Zac Case

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Sports

Game Recap: Syracuse defeats Oswego

By Zac Case — 5 years ago
Graphic Provided by WNYO Sports Department

OSWEGO, NY — Thursday evening the Oswego Boys Buccaneers Hockey team faced off against the Syracuse Cougars in a contest played inside the Crisafulli Ice Rink. The Cougars would have no problem with the Buccaneers as the game finished with a 4-0 score in favor of Syracuse. The game would be scoreless heading into the final minutes of the first period before the Cougars added to past Oswego goaltender Brandon Demling. Syracuse would continue to add to their goal total in the second period as the Cougars would tally one more before the end of stanza. Oswego would look to put one up on the scoreboard before the end of the contest but would be unsuccessful as the Cougars finished the season on a high note.

Oswego will head into Friday night’s contest at 7-7 on the season as the Buccaneers welcome Cazenovia into the Crisafulli Ice Rink. Oswego wraps up their season at home with their game against Cazenovia and then Watertown on Saturday. Tomorrow’s game is Senior Night for the Buccaneers as the team honors their seven seniors which includes captain Adam Michalski and injured Ryan Bartlett. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. from Fort Ontario and WNYO will have the game broadcasted over their airwaves. WTOP 10 will continue to cover the Oswego Buccaneers Hockey team until the season concludes on Saturday.

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Sports

Game Recap: Skaneateles defeats Girls Buccaneers Hockey

By Zac Case — 5 years ago
Graphic Provided by WNYO Sports Department

OSWEGO, NY — The Oswego Girls Buccaneers Hockey team skated against the Skaneateles Lakers Wednesday evening. The Buccaneers would fall to the Lakers in overtime by a score of 5-4. Oswego was able to head into the second period trailing Skaneateles 2-1 after Aliana Diblasi tallied her second goal of the season the powerplay. Skaneateles would add two more in the second stanza but Oswego forward Mia Fierro would score her third on the year to put the Lakers within two heading into the final period. On Senior Night, captain Amelia Rastley would rip a shot past the Skaneateles goaltender to score her first goal of the season. Oswego would tie the game with under five minutes to go as freshman forward Lily Hunter scored her first varsity goal on the rush. The shot would push the teams into overtime before a redirected shot would get past Nyah Dawson who had a steady game in between the pipes for the Buccaneers.

Oswego will finish off their season on home ice as the Clinton Warriors travel into the Crisafulli Ice Rink Saturday morning. Clinton is currently undefeated heading into the contest and defeated the Oswego group 4-2 just over a week ago. Puck drop is set for 10:30 a.m. and WNYO will be broadcasting the game on 88.9 FM. WTOP 10 will continue to deliver content on the Oswego Girls Buccaneers Hockey team until the season concludes in the coming days.

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Sports

Oswego Buccaneers Hockey get set for Final Three Games

By Zac Case — 5 years ago

OSWEGO, NY — The Oswego Boys Buccaneers hockey team returns home after a weeklong road trip. The team was able to collect four wins which featured two shutouts and a few closer contests in which Oswego was able to outscore their opponents. The road trip started with a 7-0 win over Ontario Bay and ended down in Auburn with a 5-3 victory over the Maroons. During the week, the Bucs traveled to Fulton to face off against the rival Red Raiders on Wednesday, March 3rd. The team took a day off and then traveled to Syracuse to battle Liverpool. The 7-0 win featured an offensive performance as Oswego was able to continue to put pucks in the back of the net. Brandon Demling collected all four wins for Oswego in between the pipes and allowed only four goals over the course of the week.

Graphic Provided by the WNYO Sports Department

Kevin Ahern and the rest of the coaching staff now get the team set for three games to complete the 2021 season. All the contests will be played in the Crisafulli Ice Rink located at Fort Ontario. The 7-6 Buccaneers welcome in the Syracuse Cougars Thursday night for a special Teal Game match up. The Division I team out of Syracuse has had a solid season so far and ends their 2021 schedule in Oswego. Friday night, Cazenovia will play their fifth game of the season against the Buccaneers. The away team has had a shorter schedule due to the COVID-19 pandemic but will do battle against the Buccaneers. Oswego will close out their season against Watertown IHC Saturday night. Watertown has only played one game so far this season and Saturday is the last day of the Section III Hockey season. All puck drops are set for 7 p.m. and games will be broadcasted over the WNYO airwaves. WTOP 10 will continue to deliver content on the Oswego Buccaneer Hockey team on our website and social media pages.

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Sports

Game Recap: Skaneateles beats Oswego

By Zac Case — 5 years ago

OSWEGO, NY — Thursday evening, the Oswego Boys Buccaneers Hockey team took on the Skaneateles Lakers inside the Crisafulli Ice Rink. The Section III matchup featured two teams in division two that were used to seeing each other during a season. Both groups have seen each other before as Oswego kicked off their season on the road in Skaneateles. The Bucs would fall to the Lakers 7-2 but would-be prepared heading into this contest after coming off a win the night before against Auburn.

Graphic Provided by Live Sports Department of WNYO

The Lakers would open the scoring in the first period after Luke Renaud would tally his first goal of the contest. He would add another to his season total later in the game. Oswego would trail 1-0 heading into the second period as Brayden Demling had a strong performance in net to keep the contest within one goal. He would have a total of 31 saves in the contest and play all 45 minutes in between the pipes for the Buccaneers.

