Sports

Mens Baseball Sweeps Fredonia in Weekend Action

2022_Team_Photo ROCHESTER, NY – It was a successful weekend for the Lakers as they convincingly beat the Fredonia Blue Devils in both of their encounters this weekend. Game won was nothing short of a blowout that saw the Lakers dominate Fredonia with a final score of 12-1. The momentum was in favor of the Lakers from the start as they truly dominated this game. Fredonia would score their only run of the game in the top of the second inning. Senior Colin Williams was on fire this game as he finished with one run and two RBI’s. It really was a team effort however as the Lakers were firing on all cylinders from start to finish. The Lakers looked to take this momentum into the next day where they had a rematch against the Blue Devils.

The Lakers kept the momentum rolling the next day when they knocked off Fredonia for the second time. This game was a lot closer and saw both teams fighting hard for a victory. The Lakers started off hot scoring three runs in the bottom of the first inning. The Blue Devils weren’t going to let history repeat itself as they bounced right back tying the game in the third. The Lakers then went on to score three more runs and the game looked like it was shaping up to be another Lakers victory. Fredonia was not done however as they came right back and scored three more runs to tie the game at six. After this the game got out of hand with the Lakers completely taking over. Freshman Emil Sander would score the Lakers final run to give them a five run victory as the Lakers completed the weekend sweep. The Lakers look to keep this momentum rolling as they head to New Paltz this Friday at 3pm.

IMAGE PROVIDED BY OSWEGO ATHLETICS

Men’s Lacrosse Downs Plattsburgh at Home

Image provided by William Rogers, WTOP10 Photography Department

Oswego, NY – The Oswego State Men’s Lacrosse team faced off against their rival, Plattsburgh this weekend. After surrendering the first goal of the game, the men were able to rally back and defeat the Cardinals.

Both teams started the game off slow, pushing the ball into the offensive zone, not finding any success. Plattsburgh snuck in a goal with five and a half minutes remaining in the first quarter of play. The Lakers were not showing any signs of life until Hayden Coney netted a goal with just 18 seconds remaining in the first quarter. Just eight seconds later, Logan Prescott scored another goal for the Lakers and Oswego would lead by one going into the second quarter.

Max Brodman found his groove in the second quarter, scoring the next two goals for the Lakers, almost seven minutes apart. Plattsburgh responded with a goal of their own, and would trail Oswego by two. That was until Liam Sexton netted the fifth goal of the game for the Lakers with an assist from Brodman. The Cardinals added one more goal in the second, with Oswego adding two more in the final three minutes. The Lakers would lead Plattsburgh 7-3 going into halftime.

In the first five minutes of the third quarter, the Lakers would only add one goal, with Plattsburgh adding two goals. However, in the final six and a half minutes, Oswego added three goals to Plattsburgh’s one. Coney, Sexton, Brodman, and Corey O’Connor each added one goal in third quarter. Oswego led 11-6 going into the final quarter of play.

The Lakers and Cardinals went back and forth in the final quarter of play, with each team adding five goals in the quarter. Plattsburgh added three consecutive goals to start out the quarter, and cut the Laker lead to two. O’Connor and Liam McAlary each added a goal less than 20 seconds apart to give Oswego a four point lead. 30 seconds later, the Cardinals scored again and cut the Laker lead to three. Oswego then recorded three straight goals near the end of the match, with a goal by Coney, and two goals from O’Connor. Plattsburgh added one more goal with a minute left in regulation, but could not come back from the lead the Lakers built. Oswego defeated the Cardinals by a score of 16-11 at Laker Turf Stadium.

Seven different Lakers scored goals in the match, with four of them recording a hat trick. O’Connor led the Lakers with six total points, scoring a team leading four goals, with two assists. Sexton, Brodman, and Coney each recorded three goals this afternoon. Aiden Kenyon recorded seven saves while in net, and was credited with the win. The Lakers look to take on Oneonta this weekend, staying in Oswego for the matchup.

IMAGE COURTESY OF OSWEGO ATHLETICS

Lakers Dominate Blue Devils

OSWEGO, NY- The Lakers continued their dominant offensive performance from their last game as they defeated the Fredonia Blue Devils 19-2.

The Lakers got off to a hot start in the first quarter as they scored two goals with less than a minute into the game as Isabella Lembo and Shae McConnell would get the Lakers on the board. The Blue Devils would then score their first goal of the game as Erin Woods would make it a 2-1 game. The first quarter would feature the Shea McConnell show as she scored four goals in the first quarter. The second quarter was a defensive battle between both teams until Shea McConnell scored with 42 seconds left to put the Lakers up 9-1 at half. Shea McConnell would lead the Lakers with five points in the half. Isabella Lembo would be second with two goals in the first half.

The Lakers were more explosive in the second half as they started out the second half with a bang scoring just 29 seconds into the quarter as Kate McNally would score her first goal of the game. A minute later, Julia Quirk would score her first goal of the game for the Lakers as . Sydney Buchko would score the second and final goal of the game for the Blue Devils. Isabella Lembo would add her third of the game to make it 13-2 Oswego with 8:58 remaining in the third quarter. Lembo would add her fourth goal of the game with :50 seconds left in the third. The Lakers led 15-2 heading into the fourth quarter. Sela Wiley would add two more goals for the Lakers along with Shea McConnell who would add her sixth goal of the game. Isabella Lembo scored her fifth goal of the game as she had her best game of the season and her career as she had ten points which included five goals and five assists. The Lakers would score their third most points in a game this season with 19.

The Lakers face off against their toughest opponent in the SUNYAC this season so far as they travel to take on the Suny Geneseo Knights. Geneseo is coming off a dominating performance against the Buffalo State Bengals winning 15-2. Megan Cook led the Knights with five points with four goals and one assist. The Lakers have struggled against Geneseo in their program’s history going 2-9 against them all-time with their last win coming in the 2018 season. Last season, the Lakers lost 17-6 to Geneseo. The Knights finished last season losing to Middlebury 22-6 in the second round of the NCAA D3 Women’s Lax Tournament. Middlebury would go on to win the NCAA D3 Women’s Lax Title last season. Geneseo travels up north to take on Clarkson on March 31st at 4:00. A win for the Lakers would be a huge statement for not only the Lakers but for the rest of the SUNYAC.

PHOTO CREDITS PROVIDED BY OSWEGO STATE ATHLETICS

Oswego Baseball swept in SUNYAC opener

CORTLAND, N.Y. – The rough start to the Oswego State Baseball team’s season just got a bit worse. After starting the season 5-8 through a tough non-conference schedule, the team opened conference play with one of the toughest opponents there is, the Cortland Red Dragons.

