-24.
The second half started with Karleigh Leo making a layup to give the Lakers a 28-24 lead early in the third. After a missed three-pointer by Diamond Pickett, the Bears went on a 6-0 run that included a three-pointer as they took a 35-29 with 3:57 left in the third. The Bears managed to shoot at 57.14% from the field in third compared to Oswego’s 40%. The Bears would knock down three three-pointers in the third as they led the Lakers 43-39 at the end of the third quarter.
The Lakers managed to cut the lead to two with two Diamond Pickett free-throws. Karleigh Leo would hit the Lakers only three-pointer of the second half to cut the Potsdam lead to two at 48-46. The Lakers were unable to rally to tie the game or take the lead as the Bears maintained their lead throughout the rest of the fourth quarter. The Bears would knock down three more three-pointers in the fourth quarter as they would score six total three-pointers in the second half. The Bears would go on to win 64-54.
The Lakers will face off in Plattsburgh against the Cardinals on Sunday, December 11th at Memorial Hall. The Cardinals are coming off an embarrassing blowout to Cortland 70-39.
PHOTO CREDITS PROVIDED BY OSWEGO STATE ATHLETICS
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Oswego State Softball Sweeps Buffalo State on the Road
BUFFALO, N.Y. — Oswego State Softball went on the road Wednesday, April 14th for a SUNYAC West doubleheader at Buffalo State in which the Lakers got the sweep by scores of 8-5 and 9-7. Oswego had a 24 hit day, as the Lakers who were 1-4 at one point, are now on a three game win streak with a 4-4 overall record and 3-3 conference record. The Lakers lineup had not hit a home run through their first six games of the 2021 season, before hitting five across two games against Buffalo State.
Oswego hit a home run in each of the first three innings of game one, and six extra base hits in the early game. Zoe Mennig set the tone for the Lakers in her first at bat of the day, in the top of the first inning of game one with a two run home run. Samantha Morgan kept it going with two outs in the top of the second with a solo shot of her own. Fiona Higgins picked up her first home run of the season on a two run home run in the second, and Mennig made it back to back with her second of the day. Mennig and Morgan both had three hit days to go with three RBIs for the former, and two RBIs for the latter, in the 8-5 Lakers win.
In game two the Lakers picked up a run in the first inning for the third straight game. Oswego went off for a six run first inning, as the Lakers batted around and got RBIs from three different players, each RBI coming with two outs. Taylor DuBois had an RBI double to start the scoring, and Fiona Higgins scored on a wild pitch to the following batter Ellie Mahoney. Leah Czerwinski would slap an RBI single up the middle, and get driven in by the following batter Samantha Morgan courtesy of a three run shot, Morgan’s second home run of the day. Buffalo State answered back in the bottom of the first with six runs of their own, and each team would tack on a run between the second and fifth innings. It was a 7-7 score heading into the sixth inning before Mennig and DuBois went back to back with a pair of RBI singles, to win the game 9-7. Additional contributions in game two came from Madelana Wrubel who was 3-5, and Madison Hoeflich who threw four shutout innings of one hit pitching in relief.
The second win completes the softball team’s first doubleheader sweep since April 22nd 2019 against Fredonia. Oswego softball returns to the field in a SUNYAC West doubleheader at home, against Fredonia Sunday, April 18th at 2:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. at the Oswego softball field. WTOP 10 will have all the action with the doubleheader being broadcasted by the television station.