In the second stanza, the Lakers would start to extend their lead as the team would add three more goals. Oswego would answer in the third period with a Collin Cianfarano goal that was assisted by Marcus Baker and Brayden Miller. This tally would be the Bucs only goal of the evening as the Lakers would continue their dominance in the final stanza with three more goals to add to their total. Skaneateles netminder Adam Casper would make 13 saves in route to the victory.

Skaneateles extends their win streak to 48 and stays undefeated on the season. Oswego will take the weekend off and reset for another match up next Tuesday against the Ontario Bay Storm. The last time these two teams met was earlier on in the season, with Oswego coming away with a 5-0 win. WTOP 10 will continue to provide updates on Oswego high school hockey all season long on our social media pages and website.

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Sports

Game Recap: Oswego Takes Down Auburn

By Zac Case — 5 years ago

OSWEGO, NY — Wednesday evening, the Oswego Buccaneers Boys Hockey team returned home for another Section III Hockey matchup, this time against division rival Auburn. The Maroons traveled to the Crisafulli Ice Rink with a three-game losing streak in tow as the Bucs look to turn around their season, also being on their own slide. Oswego has played two games the past two nights with four games scheduled in four straight days. Baldwinsville and the Christian Brother Academy were able to defeat the Buccaneers, both my multiple goals.

Graphic Provided by Live Sports Department of WNYO

The Bucs would turn to their offense against the Maroons as Joe Diblasi buries his fourth goal of the season to put Oswego ahead of Auburn. The period would end with that lone goal along with a solid performance from both goaltenders. Oswego would add another in the second period off a Frank Winchek redirect that came from Adam Michalski’s shot.

The Maroons would eventually answer in the third period but would not be enough as the Buccaneers put three more behind Marrons netminder Mason Jones. Captain Michalski would tally two goals in the final stanza to finish with three points in the contest. Diblasi would add one more to his goal totals on a breakaway opportunity. At the other end of the rink, goaltender Brayden Demling would secure the victory with one goal against and a .950 save percentage.

Oswego will host the Skaneateles Lakers tonight at the Fort Ontario as the teams are set for a 7 p.m. puck drop. The Lakers have been one of the better teams in the section this year as the team is 8-0. The Buccaneers could hand the Lakers their first lost of the season but would need to play a complete 45 minutes of hockey this evening. WNYO will have the broadcast live on 88.9 FM along with online at their website wnyo889.org/listen. WTOP 10 will continue to deliver news regarding high school hockey in Oswego on all social media platforms.

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Sports

SUNYAC announces return of Spring Sports

By Zac Case — 5 years ago

OSWEGO, NY — Tuesday afternoon, SUNY Chancellor Jim Malatras announced that the SUNYAC conference will be returning on March 20th with spring sports. The sports of baseball, men’s and women’s lacrosse, softball, women’s tennis, and men’s and women’s outdoor track & field will all return as all of their seasons were cancelled last year when the COVID-19 pandemic begun.

The conference will be split into east and west divisions to limit travel and cost expenditures. The divisions will be based on geographic location with Interstate-81 being used to split New York state in two. For the sports of Women’s lacrosse and softball, two five team divisions will be used. Since Fredonia and Buffalo State do not sponsor men’s lacrosse programs, Cortland will compete in the west division and there will only be four teams per division. Lastly, women’s tennis will be without Buffalo State and Potsdam due to their lack of teams.

The other details that were announced yesterday regarding this decision revolve around logistical aspects of this season. Masks will be warn at all time except during the heat of the competition. No spectators will be allowed to watch games in person due to current New York State Department of Health guidelines. There will be regular weekly testing through each campus for athletes and team officials. Along with that, athletes will be tested three days prior to road trips. On those trips, no eating will be allowed on the buses and capacity must be reduced to 50 percent. During the game, there should be no handshakes and group celebrations.

SUNYAC Commissioner Tom DiCamillo stated that there will be more guidelines announced later along with schedules for every team and school. As of right now, the season will be opened with two women’s lacrosse match ups as Cortland plays Plattsburgh and Potsdam travels to Oneonta. WTOP 10 will continue to deliver news regarding SUNYAC spring sports in the future.

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Sports

Game Recap: Oswego Hockey falls to Baldwinsville

By Zac Case — 5 years ago

OSWEGO, NY — Monday evening, the Oswego Boys Buccaneers Hockey team welcomed the Baldwinsville Bees into the Crisafulli Ice Rink for a Section III Hockey matchup. The Bees were on a mission to snap a two-game losing streak while Oswego looked to start a four-game series off on a high note. Senior goaltender Brayden Demling would once again start in net for Oswego but would not last that long as freshman forward Sam Ciappa would net his first goal of the game. The Bee would later tally two more for a hat trick in his first season with the team. But, that would come after Demling was replaced by backup netminder Mason Kurilovitch. This would be the first time the goaltender has seen action in the first period, and would later give up three goals during his time in between the posts. Marcus Baker would score the first Buccaneer goal before the end of the first stanza to make it a 3-1 hockey game.

Graphic provided by the Live Sports Department of WNYO

Lukas Cady was able to tally his third goal of the season on the powerplay in the first part of the second period. However, Baldwinsville would not look back. The Bees would add two more in the period and cap off the game with an additional tally in the third period. Sophomore netminder Jon Schirmer would allow two goals in the contest and get his second win of the season in net for the Bees.