The first game of the the three game set was one the Lakers really are going to want to forget. Jacob Sanders got the start on the mound for the Lakers, but only got two innings into the game. He gave up three runs, on four hits, walking two, hitting a batter and striking out two. Anthony Van Fossen pitched the next four innings for the Lakers, and it didn’t get much better. He allowed six runs on eight hits, walking one, though he did strike out six. The game only went seven innings, so the final frame was pitched by Ryan Paige, who gave up three hits and a run, striking out one. Oswego was kept hitless in this one. Cortland’s Dylan Beers pitched all seven innings of the game, allowing only one walk, and striking out 12 of the 22 batters he faced in the game. Cortland won the game 10-0. The standout batter for Cortland was Mat Bruno. The Red Dragons’ left fielder was 3-5 on the day with a double and drove in three.

The second game of the series was actually game two of Friday’s double header. The Lakers had to bounce back from being no-hit just a few hours later. Unfortunately for the Lakers, it just wasn’t their day. The Red Dragons scored five runs in the first two innings in this one. Thomas Pecchia got the start for Oswego, he also only made it two innings into the game, giving up five runs, only three earned, and seven hits. The Lakers would respond, grabbing a run of their own in the top of the third inning, Jelani Hammer scoring off a Tishawn Featherstone single, though Cortland would take the run right back in the bottom half. The fourth inning was scoreless for both squads, and in the top of the fifth the Lakers looked to mount a comeback. Jelani Hammer started the scoring with a solo-homer, and then a two-run bomb from Featherstone pulling the Lakers to only a two run deficit 6-4. The Lakers once again kept the Red Dragons scoreless in the bottom half of the inning, but it was the sixth inning that Cortland created the insurmountable lead. They scored six runs, five out which came off of two home runs. Oswego couldn’t answer, and the Red Dragons added another three runs to their lead for a 15-4 final after seven innings. Cortland’s Will McCarthy got the win after going four and two thirds innings, giving up three runs on seven hits while striking out four. Alec Conrad pitched most of the game for the Lakers, going four innings while giving up seven runs, four earned, on nine hits and striking out two.

The final game of the set was on Saturday, and once more it was a tough one for the Lakers. Once again the Lakers were held scoreless in this one. They had six hits scattered through the seven inning game. Cortland again got started early, grabbing a run in the first inning, then two more in the third. Another three in the fourth inning knocked the Lakers started Kieran Finnegan out of the game. He finished after three and two thirds innings, giving up six runs, three earned, on seven hits, walking three. Larry Citrola took the bomb from Finnegan and had a good two and a third innings. He only allowed one run on one hit and struck on two. Going into the seventh the Red Dragons held a 7-0 lead, and they scored three in the seventh inning to make it a 10-0 lead and end the game. Relief pitcher Liam Krasney was a star for the Red Dragons’, pitched the final three frames without allowing a hit and striking out three; he also picked up a save. Errors killed the Lakers in this one, with only four of Cortland’s ten runs being earned runs.

The Lakers next series is a double header at home against SUNY Cobleskill on Wednesday, game one is a 1:30 and game two is set for 4:00. The team is now 5-11 this season.

IMAGE PROVIDED BY OSWEGO ATHLETICS

Women’s LAX spark second half comeback taking down Hawks

OSWEGO, NY- The Lakers battled through some poor weather conditions this Saturday along with having to come from behind to win their first SUNYAC Conference game of the season.

Kate McNally would get the Lakers on the board first in the game as she scored with 4:44 seconds into the game. New Paltz would answer back six minutes later as Morgan Atwater would score to tie the game at one. Two minutes later the Hawks would score again as Shannon Brosnan would give the Hawks the lead. The Lakers would answer back as Julia Quirk would tie the game at two right near the end of the first quarter. Morgan Atwater would score her second goal of the game to put New Paltz up 3-2. Sela Wiley would score her 90th career goal of her career to put the Lakers down 5-3. The Lakers would struggle in the second quarter giving up three goals and found themselves in a tough position down 5-3 at half.

In the second half, the Lakers would go on a explosive offensive attack erasing the halftime deficit. Isabella Lembo would cut the deficit to just one with 12:05 left in the third quarter. Shea McConnell would tie the game with 9:32 left in the third. McConnell had a three-goal performance in the third quarter which helped awaken the Lakers offense. Sela Wiley scored her second goal of the game with 9:44 left in the fourth quarter to put the game out of the reach for the Hawks. The Lakers would go on a 8-0 run in the second half as the Hawks had no answers to the Lakers comeback. New Paltz’s goalie Gabrielle Tommasso who played well in the first half only giving up three goals but in the second half she gave up eight goals along with allowing 18 shots. Oswego’s goalie Sarah Kamide cleaned up her performance from the first half and didn’t allow a single goal for the rest of the game.

With the win the Lakers improve to 6-2 on the season and improve their overall record against New Paltz to 15-2. The Lakers are looking for their best record against SUNYAC opponents this season since the 2003 season where they finished 10-8 and going 7-1 within the conference. The Lakers have tied their win total from last year just eight games into the season. Last year the Lakers went 5-4 in the SUNYAC as they will face off against Fredonia on Wednesday, March 29th at Laker Turf Stadium. Lakers look for their first 7-2 start since the 2016 season where they lost to Cortland 19-10 in the SUNYAC Outdoor Championship. The Lakers face off against a Fredonia squad who sits at 5-4 on the season currently where the Blue Devils got beaten up by the Oneonta Red Dragons 17-6 this Saturday. Blue Devils Sophomore Erin Woods reached the 100-point club this weekend against the Red Dragons and she scored four goals in the game. Last season the Lakers defeated the Blue Devils 19-4 and they are 15-10 against the Blue Devils all-time. Oswego hasn’t lost to Fredonia since the 2015 lacrosse season 11-10.

PHOTO CREDITS PROVIDED BY OSWEGO STATE ATHLETICS

Men’s Lacrosse Secures Back-to-Back Road Victories This Week

Connor Aspinal with ball in his stick

UTICA, NY – The men were on the road this week, traveling to Utica and Brockport for their matchups. Oswego was able to get back in the win column following their loss against Hartwick last week. The Lakers first matchup was against the Pioneers in Utica on Wednesday, March 22nd.

The matchup with the Pioneers proved to be a chess match between the two teams, with no goal coming in until the end of the first quarter. Utica scored the first goal with three and a half minutes remaining in the quarter. Corey O’Connor tied the match at one with an assist from Jack Delany with a minute left in the first. The Lakers held the Pioneers scoreless in the second and third quarter, while building a lead that would be too much for the Pioneers to overcome. Oswego netted four goals in the two quarters, giving them a 5-1 lead over Utica.

The Pioneers didn’t go down without a fight, as they netted two fourth quarter goals. However, the Lakers put the Pioneers in their place with three fourth quarter goals of their own, winning the matchup by a score of 8-3. Aiden Kenyon held it down for the Lakers in the net, recording ten saves on the afternoon to help the Lakers secure the victory. Delany led the Lakers with three points, one goal and two assists. O’Connor, Max Brodman, and Trey Jones tied for the team lead in goals, each scoring twice.

On Saturday, the men headed out west to take on the Golden Eagles in a much closer matchup. Oswego got up early in the match, but surrendered two goals in the final two minutes of the first quarter and trailed by one going into the second quarter. Max Brodman gave the Lakers life in the second quarter, scoring two of Oswego’s three goals of the quarter, and recording a hat trick on the afternoon before halftime. The match would be tied at five going into the second half of play.

