OSWEGO — A big weekend coming up for the Lakers as they host Plattsburgh on Friday and Potsdam on Saturday. The Lakers will head into the action (3-5-1) overall, but more importantly (0-3) in conference play which makes these games even more important. Two wins this weekend would give the Lakers six points in the standings and would greatly improve their chances of getting one of the six spots in the SUNYAC championship tournament later this month.
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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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Oswego Mens soccer falls to Plattsburgh in close contest
OSWEGO, N.Y. – After a close game to all the way till the final seconds, the Oswego Lakers remain winless at home after a tough loss to SUNY Plattsburgh. This rivalry game was a great opportunity for the lakers to get back into the win column with a huge SUNYAC win and it was looking in favor of the Lakers early on as Senior Ryan Young was able to get on the board first for oswego with a ripper of a goal halfway through the first. Unfortunately for the Lakers this was their first and last goal as Plattsburghs stellar defense was able to shut down the Lakers for the remainder of the game. Despitee a fantastic performance for freshman goalie Andre Bourjolly who was an absolute monster in goal making saves on almost every shot that came its way, Plattsburgh kept pushing the pace and ended up scoring 2 goals minutes apart in the second half. After Plattsburgh took the lead Oswego wasn’t able to bounce back. The Lakers look to get back on track this Wednesday as they go on the road to face the Buff State Bengals.
IMAGE PROVIDED BY OSWEGO ATHLETICS
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Women’s hockey breaks winless streak with big win
OSWEGO, N.Y. — The Oswego women’s hockey team got an extra day of preparation and rest for Saturday afternoon’s matchup with Potsdam after Friday’s game got postponed that was supposed to be played against SUNY Canton. The Lakers came in on a three game winless streak, but they snapped that with a dominant 5-0 victory over the Bears for the Teddy Bear Toss game. The first Lakers goal came nine minutes into the first period on the power play, where a shot from Avery Webster would be saved, but the rebound fell to Morgan Shines who put it in the back of the net. The Lakers wouldn’t score again in the first period, but dominated the second period, putting it past the goalie three times. The second goal of the game was off of another rebound, the initial shot was by Megan Teachout, with Ariella Haas cleaning up for her first of three points in the game. Teachout scored the third goal, deking through defenders on a four on four to score a spectacular goal. The third goal of the period came on the power play again, with Mack Hull winning and putting away a scramble in front of the net. The Lakers defense proved their prowess in the second period, shutting down a 5 on 3 situation at one point, and goalie Joanna Hiebert stopping a 2 on 1 break away at another point. Oswego’s final goal came in the third period, on the power play again, Simone Bednarik scored with assists from Chyne Kennedy and Ariella Haas. The Lakers were dominant all game, winning the shot battle 53 to 7, and going 3-4 on the powerplay while keeping Potsdam to 0-5.
The Lakers next game comes against William Smith on Tuesday at the Deborah F. Stanley Arena. Coverage will start 6:45 p.m. on WTOP 10.
IMAGE PROVIDED BY SHELBY PEPLOWSKI, WTOP 10 PHOTOGRAPHY DEPARTMENT