Oswego now sets sail for the Christian Brothers Academy of Syracuse as the two teams face off for the second time in four days. The familiar foes will drop the puck at 8:30 p.m. at the Coliseum located at the New York State Fairgrounds. On Saturday, the Brothers defeated the Bucs 6-2 at the Fort Ontario. WTOP 10 will continue to bring Oswego Buccaneers fans coverage of the 2021 season for the Oswego Boys Buccaneers Hockey team.

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Sports

Weekend Recap: Oswego Bucs Hockey

By Zac Case — 5 years ago

OSWEGO, NY — This past weekend, there were three hockey games completed in the Crisafulli Ice Rink located on the banks of Lake Ontario. Both the Oswego Boys Buccaneers team and the Oswego Girls Buccaneers team competed against Section III opponents with mixed results coming from the contests.

Friday afternoon, the Oswego Girls team faced off against the Skaneateles Lakers. The Lakers, a past Section III champion, showed up in full force in the contest as the group was able to take care of the Buccaneers. The Lakers would score two in the first period and add three more in the final stanza to secure their first win of the season. Oswego was unable to add to the score sheet as goaltender Isabelle Wells had a shutout and ten saves for Skaneateles. Oswego will take the week off from competition and start their second game of the 2021 season against Skaneateles on the road. Puck drop is set for 6:30 p.m. on March 1st.

That evening, the Oswego boys Buccaneers would take the ice once again for their second matchup at home. The Bucs would face the Cicero-North Syracuse Northstars for the first time this season. Oswego would open the scoring in the first period off a Marcus Baker tally. The Buccaneers would finish the second period up 6-2 after five goals were scored during the stanza. CNS would come back in the third period but would come up short thanks to a solid performance between the pipes for Brayden Demling. The netminder had 24 saves in the contest. Forward Collin Cianfarano would have a five-point night with three goals and two assists.

However, Oswego would not have the same result the following evening. The Christian Brothers Academy of Syracuse would travel to the Crisafulli Ice Rink and come away with a 6-2 victory. The team would extend it’s win streak after three goals in the third period. Connor Calabro would make an appearance in net after relieving a struggling Demling. Calabro would allow two goals and have eight saves in his 11 minutes played. Oswego will prepare for four games in four nights with Baldwinsville traveling north for a Monday night matchup. The teams will do battle at the fort at 7 p.m. as Oswego looks to start this new week on a high note. WTOP 10 will continue to deliver updates on social media along with recaps on the website.

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Sports

Oswego Buccaneers defeat Ontario Bay in dominating fashion

By Zac Case — 5 years ago

OSWEGO, NY — The Oswego Buccaneers Boys Hockey team kicked off their 2021 season last Thursday against Skaneateles. The Bucs would fall to the Lakers 7-2 and would return home on Sunday to face off against the Ontario Bay Storm. The Valentines Day matchup featured a team looking to rebound and a group that wanted to get a win in their first contest of the shortened season.

Oswego would start senior netminder Brandon Demling who was pulled in the 2nd period against Skaneateles. The goaltender would be perfect in the contest as the upperclassmen led his team to a 5-0 victory. There was plenty of offense in the game which was lacking on the Buccaneer’s side the previous contest. The Bucs would kick off the scoring off the stick of senior Joe Diblasi. The senior would add another in the 1st period before junior Lukas Cady finished the scoring for Oswego in the first stanza. The team’s offensive presence was felt the rest of the game as Cady added another to his goal total in the second period before his brother Ian Cady scored his first career varsity goal. The freshman was able to put the puck past Bryce Dafoe on a rebound opportunity.

All game, Ontario Bay struggled to get their offense going. The Oswego defensive core lead by captain Adam Michalski did a good job in front of their netminder yesterday. Thomas Back had a big physical presence and managed to stay out of the penalty box throughout the game while the Storm gave Oswego plenty of opportunities on the power play.

The Buccaneers go on the road for their second road game of the season tonight. The team will face the West Genesee Wildcats, a solid team in Division I. Puck drop is set for 6:30 pm and the game will be streamed on YouTube. All home games will be broadcasted of the WNYO airwaves which can be found on 88.9 FM or wnyo889.org.

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Sports

Coach Leone is SUNYAC Men’s Basketball Coach of the Decade

By Zac Case — 5 years ago

OSWEGO, NY — On Thursday, the SUNYAC announced the All-Decade team for Men’s Basketball. Three Lakers would make the team along with Oswego Lakers Head Coach Jason Leone being named the SUNYAC Men’s Basketball Coach of the Decade. Leone has been with the Lakers for nine seasons and has coached the team to four SUNYAC championships. The coach has a 181-75 (.707) overall record and a 114-48 (.704) conference record while at the helm of the team. Oswego has been to five NCAA tournaments which includes two trips to the Sweet 16. Coach Leone’s accolades include four SUNY Coach of the Year awards (2012, 2015, 2017, 2019) and three Regional Coach of the Year awards.

The Lakers went 19-8 last season and fell to the Brockport Golden Eagles in the semifinals round of the SUNYAC championship. The team posted a 7-3 home record along with going undefeated in neutral contests. Senior Joe Sullivan led the team with 14.6 points per game in front of freshman standout Jeremiah Sparks. The Men’s Basketball team will return next season after the conference postponed the winter season.

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Sports

SUNYAC cancels winter season for 2020-21, NEWHL follows suit

By Zac Case — 5 years ago

OSWEGO, NY — On Monday, October 19th, the State University of New York Athletic Conference released a statement in regards to the cancelation of the winter sports season. This announcement comes after the SUNYAC Presidents discussed the topic during a meeting. Two week prior, on October 6th, the athletic directors approved schedules for the sports of men’s ice hockey, men’s basketball, and women’s basketball. These schedules were released to the member schools and public before being retracted the following week. All winter championships have been canceled which included the sports of men’s and women’s swimming & diving and men’s and women’s indoor track & field. The release finished with the acknowledgement that the conference will continue planning for the possibly of spring sports. This will be announced at a future date.