The Lakers outscored Brockport by just one goal in the second half, scoring four goals in the half. Aiden Kenyon held Brockport to three second half goals, and recorded five saves in the contest. Gavin Elston recorded a hat trick in the second half which gave Oswego the upper hand in their win. Elston tied Corey O’Connor for total points on the afternoon with four, while also tying Brodman for total goals with three each.

The men are riding a two game win streak heading into their next matchup, which will be their second conference matchup of the season. The men will be hosting Plattsburgh on Saturday, April 1st at 1pm. The Cardinals are coming in on a six game losing streak, with the Lakers looking to make it seven.

Lakers Wrangle Mustangs in Dominant Offensive Performance

MORRISVILLE, NY- The Lakers winning streak to start the season continues at three in a row after wrangling the Morrisville Mustangs 21-5.

The first half was an offensive show for the Lakers as the Lakers scored 15 points in the first half. It didn’t take very long at all for the Lakers to score as they scored 47 seconds into the game as Isabella Lembo scored unassisted. Madison Davis and Isabella Lembo would both score two goals in the first quarter. The Mustangs turned the ball over five times in the first quarter and four out of the five times led to a goal for the Lakers. The Lakers led 8-0 at the end of the first quarter.

The second quarter was just as a dominant of a performance for the Lakers as the first quarter. Sela Wiley would score her second goal of the game with 13:48 in the second quarter. Freshman Noelle Smith would score her third goal of the season 32 seconds later. Madison Davis would then score her third goal of the game to put the Lakers up 11-0. The Lakers would end the second quarter with Madison Davis scoring goal number four of the game and Shae McConnell scoring her second goal of the game. Both goals would come after Morrisville penalties. The Lakers would lead 15-0 at halftime.

The second half saw the Lakers continue their domination of the Mustangs. Shae McConnell opened the third quarter with her third goal of the game. With 12:54 in the third quarter, the Mustangs would finally get on the board as Alana McDonald would score her fourth goal of the season. Julia Quirk would then score back-to-back goals for the Lakers to put the Lakers up 18-1. Sela Wiley with 6:04 left in the second quarter scored her fourth goal of the game as both Madison Davis and Sela Wiley had four goals for the game. A foul on Sofia Mangino led to Aria Treadway scoring her third goal of the season but the game was out of reach for the Mustangs.

The Lakers dominance cooled down in the fourth quarter as they only scored two goals. Ashley Casserly scored her second goal of the season to put the Lakers up 20-3. Alexis Hill would then score the final goal of the game with 26 seconds left as she scored her first goal as a Laker. The Lakers would win 21-5 over the Mustangs in their best offensive outing of the season. Madison Davis would have her third game of the season where she would score four or more goals in a game. The Lakers are out to their best start of the season since the shortened 2021 lacrosse season where they finished 4-5 and where they opened their season against Morrisville winning 20-14. With the way the Lakers are performing right now, they are on pace for their best season since the 2019 lacrosse season where they finished 11-5 and where their season that year ended with a 18-5 loss to Geneseo in the SUNYAC Outdoor Championship.

The Lakers travel to Rochester to take on St. John Fisher College on Wednesday, March 15th at Growney Stadium. The Cardinals sit at 2-1 on the season after a 11-9 win over Colorado College after playing two games at Colorado College last week.  The Cardinals lost their first game of the season in their first game last Wednesday at Colorado College losing 9-7 to Messiah University a team who currently sits a 4-1 on the season. The Lakers have not beaten St. John Fisher in almost 17 years as their last win against them came in the 2006 lacrosse season. The Lakers last played St. John Fisher last season and lost 11-4. The Lakers look for win number four and a 4-1 start to a season since 2019.

PHOTO CREDITS PROVIDED BY OSWEGO STATE ATHLETICS

Women’s Lacrosse Hands Pioneers First Loss of the Season

Isabella Lembo throwing the ball upfield

 

UTICA, NY – The Lakers extended their win streak to two this afternoon after a tightly contested road matchup against the Pioneers. Isabella Lembo and Sela Wiley continued their scoring streaks from their previous matchup against SUNY Canton. Wiley now has seven goals in the last two games, with Lembo having six.

The offense showed up to play in the first quarter for both teams, with Lembo recording her first goal of the afternoon less than four minutes into play. The Pioneers quickly responded to the Lakers with a goal of their own less than a minute later, tying the game at one. Sela Wiley was able to give the Lakers the lead just minutes later, scoring her first goal of the afternoon. Utica simply refused to back down from the Lakers, tying the game yet again with another goal shortly after Wiley’s goal. Lembo would give the Lakers a one point lead going into the second quarter with a goal coming in with 5:58 remaining in the first. Scoring slowed down in the second quarter, with Oswego netting two more goals, while surrendering one goal to Utica. One goal came from Lembo, the other came from from Wiley, with just 20 seconds remaining in the half. The Lakers held a five to three lead going into the second half.

The Pioneers outscored the Lakers in the second half, but it wasn’t enough for them to come back and tie the game, despite the Lakers scoreless third quarter. Shae McConnell put the Pioneers on ice with the only goal scored by Oswego in the half, coming in with 13:18 remaining in the fourth. Oswego held off a fourth quarter rally by the Pioneers to take home the six to five victory over Utica. Defense was the story of the game, with the Laker defense forcing 25 turnovers by the Pioneers, while only allowing 16 shots off against goalkeeper Sarah Kamide. Kamide was a difference maker in the net, recording seven saves in the contest, and getting the win in goal.

Men’s Hockey Season ends after Whiteout PT2

OSWEGO, N.Y. – The Oswego State men’s hockey team’s season came to a head on Saturday night. A SUNYAC Championship bout against the programs biggest and longest rival, the Plattsburgh Cardinals, in the Deborah F. Stanley Ice Arena. The squads finished one and two in the SUNYAC regular season standings, and were playing for the fourth time this season. The Lakers were leading the series 2-1, but the second win over the Cardinals didn’t count for SUNYAC standings as it was in a winter break tournament.

It took just two minutes for the Cardinals to find the back of the net. Plattsburgh’s Adam Tretowicz stole the puck from an Oswego defender, skated across the face of the goal, and buried it in the top left corner. From there it was a very back on forth first period, and also a very physical one. Plenty of big hits across the middle and against the boards, some of which resulted in penalties. The first penalty of the period was a goalie interference call against Connor Sleeth who checked Plattsburgh goalie Eli Shiller who was out of his goal. The second penalty was against Ryan Dickinson for elbowing, both penalties were killed by the Lakers. Plattsburgh Jacob Modry took a cross checking penalty with less than a minute left in the period. At the end of the first the Cardinals were up 1-0. Shiller made six saves in the first period, Cal Schell had four.

