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.
-
Oswego State Men’s Lacrosse Ends 2021 Season Winless
CORTLAND, N.Y. — The Oswego Men’s Lacrosse team lost their final game of the season on Friday falling to the Cortland Red Dragons 16-5. This is the Lakers second loss to the Red Dragons in 2021 and their seventh loss of the season. This contest wraps up the 2021 season for the Lakers, the first year that the program will go winless. With the win, Cortland will take the number one seed in the west division after finishing the season with a 5-1 conference record.
Cortland was dominant from the opening faceoff, scoring the first 6 goals of the game, including four first quarter goals by attackman, Dante Yacovone. Oswego freshman midfielder, Lucas Cioch, got the Lakers on the board following a second quarter goal, however, they were unable to keep pace with Cortland’s explosive offense. Three other Lakers scored in Friday’s contest, including Ryan Dumont (2), Ryan Eccles (1), and Tyler Stevenson (1). Senior goalkeeper, Kevin O’Donnell, ended his collegiate career on a high note, totaling a career high 27 saves, bringing his season total to 125. With this loss, Oswego drops to 0-7 on the season and finishes last place in the SUNYAC West division.
It was an unfortunate season for the Oswego Men’s Lacrosse team to say the least. The first two games of the season were cancelled due to Covid regulations, so the Lakers weren’t able to get off to a hot start. Junior attackman, Weston Gray, lead the team in goals with 9 and added 4 assists in 2021. Oswego went into a reduced season with an extremely young roster and while they may not have won, they will continue to develop their talented players to compete in the future.
Image Provided by William Rogers, WTOP 10 Photography Department
-
Oswego State men’s hockey blanks Morrisville to earn fourth shutout of season
MORRISVILLE, N.Y. — The Oswego State men’s hockey team defeated Morrisville State 4-0 on Wednesday. This victory marks the 11th SUNYAC win for the Lakers and second win over the Mustangs in the 2021-22 season.
It was a back-and-fourth, scrappy first period that saw neither team find the back of the net. However, Oswego’s defense was stifling from the opening puck drop as they held Morrisville to just three shots in the first stanza compared to the Lakers 15. The Lakers remained relentless on the offensive end to start the second period, firing off 10 shots in the frame’s first nine minutes. Though, it wasn’t until the 13:17 mark where sophomore Connor Sleeth got things rolling for Oswego, scoring his sixth goal on the year. Ryan Bunka and Alex DiCarlo were awarded assists on the play. Just four minutes later, captain Travis Broughman put the Lakers up 2-0 as he tallied his eleventh goal of the year. To finish the period, Oswego went on to score another goal with Alex DiCarlo “one-upping” Broughman for his twelfth goal of the season. The team captain would not be upstaged for long however. As the Lakers took command in the final period, Broughman tacked on his second goal of the game, tying DiCarlo at 12 for the team lead. The Oswego defense, lead by senior Steven Kozikoski, played phenomenal all game long. The “Wizard of Koz” raked in 13 saves en route of earning his fourth shutout of the season. The team as a whole dominated the stat sheet, totaling 51 shots, 35 shots on goal and winning 36 faceoffs.
With this win, the Lakers improve to 16-5-1 on the season and currently sit atop the SUNYAC standings with 34 points. With just two regular season games remaining before SUNYAC playoffs begin on Feb. 23, Oswego will look to continue this momentum and finish the season strong. The men’s hockey team concludes the season with a weekend doubleheader against Fredonia on Feb. 18 and Buffalo State on Feb. 19. Puck-drop is set for Friday at 7:00 p.m. in Fredonia.
Image Provided by William Rogers, WTOP 10 Photography Department
-
Sean Eccles named interim head coach of Oswego Men’s lacrosse team
OSWEGO, N.Y. — Following Coach Drew Bezek’s recent departure from the Oswego men’s lacrosse program, the Department of Athletics announced that Sean Eccles has been elevated to Interim Head Men’s Lacrosse Coach on Tuesday.
With this hiring, Eccles becomes the sixth acting head coach in the program’s history. After a stint as offensive coordinator at Georgian Court University (New Jersey), an NCAA Division II school, Eccles now travels to Oswego, not too far from his hometown of Syracuse.
The newly elevated coach will have the honor of coaching his younger brother, Ryan Eccles, who played his first season with the Lakers in the 2021. In six games, Ryan totaled two goals and one assist as a freshman midfielder. With their connection, we could see an increased offensive role for Ryan in the 2022 season.
Before coaching, Eccles was a decorated athlete with multiple collegiate and professional lacrosse honors. Eccles was a two-year captain at UAlbany, earning two second team all-conference honors in his tenure there. During his time with the Great Danes, Eccles totaled 83 goals and 28 assists while leading the team to the NCAA Division I National Championship Final Four in 2018. Eccles is also a former Major League Lacrosse (MLL) professional, being drafted 11th overall by the Denver Outlaws in 2019 MLL draft. Following his time with the team, Eccles served as the offensive coordinator for the Albany Academy Preparatory School team in spring 2020.
The Oswego men’s lacrosse team is coming off their worst season in program history as they were winless (0-7) for the first time. Now with an influx of recruits and the hiring of Coach Eccles, the Lakers will look to bounce back from their previous season and aim for their first SUNYAC Championship appearance since 2019.
Photo provided by Oswego State Athletics Department