On Friday, October 23rd, the Northeast Women’s Hockey League released a statement stating that the winter season will be canceled. The NEWHL that includes the Oswego State Lakers has the same commissioner as the SUNYAC, Tom DiCamillo, which means the league usually follows SUNYAC decisions. The ECWC has not made a decision on if the 2020-21 season will be held, which features the Oswego State wrestling team.

SUNYAC Press Release Link: https://www.sunyacsports.com/general/2020-21/releases/20201019lptsbh

NEWHL Press Release Link: https://northeastwomenshockeyleague.com/sports/wice/2020-21/releases/20201023fua5u4

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Sports

Breakdown: The Return of Oswego State Winter Sports

By Zac Case — 5 years ago

Oswego State fans have something to cheer about come February as the State University of New York Athletic Conference has announced the schedules for men’s ice hockey, along with men’s and women’s basketball. The decision was announced on Tuesday, October 6th, after the SUNYAC athletic directors approved the schedules during the conference meeting on October 5th. The conference has split the three sports into two divisions based on geographic location across the state of New York. This divisional alignment is to protect the health and safety of student athletes, and allows for the decrease of travel costs. Also, student-athletes would keep NCAA eligibility by playing less than fifty percent of the allowable contests during a season. The top two teams in each division will be rewarded a berth to the SUNYAC playoffs, locations for these tournaments have not been released. Non-conference contests would be played prior to February, which will be determined at a later time.

Men’s Ice Hockey

Oswego State Hockey fans will see the return of the Lakers on February 5th in the Marano Campus Center. The Western Division will consist of Brockport, Buffalo State, Cortland, Fredonia, and Geneseo. That division will play eight games based off a double round-robin schedule. Contests will be scheduled for Tuesdays and Fridays as of right now. Due to the conference only having nine members, the Eastern division will play a triple round-robin schedule. Since there is a one game difference between divisions, the Eastern Division will drop one game to balance the conference. Oswego will face off against Morrisville, Plattsburgh, and Potsdam in the Eastern Division. Two teams in each division will be rewarded a berth to the SUNYAC semifinals which will be played on Thursday, March 4th. The conference championship will be scheduled for Sunday, March 7th. The Lakers will host Morrisville State and Potsdam twice over the course of the month in the wheelhouse, while Plattsburgh and Oswego will only see each other twice in the regular season. Oswego State will only have three away games in conference play, each of these being against different divisional opponents.

Men’s Ice Hockey SUNYAC Schedule

Men’s and Women’s Basketball

Both Oswego State basketball teams will play conference games based off the division format. Men’s and women’s basketball will play regular-season doubleheaders starting on Monday, February 1st. These games will consist on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays over the course of the month. Oswego will be competing in the Western Division against Brockport, Buffalo State, Fredonia, and Geneseo. The Eastern Division will consist of Cortland, New Paltz, Oneonta, Plattsburgh, and Potsdam. The conference semifinals are slated for Thursday, February 25th, and the championship taking place on Sunday, February 28th. To open up conference play, both teams will head on the road to SUNY Brockport to play the Golden Eagles. The Lakers will host the Fredonia Blue Devils on February 6th in the Max Ziel Gymnasium.

Men’s and Women’s Basketball SUNYAC Schedule

Schedules Provided by Oswego State Athletics

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Sports

Team Spotlight: Oswego State Field Hockey

By Zac Case — 5 years ago

OSWEGO, NY — As the unusual fall semester continues into the month of October, the Oswego State Field Hockey team would be in the heat of a competitive battle in the SUNYAC conference right about now. The 4-12-0 Lakers finished the 2019 season sixth in the conference standings, missing the playoff bracket. The group lost one senior at the end of the 2019 campaign, midfielder Riley Mallett. Head Coach Heather Moore touched on the impact the Suffern native made to the team.

“[Riley was] a leader by example, always the hardest worker on the field.” Moore said.

With much of the team returning for their 2021 season, Moore feels that the team will be able to pick up the leadership around the field. Moore expects the defensive core, backed by sophomore netminder Erica Scheblein to develop heading into this unusual season.

“Sometimes we ended up being a little too individualistic and not playing as much as a unit.” Moore continued, “with a higher level of communication and some confidence, they will become a stronger unit.”

The Lakers had a goal against average of 3.31 in conference play last season, which ranked them 6th among their competitors. On the other end of the turf, the team average 1.7 goals per game, a stat led by freshman Annie O’Neill. With the attacking front returning as well, Moore focused on bringing the team back to the fundamentals after the end of last season.

“Focusing on overall player development and improvement. Rebuilding our skills and our game sense, like our Field Hockey IQ.” Moore added, “retooling some things and getting our returners on the same page and having them work towards the same goals.”

The team was heading in that direction before the suspension of Athletics due to the concern of COVID-19 on the SUNY Oswego campus. Before this occurrence, the team was able to participate in three team practices in two individual pods. Although the group was happy to be back on the field together, Moore brought up the difficulty with the system.

“The hardest part was going back and forth from each pod and being able to give the right feedback at the right time,” Moore stated.