The second period was goalless, but wasn’t lacking in action. The period started with the Cardinals killing the penalty. The Lakers took the next penalty, and killed it. In the fifth minute, both squads took rough calls, meaning it was 4-on-4 for the whole 2-minutes. Once again the special team’s units came up big for both squads. Another two penalties against the Cardinals were called during the period. Shiller made another six saves in that period, while the Schell had seven.

In the third period, the Cardinals took another early penalty, but once again killed it. Both teams weren’t effective on power. play in the game, Plattsburgh being 0-3, Oswego going 0-4. The Lakers were the most productive in the third period, with 15 shots on goal, more than doubling their shots output, from 12 to 27 total in the game. Despite that it was Plattsburgh that doubled their advantage with less than four minutes in the game. The Lakers didn’t go down with out a fight though and with less than a minute a slap shot from Tommy Cahill finally go the Lakers on the board. From there they pulled Cal Schell, but couldn’t get another in the net. The Cardinals captured their first SUNYAC title since 2017. Shiller finished the game with 26 saves, while Schell made 18 total.

Oswego finished their season 17-9-1 (12-4-0 SUNYAC). In the final national poll they are ranked 12. Senior forward Alex DiCarlo finished with a team high 13 goals. Junior Forward Shane Bull finished with with the team high in assists (19) and points (28). Freshman goalie Cal Schell finished the season 2.13 GAA and a .923 SV%. The Lakers lose eight seniors to graduation, D Troy Robillard, D Quinn Warmuth, F Tommy Cahill, F Thomas Rocco, F Garrett Clegg, F Alex DiCarlo (A), G Eric Green, D Ryan Bunka (C).

IMAGE PROVIDED BY ERIN BLANK, WTOP10 PHOTOGRAPHY DEPARTMENT

Lakers Comeback Against Clarkson Falls Short

OSWEGO, NY- The women’s lacrosse team dropped their season opener to Clarkson 15-11 despite rallying at the end of the game.

The first quarter started out the wrong way for the Lakers as they fell behind 2-0 as Clarkson controlled the first quarter. The second quarter was brutal as well for the Lakers as they gave up more goals to Clarkson. Clarkson’s Julia Lavarnway set up Madelynn Barnum to score to put Clarkson up 3-0 with 9:14 left in the second quarter. Lavarnway had a great second quarter assisting with two goals for the Golden Knights, Lavarnway would score later in the second quarter as she scored to put Clarkson up 6-0 with 3:58 left in the first half. The Lakers would finally get on the board as Katie Fierro would score with 40 seconds left in the first half as Shae McConnell would assist with the goal. Julia Lavarnway had a great first half as she assisted with three goals and scored as well. Clarkson’s goalie Jennaca McGill would record nine saves in the first half.

Madelynn Barnum started out the second half on an attack as he had back-to-back goals to put Clarkson up 8-1. The Lakers would then go on their own attack as Madison Davis put on a show scoring three straight goals to put the Lakers down 11-4. A penalty on Clarkson’s Kaitlyn McNamara set up Shae McConnell to score her first goal of the season but the Lakers still trailed 11-5. Mia Petrone would score her second goal of the day for Clarkson as they led 12-6 over Oswego at the end of the third quarter. Hailee Millington would score her fourth goal of the game as Clarkson led 13-6 early in the fourth quarter. Madelynn Barnum would also score her final and fourth goal of the game to put Clarkson up 14-7. Chrissy Benedict would score the final goal of the game for the Golden Knights as Clarkson led 15-7. Isabella Lembo, Julia Quirk, and Katie Fierro would give the Lakers life as they trailed 15-10. Madison Davis would score her fifth goal of the game as the Lakers trailed 15-11 but it was a little too late with 1:50 left in the game, the Lakers would lose their season opener. The last two matchups between Clarkson and Oswego were the season openers to the women’s lacrosse season and the Lakers would drop both games. Oswego’s last win against Clarkson came on March 1, 2019 where they won on the road against Clarkson 16-14 but they haven’t beat Clarkson at Laker Turf Stadium since the 2010-2011 women’s lacrosse season.

The Lakers travel to Suny Canton on Friday, March 3rd to take on the Kangaroos. The Lakers are undefeated against Canton as the Kangaroos look to break the long winning streak by the Lakers against them and the Lakers look to rebound and win their first game of the season.

PHOTO CREDITS PROVIDED BY OSWEGO STATE ATHLETICS

Lakers men’s basketball wins SUNYAC tournament for 2nd straight year

OSWEGO, N.Y.  – The Lakers had a big past weekend as they hosted the SUNYAC tournament on Friday and Saturday afternoon. The Lakers first started their tournament hosting the number five seeded New Paltz Hawks Friday afternoon for the SUNYAC Semifinal match. Early on Oswego struggled to connect on their shots and the game stayed tight as both teams went back and forth in the first seven minutes of play. The Hawks started gaining momentum around the 12 minute mark which forced Coach Leone to take a timeout trailing 12-15.  Defense was the key of the first half, as both teams struggled to put the ball in the net. The Lakers forced five turnovers on defense, while holding the Hawks to just 35% from the field. Oswego dominated the glass with 10 offensive rebounds in one half. Despite the struggle from the field, the Lakers would take a two point lead going into halftime, leading 27-25. Cartier Bowman and Jeremiah Sparks both went into the half with 8 points.

After nothing was going for Oswego in the first half they were desperately looking for answers. That answer was Devin Green who hit three of his six three point attempts in the first eleven minutes of the half bringing the lead to 49-44. Jeremiah Sparks connected on two straight baskets extending the Lakers lead to nine with just five minutes remaining in the game. Green continued to put the team on his back and connected on his fifth three of the second half with just under 2 minutes to seal the game. The Lakers ended up holding on with a 73-68 win to move to the championship game. Four Lakers recorded double digit points that evening Sparks had 21,Green had 17, Bowman had 13  and Cook had 12. The Lakers advance to their second consecutive SUNYAC title game with a five point win over the Hawks and would face SUNY Brockport on Saturday evening for a chance at the SUNYAC championship.

The Lakers returned Saturday to the Max Ziel to try to win back to back games against the Brockport Golden Eagles. The first half went the way the Lakers wanted as the Lakers defense forced 12 turnovers against the Golden Eagles and the Lakers led 46-33 at half. Ahkee Anderson went 6-7 from the field, including a three pointer in his hot start with14 points in the first half.

The second half started out the same for both teams with Brockport starting to slowly creep back into the game. Brockport cut the lead to six with just over ten minutes remaining taking over the full momentum in the half.  Both teams then continued to score back and forth, with Oswego maintaining the six point lead over the next eight minutes. With less than two minutes remaining, Ahkee Anderson continuing his big game hit a big jumper from the right baseline to give Oswego a 69-61 lead forcing Brockport to call timeout. After Brockport failed to score at the other end coming out of the timeout, the Lakers took advantage with a long offensive possession with an offensive rebound turning into a slick Jeremiah Sparks step back mid-range jumper to seal the SUNYAC. Oswego would continue their 21 game win streak with 74-63 win.  Oswego wins their second straight SUNYAC Championship in a row marking Coach Leone’s sixth SUNYAC Championship in 11 years.

Three Lakers were honored in the trophy celebration and as a part of the SUNYAC Team: Devin Green, Jeremiah Sparks  and Cartier Bowman who won the SUNYAC Tournament MVP with a 15-point 13-rebound double-double.

The Lakers are now 25-2(17-1) and will now host a NCAA pod on March 3rd and 4th. They will play Marymount (VA) in the round of 64 at 5:45. John Carroll and Albertus Magnus will be playing the Neutral game. 

IMAGE COURTESY OF ERIN BLANK, WTOP10 PHOTOGRAPHY DEPARTMENT

Men’s Hockey headed to Whiteout pt 2, SUNYAC Final addition

OSWEGO, NY – The Oswego State Men’s hockey team had a high pressure SUNYAC semi-final on Saturday night against the Buffalo State Bengals. The Bengals were coming off a mid-week upset over Cortland, and had their starting goalie, Emil Norrman, back from injury. The two sides had just played a week prior, but without Norrman, an All-SUNYAC goalie, in net, the Lakers put seven goals in the back of the net.

The first action in the first period was a slashing call against the Lakers, giving the Bengals an early man-advantage. The Lakers killed it without allowing a shot on net. A few minutes after the end of the penalty, Tyler Flack scored his first goal of the season to give Oswego a 1-0 lead. Just seconds after the puck-drop from the last goal, Alex DiCarlo found netting behind Norrman again. The rest of the period was tame, without anymore goals or penalties. The Oswego defense was strong in the first, and Cal Schell only had four saves. Norrman had eight saves.

At the start of the second, the Lakers were started quickly. It took just 40 seconds for Oswego’s Connor Gatto to score the Lakers third goal. Throughout the rest of the period, both squads traded shots though nothing found netting. With five to go in the period the Bengals took a too-many men penalty, though the Lakers couldn’t capitalize. With just over a minute to go in the period, Drake Semrad was called for a 5-minute major for contact to the head, meaning he also missed the remainder of the game. With the Lakers up 3-0 at the end of the period, things looked bleak for the Bengals, but with just under four minutes remaining on the penalty there was still hope. Schell only had to make another four saves in the period, Norrman made 14.

To start the third, Lakers killed the major penalty, but also picked up another meaning they were 5-on-3 for about 30 seconds. The Lakers killed that one as well, while only giving up two shots throughout the entire ordeal. The Lakers spent a good portion of five minutes on a man-advantage, with the Bengals taking back-to-back penalties. Oswego got five shots off during the penalties, but couldn’t find netting. With less than four to go, Buffalo State broke the shutout, burying a slap shot. It was long before the Lakers recaptured that three-goal lead. Tommy Cahill buried one just a minute later. A late penalty against Jackson Arcan gave Buffalo State one last shot, but they didn’t take advantage and the game ended 4-1. Troy Robillard had two assists, in the game. Quinn Warmuth and Matt McQuade led the team with five shots each, while also each grabbing an assist. Cal Schell only had 15 saves in the game, Emil Norrman had 33.

Oswego moves onto the SUNYAC Championship game against rival Plattsburgh in the Deborah F. Stanley Arena. The two sides have already met three times this season, twice as regular season games, once as a non-conference game. The winner of the game gets an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. Puck drop is set for 7:00, in what will be a big weekend for Laker athletics.

IMAGE PROVIDED BY ERIN BLANK, WTOP10 PHOTOGRAPHY DEPARTMENT

Men’s Hockey sweeps biggest weekend of season

OSWEGO, N.Y. – The Oswego State men’s hockey team came into the weekend with one goal in mind, sweeping the weekend and clinching a SUNYAC regular season title. The had the advantage of both games being at home, but both opponents coming in had playoff aspirations of their own.

Game one of the weekend was against the Buffalo State Bengals. The Lakers quickly put themselves at a disadvantage, taking two penalties, and bing 5-on-3 for a bit, but ultimately killed both. It took about seven minutes for the first goal to find netting. Trent Grimshaw grabbed his fourth goal of the season to get the Lakers on the board, but Buffalo State quickly answered. A little more than a minute later, Joe Glamos tied the game for the Bengals. The game remained at ones for a while, but the Lakers grabbed the lead back. Ryan Bunka gave his team lead. Once again, the lead only lasted a little more than a minute, Joe Glamos again tying the game up. The score ties at two, both squads went to the locker room. Cal Schell had six saves for Oswego in the first, Liam Gross, for Buffalo State had 13.

In the second period, the game remained at 2-2 for almost the entire time. Buffalo took one penalty during the period, but killed it. It took until less than four minutes for the first goal of the second frame to happen. Ryan Dickinson giving the Lakers a lead they wouldn’t relinquish. With less than a minute to play in the frame Connor Gatto doubled the lead. Rocco Andreacchi and Shane Bull being credited with assists on both goals in the period, and Andreacchi getting his third of the game. Schell had another six saves in the period, Gross adding another 14.

The third period saw Trent Grimshaw continue his scoring ways. He would score twice getting his first collegiate hat-trick. His goals were split by one for Buffalo State. In the third, the Lakers had two power-play opportunities that they wouldn’t capitalize on. Oswego took the first game of the weekend, 7-3, and clinched at top-two seed in the playoffs. Ten different Lakers got a point in the game, five of them more than one. Schell ended the game with 17 saves, Gross had 38.

The final game of the Lakers regular season was Senior Night. The Lakers recognized all-their seniors in a post-game ceremony. The game was against the Fredonia Blue Devils. Once again the Lakers came out flying. Just past the six minute mark, Oswego found the scoreboard twice in 15 seconds. The first score came off the stick of Conor Smart. Quickly after the restart of play, it was Tommy Cahill giving Oswego a 2-0 lead. The Lakers weren’t done there though, Drake Semrad gave Oswego a 3-0 lead in the tenth minute of the first period. Alex DiCarlo wanted to be part of the scoring parade, scoring the Lakers fourth and final goal of the first period. Eight different Lakers got assists in the first. Cal Schell had eight saves in the first period, while Logan Dyck had 13.

The Blue Devils made a goalie switch in the second. Charles-Anthony Barbeau was put in net. The second period was Conor Smart‘s period. He scored the Lakers first two goals of the second, and scored his first collegiate hat-trick. Daniel Colabufo got himself one final goal of the regular season as well, in the third. Before the end of the period, Fredonia picked up a penalty, that would be impactful in the third. With a 7-0 lead going into the break, the Lakers looked good to secure their first regular season title since 2018-19, but still had one to go. Schell had seven saves in the second, Barbeau had 17.

Fredonia made another goalie switch in the third, giving Dalton Jerzak some game time in the final game. The penalty that carried through to the third quickly became impactful, Ben Addison getting his second goal of the season. Less than a minute later Garrett Clegg scored his first goal of the season, on his senior night. The rest of the game was scoreless and the Lakers walked away with a 9-0 victory and a SUNYAC regular season championship. Smart was the only Laker with multiple goals, but six Lakers got multiple assists, 11 total getting at least one assist. Schell finished the game with 20 saves, Jerzak had 16 saves in the third.