With no team activities now till the beginning of their season, the group will have to wait to take make their mark in the 2021 season. The Lakers will welcome five first year students onto their roster when the time comes. The group contains five individuals that play a range of positions.

“I have only seen them practice three times.” Moore further states, “but from what I can tell, they are going to be little sparks all across the field.”

These additions to the group will hopefully set the Lakers over the top once the calendar flips to 2021. The setback is something Moore is seeing the positives in, as the coach notices the break in the common rush of a season.

“It’s also nice to have a break and reflect about what worked, what did not work, and what do I see moving forward.” Moore said, “how I see them impacting in the future.”

As Moore and the rest of the coaching staff led their team into the rest of this semester, the coach’s message was simple and clear.

“It’s been a good lesson to all of us to remain flexible and adoptable. Using the information as it comes and managing your reactions.” Moore finished with, “I know things are crazy and keep changing, and it’s okay.”

Photo Provided by Oswego State Athletics

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News

Oswego Sub Shop employee tests positive for COVID-19

By Zac Case — 5 years ago

OSWEGO, NY — On Thursday, September 24th, Oswego Sub Shop released information via their Facebook page about a part-time employee testing positive for COVID-19. The employee went on a camping trip to the Adirondacks last week before returning back to work on Sunday, September 20th for her shift from 3:45 pm to 10:35 pm, the post reads. During the shift, the employee was “experiencing allergy like symptoms” and was sent home early.

“She woke up Monday morning with a fever, went and got tested and was given the results that she was positive around 12:00 noon yesterday September 23rd, Owner William Greene stated in the post. “We worked closely with the Oswego County Health Department to determine what employees needed to quarantine as a precaution for 14 days, they have been contacted.”

The company notified all 40+ employees about the positive case prior to the announcement on Facebook, in cooperation with the Health Department’s protocols. This morning, the company had Sanitizing Technologies completely sanitize the store along with their delivery cars, which usually happens once a month along with this emergency treatment. Oswego Sub Shop will remained open under normal operating hours.

Oswego County Health Department released a press release this afternoon around 3:45 p.m. regarding the potential exposure. Oswego County Public Health Director Jiancheng Huang was quoted in this document stating, “any customer who visited the restaurant during that time should monitor themselves for symptoms of COVID-19 for 14 days.”

For more information on COVID-19 testing, call the Oswego County Hotline at 315-349-3330 weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Photo by Ben Grieco (@BenGriecoSports)

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Sports

Team Spotlight: Oswego State Men’s Soccer

By Zac Case — 5 years ago

OSWEGO, NY — The Oswego State Men’s Soccer team, a squad surrounded by a lengthy but rather disappointing history in terms of success, has recently been on the upswing the past couple of years. This due to the arrival of Head Coach Dan Kane, who took over the Lakers heading into the 2017 season. A program that has transferred from being a doormat for the SUNYAC to a championship hopeful which showed just a year ago. The 9-7-2 team lost to SUNY Cortland in penalty kicks, a once nationally ranked team, in the opening round of the SUNYAC tournament. The squad’s first appearance in the bracket since 2014 was another step in the right direction for the Lakers.

The obvious common problem teams face across the nation comes down to retention of progress gained over the course of more than one season. For Kane’s Lakers, the group realized quickly what was expected of them before heading home last semester.

“The team realized that we got to make some advances individually and collectively,” Kane stated, “if we are going to sustain our kind of progression from the last few years.”

Of course, the return to Oswego has been much different for a team that usually starts games before the start of September. Kane spoke on the lack of team practices has made team cohesion difficult, something the head coach wished the group had similar to previous years. However, Kane found a positive in the situation as the coach touched on how this difference gave him the ability to work on a different subject, the incoming Class of 2024.

“We are way further along in terms of getting to know them as people because we have been having so many calls with them.” Kane said, “I know our freshman a lot better than I normally would which I am really thankful for.”

The push to the potential spring season gives the new members of the squad an opportunity to gain maturity before their first steps onto the Laker Turf. Kane explained the “grind of college and of the season catches up” and often saw regression through the course of a season from his first-year athletes because of this. Coach continued about his envy towards spring sports due to this trend, that may now be able to be tapped into due to this uncommon season.

Another plus for these Lakers is the return of the backline and starting goaltender Brian Terra. The defensive core that held conference opponents to an average of less than a goal last season will continue to be the backbone for the Lakers success. A defensive strategy that Kane plans to build on to improve the game at the other end of the pitch.

“It is going to look different.” Kane expressed, “[We] are going to play a bit differently but the more you can rely on your defense to win individual battles, the more freedom it gives our attacking players to take some chances and be creative and get more numbers forward.”

For now, the Lakers will have to remain on the sidelines before kicking off their season after the end of the calendar year. A group that got a taste of soccer together one week ago at their first team practice on the Laker Turf. The torrential downpour of rain did not take off the smiles that were found on every student athlete.

“We were in small pods.” Kane continued, “the energy and the positivity at practice was amazing. They were loving it.”

However, the Lakers will not be able to continue preparation for the 2021 season until next semester after the postponement of Athletics due to the recent spike of COVID-19. This added set pack could put the group at a disadvantage compared to other SUNY institutions across the conference, but Kane is taking a different look at the situation.

“To all the teams that are practicing, I wish them well.” Kane stated, “we hope to be back there soon in January, and we will make the most of the time we are given. We are not going to be the team that has excuses like that.” 

For this team, the optimism shines from the head of the program. The Lakers seem to be in good hands heading into the most unusual season in sports history. Kane acknowledged the adversity that lies in front of the group but told his athletes to stay committed to the process. 