Oswego now awaits an opponent for the SUNYAC semi-final that will be played in Oswego, they will play the lowest remaining seed after the SUNYAC quarter-final games played on Wednesday night. The semi-final game will be played on Saturday at 7:00.

At the end of the regular season, Alex DiCarlo was the teams leading goal scorer with 12 throughout the season. Shane Bull was the team’s leading assist and point getter, with 18 assists and 27 points. Cal Schell finished the season with a 2.19 Goals Against Average and .924 save percentage.

IMAGE PROVIDED BY EMILY RUSINKOWTOP10 PHOTOGRAPHY DEPARTMENT

Women’s Basketball Ends Season on High-Note

OSWEGO, NY – The women’s basketball team split their games this weekend to finish the season including their final win of the 2022-2023 season.

Friday’s game concluded with the Lakers losing to Brockport 53-49 in overtime. Very little happened in the first quarter as both teams struggled from the paint. The game started out with Brockport’s Anna Felice making a three-pointer to give the Golden Eagles a 3-0 lead. After that little happened between the two teams. The score was tied twice in the quarter with the Golden Eagles taking a 7-5 lead over the Lakers after quarter one. The Lakers went 20% the field and the Golden Eagles went 15.38% from the field. The second quarter was the same story as the first quarter. The quarter began with Chastin Giles making her first three-pointer of the day with 8:21 left in the second quarter. Less than 40 seconds later Sydney Hoefs would connect on her second three-pointer of the day to put the Lakers up 13-7. Juliana Logana would extend the Lakers lead to eight 15-7. The Golden Eagles would rally but the Lakers would lead 19-16 at halftime. Julia Logana and Sydney Hoefs would both lead the Lakers with six points at the half.

The third quarter would start with Zairea Hannah scoring to put the Golden Eagles down by one. The Lakers would respond about 30 seconds later with Caitie Lilly scoring to extend the Lakers lead to 21-18. The Golden Eagles manage to come close to taking the lead away from the Lakers but the Lakers held strong. Brockport struggled from the field in the second quarter going 3-16 and shooting 18.75%. The Lakers led 33-26 heading into the fourth quarter. Logan Castiglione helped extend the Lakers lead to ten connecting on a three-pointer with 9:10 left in the fourth quarter. Anna Lee would tie the game for the Golden Eagles at 41 with 1:27 left in the fourth quarter. The game would be tied at 41 going into overtime. In overtime, Zairea Hannah extended the Golden Eagles lead to 43-41 in the beginning of the overtime period. Chastin Giles would bring the Lakers back connecting on her second three-pointer of the game with 2:40 left in overtime. Shannon Blankenship would respond 28 seconds later making a three-pointer to help extend the Golden Eagles lead to 50-44 with 2:12 left in the game. Chastin Giles made a free-throw which brought the Lakers down 51-49 with 16 seconds left. Anna Felice would seal the Lakers fate with two free-throws to make the final score 53-49. Juliana Logana and Chastin Giles would both lead the Lakers with nine points on the day.

The second game saw the Lakers rebound from their loss against Brockport getting their final win of the season defeating the Fredonia Blue Devils 65-51. The Lakers found themselves in a bad position in the beginning of the first quarter trailing 8-0 with just 1:48 into the game, including giving up two three pointers to Fredonia’s Renee Park and Jaden Sciotti. Elaina Johnson would score the first points of the game for the Lakers to put them down 8-2. Sydney Hoefs made a three-pointer to bring the Lakers down by three and Shania Iglesias cut into the Blue Devils lead by cutting the Lakers deficit to just two at 10-8. The Lakers rallied to tie the game at 18 at the end of quarter one. Juliana Logana helped the Lakers take the lead at two at the beginning of the second quarter. With 4:50 left in the second quarter, Sydney Hoefs made another three-pointer to extend the Lakers lead to 12. Chastin Giles made a layup to extend the Lakers lead to 14 their biggest lead of the day so far in the game. Fredonia’s Allie Wandell made a three-pointer with 46 seconds left in the second quarter but the Lakers would lead 40-32 at the half.

The third quarter began with no scoring until 7:23 left in the third quarter with Mary Culeton making two free-throws to cut into the Lakers lead at 40-34. With 3:54 left in the third quarter Alena Wright cut into the Lakers lead at 41-38. The Lakers extended their lead to 49-38 at the end of the third quarter. Fredonia’s Sarah Seaman cut into he Lakers lead to seven making a three-pointer. Logan Castiglione made back-to-back three-pointers to seal the Blue Devils fate. Elaina Johnson added the final point of the day for the Lakers for their 65-51 win over the Blue Devils. The Lakers went off in terms of scoring as they had four double-digit scorers on the day with Logan Castiglione, Elaina Johnson, Sydney Hoefs, and Juliana Logana who would all finish the day with 10+ points. Elaina Johnson had a career game leading the Lakers with 18 points on the day. Sydney Hoefs would lead the Lakers in both games with 19 points and led the Lakers with four three-pointers in both games. Overall, Logan Castiglione would have a career year leading the Lakers in points with 209, her previous record was 119 points last season. Karleigh Leo was second on the team with 200 points as a transfer student who made an immediate impact right away. Shania Iglesias would also improve this season as she finished third on the team in points with 176.

The Lakers conclude the season with their best finish at 13-12 their best record since the 2012-2013 season. They’ll head into the 2023-2024 season with a lot of confidence after a resurgence year from their team.

PHOTO CREDITS PROVIDED BY OSWEGO STATE ATHLETICS

Lakers men’s basketball cap off regular season on the road

FREDONIA, N.Y.  – The Oswego state basketball team looked to end off their regular season with two wins on the road vs Brockport friday night and then the Fredonia Blue Devils on Saturday night. The Lakers were looking to avenge their previous loss to Brockport at home on December 2nd. Cartier Bowman was a catalyst for Oswego early with 9 points in 10 minutes of play. Oswego early played great team basketball and tried to get everyone involved early. The Lakers initially had a nice 15 point lead, but Brockport cut it down to 10 with about five minutes left in the first half. The Lakers gave up some quick points before the end of the first half, but still ended the half with a 44-36 lead.

The first 5 minutes of the second half stayed back and forth as Oswego maintained their 8 point lead. While Brockport began to make a small run at the Lakers, Devin Green and Ahkee Anderson both hit three pointers to extend the Laker lead back to double digits  with the score 65-55 midway through the second half. Brockport fought right back and cut the lead to five with three minutes remaining. Anderson then took over for the Lakers and hit two big jump shots down the stretch to keep Oswego in front. Those shots helped Oswego pull away and finally get their revenge on Brockport 79-73. Devin Green led the Lakers with 18 points, Bowman had 17, Achille had 13, and Anderson had 11. The Lakers then moved to Saturday where they would face Fredonia on the road.