“This is no question a time of adversity, so what kind of growth can we have in these moments and the second thing is even though we are not able to be together in a normal sense, we still have to be for each other.” Kane continued, “Those are kind of the two biggest messages, stay present and be there for each other. When the referee does blow that first whistle and lets us play, we will be ready for that moment.”

Photo Provided by Oswego State Athletics

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Sports

SUNY Oswego suspends Athletic activities for remainder of Fall 2020 semester

By Zac Case — 5 years ago

OSWEGO, NY — On Sunday, September 13th, SUNY Oswego President Deborah Stanley released new guidelines and restrictions regarding on campus activity for the Fall 2020 semester. One of these restrictions regards Oswego State Athletics as the college announced in a campus wide email that all practices, meetings, workouts, and gatherings will be suspended for the remainder of the semester. Since August 31st, the fall sports of Men’s and Women’s Soccer, Field Hockey, and Men’s and Women’s Cross-Country teams have been conducting practices and team meetings. This past week, Men’s and Women’s Tennis started their “non-traditional” practice season. This coming week, Volleyball would have joined the spring sports teams of Softball, Baseball, and the Men’s and Women’s Lacrosse would have started their four-week practice period.

With this change in policy, winter sports teams will not be able to prepare for their season until January 1st, the date set by the SUNYAC conference back on July 20th. This developing situation will continued to be monitored by WTOP 10 as the 2020 calendar year wraps up.

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Sports

NYSPHSAA releases Return to Interscholastic Athletics resource for 2020-21 Season

By Zac Case — 5 years ago

OSWEGO, NY — On Friday, September 4th, the New York State Public High School Athletic Association released a lengthy document containing plans and guidelines for the 2020-21 sports season. The Return to Interscholastic Athletics resource was put together by staff of the association to give member schools aid on how sports should be handled during the COVID-19 pandemic. The NYSPHSAA worded with the New York State Department of Health to classify sports into three different categories, Low Risk, Moderate Risk, and High Risk. Each fall sport received a category based on the ability to social distance and the ability to avoid touching shared experiment during play.

With the prior announcement that the fall sports season would begin on September 21st, school districts now know what sports will be permitted to compete compared to just practicing. The Low and Moderate Risk sports of Cross-Country, Field Hockey, Golf, Gymnastics, Soccer, Girls Swimming & Diving, Girls Tennis will be permitted to begin play inside their section or league until October 19th. After that date, schools will be allowed to compete beyond their section. The High Risk sports of Cheerleading, Football, and Volleyball will be permitted to practice. However, teams will not be able to compete against other schools till approved by the NYSDOH, or after December 31st. There will be no regional/state championships for the fall sports season.

A few weeks prior, the NYSPHSAA announced that the Winter sports season will be pushed back to November 30th, previously November 16th. This change gave the fall sports season two extra weeks to account for the push back of that season. March 15th is now the official start date for Spring Sports. Both winter and spring still have State Championships scheduled, which may be subject to change.

The association has also determined that school districts can determine if junior varsity or modified teams will be allowed to participate in the 2020-21 season. WTOP 10 will continue to provide coverage on the ever-evolving high school sports situation.

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Winter sports pushed back as NYSPHSAA holds meetings

By Zac Case — 6 years ago

OSWEGO, NY — This past Sunday, the New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) COVID-19 task force met once again to create a plan for the return of fall interscholastic athletics. The group has been reading over documents from the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) which has guidance and recommendations on this ever-changing situation, created by the COVID-19 pandemic. This group has met five times so far and plans to release a comprehensive document containing information for schools across the state, which will be released this Friday, September 4th.

The newest news to come from the NYSPHSAA is the change to push the start date of the winter sports season from November 16th to November 30th. The association did this to allot time to schools and sections to complete this condensed fall athletic season. Currently, only low risk to moderate risk fall sports will be allowed to compete against other schools in their section. Football and Volleyball will be allowed to practice but cannot play due to the sports being categorized as both high risk sports. WTOP 10 will continue to update readers on the developing story as teams can begin practices on September 21st.

NYSPHSAA Press Release: http://www.nysphsaa.org/News-Media/Headline-News/Article/id/8643

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Oswego State athletes earn academic honors

By Zac Case — 6 years ago

OSWEGO, NY ━ Over the past couple of weeks, Oswego State teams and student athletes have been rewarded with academic honors from organizations in their given sport. These awards were given out by national associations that are highlighting the work of collegiate athletes inside the classroom instead of on the field, track, ice, or court during the 2019-2020 seasons. Most of these groups are made up of college coaches across the United States that make these requirements for the honors. 

On July 29th, the women’s volleyball team received the Team Academic Award from the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA). This honor is given to volleyball teams that hold a grade point average of 3.30 on a 4.0 scale over the course of a whole academic year. The Lakers, who finished with a 3.43 team grade point average, were one of eight SUNYAC teams out of the ten institutions to receive the honor from this past year. This is their second time receiving the honor in the past three seasons under head coach JJ O’Connell. 

The Oswego State indoor women’s track and field team was honored with the All-Academic Award for their achievements in the classroom during the 2019-2020 academic year. The Lakers received the award from the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association for having a team grade point average of 3.21 which is above the 3.1 benchmark set by the organization. The team was one of four SUNYAC institutions to receive the honor, and one of 209 colleges nationally. Senior Catarina Burke received the All-Academic Award individually as the athlete qualified for the 2020 NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field Championships in high jump along with having a grade point average above a 3.30 during the semester.

On July 23rd, the National Association of Basketball Coaches released the student athletes that would be getting named to the 2019-20 Honors Court. This award is given out to men’s basketball players who exceed a grade point average of 3.2 at the end of their 2018-19 academic year. Seniors Tim Marshall and Brandan Gartland, along with junior Liam Sanborn were all named to the Honors Court. This is the second time for both seniors as the pair were awarded the honor in 2018-19. This is the team’s second time in two years with three players being named to the prestigious group.

The men’s golf team also received academic honors from last season as two players were named All-America Scholars by the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA). Senior Eric Schliecher and sophomore Ryan Fecco both received the awards after meeting the criteria of having a career grade point average above 3.2 and having a stroke average under 79.0. These two individuals helped the team to three tournament wins and a third place finish in the Fall Empire 8 Championship.

Two players from the Oswego State women’s ice hockey team were recently selected by the American Hockey Coaches Association for the All-American Scholar award. On August 17th, the AHCA announced that seniors Kate Randazzo and Eryn Stewart received the honors after exceeding a 3.75 GPA the fall semester. These accolades put the finishing touches on two historic careers for the two graduates. Randazoo finished second on the Oswego career assists list and in the top-10 in total points, along with being a two year captain for the Lakers. Stewart would conclude her collegiate career inside the top-10 in points, goals, and assists. The women’s hockey team finished 16-7-4 this past season and lost to Plattsburgh in the Northeast Women’s Hockey League Championship. 

Congratulations to all the student athletes who received these academic honors along with the Oswego State teams that received overall academic awards. WTOP 10 will continue to update Oswego fans on the continuing development of COVID-19 and how it affects the Oswego State Lakers.

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Oswego State without athletics for Fall 2020

By Zac Case — 6 years ago

OSWEGO, NY — As students begin to make their return to the shores of Lake Ontario, Oswego State will be without collegiate sports for the fall semester due to COVID-19. SUNYAC Conference postponed their Fall 2020 sports, like other conferences, back in the month of July due to the pandemic. The Men’s Golf team will also have to wait until Spring 2021 as the Empire 8 conference postponed the fall season as well. Most recently, the Northeast Women’s Hockey League that contains the Oswego Women’s Hockey team moved the start date for their season to January 1st, to follow suit with the rest of the conferences. This means all Oswego State teams will be without intercollegiate competition till the start of the new calendar year. Along with NCAA sports, all club sports through the school have been postponed till 2021.

However, this does not mean the teams will not be able to keep in game shape. Over the course of the fall semester, Oswego State teams will be able to have team practices during a certain period of time. Stated in the Oswego Forward Plan, the Athletics Department has created a four-week period after the return to activity period when teams can conduct up to 16 practices. The Men’s and Women’s Cross Country, Men’s and Women’s Soccer, and Field Hockey teams will begin practice the week of August 31st. The Women’s Volleyball, Men’s Golf, and Men’s and Women’s Tennis teams will begin the following week of September 7th. The next week, the Baseball, Softball, and Men’s and Women’s Lacrosse teams will begin practicing, these being all Spring sports. Winter sports can start their practices in early October but will end before Thanksgiving Break. Obviously, the winter sports teams will begin their scheduled games as early as the first week of January if the threat of COVID-19 is minimal in the eyes of the athletic conferences and colleges.

With no Live Sports to broadcast during the Fall 2020 semester, WTOP 10 will have a different semester ahead of us. The Live Sports Department still has plans for this semester as the group looks to deliver content to the Oswego sports community until the return of the Lakers. Check our social media pages for more updates as students begin to prepare to return to campus.

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SUNYAC cancels Fall 2020 Season

By Zac Case — 6 years ago

OSWEGO, NY — After many athletic conferences across the United States begin to cancel or postpone the Fall 2020 season due to COVID-19, the SUNYAC Conference announced on Monday, July 20th, the cancellation of the fall season for member institutions. This decision was made by the SUNYAC Presidents in conjunction with the SUNYAC Board of Directors. This comes after the Empire 8, a local New York Division III conference, announced the postponement of the Fall 2020 season on July 16th. The SUNYAC has decided to cancel all competition till January 2021, which includes winter sports. The report, found on the conference website, states that teams can continue small team workouts when school is back in session. There are still questions regarding the winter sports season that has been pushed off, but time will tell what changes will be made moving forward.

Of course, this will affect Oswego State Athletics for the time being, as most of the teams are a part of that conference. WTOP 10 will continue to have updates on the situation as students return to college around the end of August.

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NYSPHSAA Releases Guidelines for Upcoming Season

By Zac Case — 6 years ago

OSWEGO, NY — On July 16th, The New York State Public High School Athletic Association announced changes to how high school athletics will work in the 2020-21 season. This statement comes as schools across New York State prepare for public schooling to reopen for the new school year. After the cancellation of the Spring 2020 season last year, there has been many questions revolving around high school athletics heading into this coming season.

The decision made by the Officers of the NYSPHSAA included a few changes along with guidelines on how schools/teams should prepare moving forward. The first being the start of the Fall sports season being moved to September 21st, which was supposed to begin on August 24th. The NYSPHSAA President, Paul Harrica, stated that this date would be unrealistic due to the current threats of COVID-19. Another major change is the cancellation of all Fall Regional and State Championship events. This is change was obviously made to decrease traveling between sports teams as teams from different sections around the state would travel to one central location to play the final games of the season. Minor adjustments and recommendations were also stated. For instance, the group has waived the seven-day practice rule, encouraged geographic scheduling for games, and schools have the option to offer off-season conditioning workouts.