The first half started slow for the Lakers as the Blue Devils had a nine point lead halfway through the 1st half due to great play from Aaron Collins. In a very slow first half where we saw the Lakers shoot only 12% from three, it was the opposite for Fredonia as they shoot a astounding 8-9 from behind the arc. But the Lakers fought back at the end of the half to hold a 44-40 lead at the halftime break. Cartier Bowman and Jeremiah Sparks both had 10 points in the first half, and Kaleb Cook added nine more.

The Lakers then turned it around in the second half led by Jeremiah Sparks who did almost everything for the Lakers in the first 10 minutes leading the Lakers to a 65-57 lead with 10 to go.  However, Fredonia’s three-point shooting continued to be a problem for Oswego. Sparks continued his dominant scoring the late stages of the second half with seven quick points including a three pointer with around seven minutes to go. Ahkee Anderson then hit a jumper to bring the lead to 12 and Kaleb Cook put the game away with  four points down the stretch to grow the Lakers lead. Despite the accurate shooting of the Blue Devils, Oswego was better in almost all other facets of the game. Oswego shot over 50% from the field and really turned it around in the second half for a 85-70 victory. Sparks ended the game with a 26 point double-double with help from Cook, Anderson and Bowman who scored in double figures.

The Lakers move to 23-2(17-1) and bring their win streak to 19 headed into the SUNYAC tournament next weekend. With this win the Lakers officially locked up the number one seed for the playoffs and will get the home court advantage next weekend. The SUNYAC Tournament will begin on Tuesday, February 21. Oswego will have a first round bye and will host the final four of the conference tournament.

IMAGE COURTESY OF ERIN BLANK, WTOP10 PHOTOGRAPHY DEPARTMENT

Men’s basketball dominates Red Dragons on senior day

OSWEGO, N.Y.  –  The Lakers men’s basketball team looked to continue their win streak to 17 this past weekend when they hosted the Cortland Red Dragons for senior night on Saturday evening. The first half ended up being controlled by the Lakers but Cortland held Oswego tough in the first half. After the first ten minutes the score was 13-10 Lakers until Jamal Achille became the offensive spark for Oswego and started a Laker 6-0 where lone senior Devin Green chipped in and added four points over that same stretch. After that run the Lakers exploded on offense going on  a 41-18 run the last 10 minutes of the first half shooting similarly from the field and from three-point range (58.06% FG%, 58.33% 3PT%). Oswego got out ahead and had a  54-28 at the half.

Cortland tried to start off the half stronger as reigning SUNY-AC player of the year Austin Grunder made a couple big shots to start for the red dragons. But it wouldn’t last long as Kaleb Cook took over during a four-minute stretch during the second half, scoring ten points, while Cortland could only get 4. By that point Cortland couldn’t get anything to go and Oswego would cruise to a 102-62 for their 7th game over 100 points in this season. The Lakers also keep their 17 game streak alive, not losing since the loss to Brockport at home in December. Jeremiah Sparks and Devin Green both had 14 points for the game in a great shooting game for Oswego, but the game was led on Oswego’s side by Kaleb Cook, whose ten point outburst in the second half helped him score 16 for the game. Cortland’s Austin Grunder ended up with another double double in this game and was the only Cortland player that was a positive in this game leading all scorers with 24. Oswego’s bench outscored the Red Dragons 47-18. and the Lakers dominated in the paint beating Cortland 48-10.

Coach Leone gets his 300th career win as a coach and the Lakers move to 21-2,(15-1 SUNYAC). The men’s team will travel to Brockport, NY to face Brockport on Friday, February 17 in a revenge game as Brockport was Oswego’s only previous SUNYAC loss.

IMAGE COURTESY OF ERIN BLANK, WTOP10 PHOTOGRAPHY DEPARTMENT

 

Women’s Basketball falls flat against cortland

OSWEGO, NY – The Lakers celebrated senior day this past Saturday for Senior Payton Daeffler but unfortunately they couldn’t keep pace with the 19-4 Cortland Red Dragons falling 74-37.

The first quarter was a disaster for the Lakers as they allowed the Red Dragons to go up 13-0 with 5:25 in the first quarter as the Lakers had no answers for the Red Dragons. The Lakers would finally get on the board as Logan Castiglione would score to put the Lakers down 13-2. The Lakers began to rally at the end of the first quarter and made the score an eight point game but still trailed 17-9. The Lakers went 33.33% from the field in the first quarter while the Red Dragons went 40.00% from the field. The Lakers also hit a three-pointer in the first as Caitie Lilly knocked one down.

The second quarter started with Shania Iglesias scoring five points including a three-pointer to help the Lakers trail 17-14 in the early minutes of the second quarter. Unfortunately after this the Lakers were just outmatched and couldn’t keep pace with the Red Dragons as they trailed 30-18 at half. The Lakers were slightly better from the field by a small margin shooting from 40% while the Red Dragons despite the halftime lead shot from 28.57%.

The third quarter started with the Red Dragons putting up five points to begin the quarter. With 6:26 left in the third quarter Peyton Daeffler  scored her 101th point of her career as she eclipsed the 100-point barrier for her career. Shania Iglesias would knock down her second three-pointer with 3:49 left in the third quarter but the Lakers still trailed by 21 points. Shania Iglesias lead the Lakers with five points in the third quarter. The Lakers trailed the Red Dragons by a huge margin 55-33 at the end of the third quarter.

The fourth quarter saw the Red Dragons continue to extend their lead. The quarter started with Chastin Giles making two three-pointers to cut the Red Dragons lead to 20. The game was never close for the Lakers after the two free-throws. The Red Dragons would dominate the Lakers 74-37 making this their worst loss since losing to New Paltz two weeks ago. With the loss the Lakers have been eliminated from any chance of qualifying for the SUNYAC tournament. Despite this, the Lakers produced their best season in ten years and it was coach Pinkerton’s best season while coaching the Lakers.

The Lakers will travel to Brockport this Friday, February 17th. The Lakers will look to get back on track and avoid their losing their fifth straight game. The Lakers face a Golden Eagles who sits at 10-13 on the season currently and had gotten absolutely crushed by New Paltz 60-37 this past Saturday. The Golden Eagles have locked up a spot in the SUNYAC tournament so the Lakers will look to knock the Golden Eagles off balance and shake up the SUNYAC tournament seeding. New Paltz and Cortland are the top two seeds in the SUNYAC tournament. The Golden Eagles already defeated the Lakers 75-60 at the Max Ziel Gymnasium back on December 2nd.

PHOTO PROVIDED BY OSWEGO STATE ATHLETICS

Men’s Hockey gets revenge on Morrisville

MORRISVILLE, N.Y. – The Oswego State Men’s Hockey team took to the road Wednesday night for a revenge game with the Morrisville Mustangs. The Mustangs came to Oswego just after the Thanksgiving break for the Teddy Bear toss game and shocked the Lakers by beating them 3-1, in a game that would end up being the second loss in a three game skid. Now only three games away from the SUNYAC playoffs, every game matters for the Lakers who are looking to secure home ice advantage in the playoffs.