These changes of course affect the Oswego Buccaneers teams, as many student-athletes were looking forward to the season beginning in the month of August. WTOP 10 will continue to bring coverage on this matter, as students will hopefully be returning to school by the beginning of September.

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Oswego State Golf Fall Season is Cancelled

By Zac Case — 6 years ago

OSWEGO, NY — Wednesday evening, the Empire 8 Conference announced the cancellation of their fall sports for the Fall 2020 season. This unanimous decision came due to concerns of COVID-19 and the safety of student athletes. The sports that will be canceled are cross country, field hockey, football, men’s golf, men’s and women’s soccer, women’s tennis, and women’s volleyball. The conference has come out and stated that these sports will be given the opportunity to place in the Spring 2021 season if COVID-19 is less of a threat.

Although a majority of the Oswego State teams compete in the SUNYAC conference, Men’s golf is one of the few sports that is in the Empire 8 Conference. Oswego is an affiliate member of the conference, as the SUNYAC does not have a Men’s Golf Championship. The Lakers compete against Utica College, St. John Fisher College, Sage College, Elmira College, and Nazareth College in the Men’s Golf Championship. With the team playing half of their tournament in the fall, and half in the spring, the cancellation will affect the team for a portion of their season as of right now. Wresting is the only other Oswego State team in the Empire 8 conference.

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SUNYAC Conference Announces New Format for Fall 2020

By Zac Case — 6 years ago

OSWEGO, NY — On Wednesday, June 17th, the State University of New York Athletic Conference announced changes to the Fall 2020 Season regarding four sports. This change affects women’s tennis, women’s volleyball, and both men’s and women’s soccer, all sports offered by the conference. This decision was made Monday, June 15th, by the SUNYAC Board of Directors during its weekly conference meeting. The Board is made up of one representative from each member school, making up 10 individuals. This announcement has two separate changes that comes a few months before the fall season that will allow division three athletics to continue.

The first switch pertains to women’s tennis moving to the Spring 2021 season, which would align the conference with the current NCAA Division III tournament that already takes place in the spring season. The conference has eight of their ten members in the women’s tennis conference as Buffalo State and Potsdam do not offer the sport. The SUNYAC has been looking to make this change for several years, so the current situation allows the conference to evaluate the potential move. Some conferences have their season in the fall due to weather in the region, making their conference champion play for a NCAA title in the spring season.

For the other three sports, the SUNYAC has decided to split the conference into two different divisions that will compete against each other during the regular season. The divisions are split using Interstate 81 in Central New York, that goes from Oswego to Cortland. The West Division will contain Brockport, Buffalo State, Fredonia, Geneseo, and Oswego while the East Division will consist of Cortland, New Paltz, Oneonta, Plattsburgh, and Potsdam. The change will affect volleyball along with men’s and women’s soccer. Each team would play every opponent in their given division twice with a home and home series. At the end of the season, the top two teams of each division will secure a playoff berth to the SUNYAC playoffs. The same playoff format will be used from years past with all semi final games being played on November 4th, and all finals games being played on November 7th across all three sports. The main reason for this switch was of course to decrease travel time and costs as teams would not need to stay overnight for long road trips. The other benefit is over course the fact that players and team staff will be in contact with less individuals. This move can also be found around many other division III conferences like the NEAC, the conference Morrisville is a part of.

The conference has also stated that the institutions still have the authority to schedule non-conference match ups outside of division play. SUNYAC continued to say that colleges could schedule games against opponents from the other division, with these games not having any affect on the conference standings.

Moving forward, Oswego State Laker fans can expect fall sport’s schedules to be released by the end of July. The Lakers kicked off their season last year around the end of August. Till then, WTOP 10 will continue to update readers on all off season news to keep you up to date on your favorite Oswego State team.

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Oswego Women’s Hockey secures Interim Head Coach

By Zac Case — 6 years ago

OSWEGO, NY — On Wednesday, June 17, the announcement was made by Oswego State Interim Athletics Director Eric Summers that the Women’s Ice Hockey team would be getting a new head coach, that being Mark Digby. Digby was the associate head coach of the team last season along side Diane Dillon, who will most likely retire from coaching. Dillon coached the team for 14 seasons. Digby will now be the Interim Head Coach heading into the 2020-21 season.

Digby graduated from SUNY Brockport in 2005 with a B.S. in Physical Education and M.S. in Recreation Management (2008). He would stay west of Rochester to be an assistant coach of the Men’s Hockey program from 2006-2010 before being hired by Oswego in the summer of 2010. Under Ed Gosek, Digby would be with the team while the group appeared in six NCAA tournaments, two frozen fours, and two national championship games.

In the Spring of 2019, Digby would make the switch to Women’s Hockey and join the team as the Associate Head Coach. During his first season with the group, the team would finish with a record of 16-7-4, the most wins for the program since the 2016-17 campaign. The Lakers would fall to the Plattsburgh Cardinals, the top team in the nation, in the NEWHL Championship. This was the first time the team has made the championship game after joining the conference. Overall, the group has made steady improvements and is in a good spot heading into the 2020-21 season under Digby. There looks to be a continued healthy relationship between the players and the coaching staff after Digby joined prior to this past season. WTOP 10 will continue to update you on all of the Oswego State teams heading into the fall season.

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