In what could have been a trap game for the Lakers, they showed what they were made of and it started with the games first goal halfway through the first period. Tommy Cahill found netting, with the assist coming from Daniel Colabufo. The Lakers did a good job killing penalties in the first period, killing off two. Once again, they Lakers ran into a goalie who was having a great game, at least in the first period. Morrisville’s Ryan Creenan had 21 saves in the first period, Cal Schell had seven.

The second period it seemed as thought the Lakers figured Creenan out. It took just under ten minutes for the first goal, but from there they were off to the races. The Lakers second goal came from Shane Bull, with assists credit going to Alex DiCarlo. Less than three minutes later, Jackson Arcan buried one, Tyler Flack getting an assist. The Lakers would find netting for a third time in the second period. Alex DiCarlo added to his team leading goal total, while Ryan Bunka and Connor Gatto each grabbed assists. With a 4-0 lead at the second break, Oswego looked good to win, but they weren’t done. Creenan only had seven saves in the second period, Schell had eight.

Not even four minutes into the third, the Lakers struck again. Connor Gatto grabbed his third goal of the year. Alex DiCarlo grabbed his third point of the game with the goal, Shane Bull also grabbed an assist. The middle part of the period was more tame, Oswego killed a Quinn Warmuth tripping penalty around the halfway point. Oswego took advantage of a late Morrisville penalty to put the cherry on top of the game. Jackson Arcan scored his second goal of the game, and sixth of the season. Shane Bull became the second Laker in the game to reach three points, with Ben Addison also tallying an assist. Oswego walked onto the bus with a 6-0 victory. Matt McQuade led the Lakers with four shots in the game. Schell finished with 26 games and his first shutout of the season. Creenan had 33 in the game.

The Lakers have two games left, both on the road. They take on Buffalo State Friday followed by Fredonia Saturday. With the win the Lakers reclaimed first place in the SUNYAC, one point ahead of Plattsburgh on an even number of games played. Fredonia and Buffalo State won’t be walk over games, both squads still playing for playoff spots and seeding.

IMAGE PROVIDED BY EMILY RUSINKO, WTOP10 PHOTOGRAPHY DEPARTMENT

Women’s Basketball struggles continue as they lose third straight

OSWEGO, NY- It was a rough week for the Lakers as they lost both games this weekend falling to New Paltz 71-43 on Friday and then to Oneonta on Saturday 62-48.

In the first game against New Paltz it was all out domination for the Hawks against the Lakers. The Lakers started off on the wrong foot as they trailed 11-0 with 7:00 left in the first quarter. The Lakers finally got on the board with 6:43 left in the first quarter as Logan Castiglione would knock down a three to help the Lakers only trail 11-3. The Hawks continued to dominate the Lakers late into the first as they led 24-9 after quarter one. Logan Castiglione would lead the Lakers with five points after quarter number one. The Lakers faired decent from both the field and for three-pointers as they went 40% from the field and 50% for three-pointers. The second quarter would be a repeat of the first quarter for the Lakers. The Hawks would score in the beginning minutes of the second quarter as Jenny Walton made a layup in the paint to go up 26-9. The Hawks would lead by a huge margin of 42-13 heading into halftime.

The second half was a continuation of the first half for the Lakers. The Hawks would extend their lead to 45-13 in the early minutes of the third. The Lakers could never close the gap at all throughout the rest of the game. Oswego completely struggled in the third quarter from the field only managing to shoot 14.29% but went 75% from the free-throw line. The Hawks led by a 39-point margin at the end of the third quarter 60-21. The fourth quarter saw the Hawks continue to extend their lead as Julia Sabatino scored her sixth point of the game to extend the Hawks lead to 62-21. The Hawks would dominate winning 71-43. Brianna Fitzgerald would lead the Hawks with 20 points and Logan Castiglione would lead the Lakers with nine points. This marks the eighth time that the Lakers have lost by 15 points or more.

After a blowout loss to the Hawks, the Lakers were hoping to rebound against the Oneonta Red Dragons but unfortunately this wasn’t the case. Olivia Dobrovsky got the Red Dragons on the board first to make it 2-0. Sydney Hoefs would score with 7:09 left in the first quarter to cut the Red Dragons lead to two. The score was tied at 13 at the end of the first quarter. Oswego faired well from the field at 50%. The second quarter started with Juliana Logana scoring to give the Lakers the early lead in the second quarter but it only took the Red Dragons just 25 seconds to tie the game at 15. The Lakers would extend their led to 31-23 with just 45 seconds left but the Red Dragons would knock down a three as the Lakers led 31-26 at half.

Giavanna Principio-White would extend the Lakers lead to seven at the beginning of the third. Oneonta found its way back in the game in the third as Meg Nardelli hit a three-pointer to draw within one, Nardelli would then score again less than a minute later to give the Red Dragons a 37-36 lead with 3:50 left. The Lakers found themselves trailing 46-41 at the end of the third quarter. The Lakers could get nothing going in the fourth quarter especially in the opening minutes of the fourth. The Red Dragons would continue to extend their lead in the fourth. Jenna Harclerode knocked down a three-pointer to put Oneonta up 53-43 over the Lakers as the Lakers found themselves in a tough position that they couldn’t get out of for the rest of the game. The Red Dragons took down the Lakers 62-48. Logan Castiglione would lead the Lakers in points for both games with 20.

The Lakers look to get back in the win column as they host the Cortland Red Dragons on Friday, February 10th at the Max Ziel Gymnasium. Oswego faces a Red Dragons team that is at the top of the SUNYAC this season with Cortland coming off a flat loss to New Platz 64-46. Oswego was absolutely dominated in the game they faced against Cortland back on January 13th 75-30. The Lakers have lost six straight to Cortland dating back to the 2018-2019 season. Their last win against Cortland came on January 12, 2019 winning 70-57.

IMAGE PROVIDED BY OSWEGO STATE ATHLETICS

Mens basketball keeps it rolling after two home victories

OSWEGO, N.Y.  –  The Oswego men’s basketball team continues to win after two big home wins this past weekend at the Max Ziel. The Men’s team started their weekend hosting the New Paltz Hawks on friday night. The Lakers started off very slow on offense but then got it going after the Lakers were able to go on a 8-0 run to lead the Hawks by four points. The Lakers then didn’t stop and would continue to score with many fastbreak scores. This would bring the Lakers leading by 24 points going into halftime, with a score of 49-25. Oswego shot 52.8% from the field in the first half, while going almost 42% from behind the arc.The Lakers dominated on the glass, grabbing 27 rebounds to the Hawks’ 15. In the first half nine different players were able to convert on field goal attempts led by Devin Green with 13 points and five rebounds.

The Lakers then ultimately dominated the second half of play, shooting a phenomenal 53.3% from the field. Oswego extended their lead to 59 points in the second half of play and ended up winning by that margin with a 112 to 53 win.  Oswego scored over 100 points for the second game in a row, with four of their last five games eclipsing the mark and tied their season high in points. Six different Lakers ended up scoring in double digit points that evening. Devin Green had 13, Cartier Bowman had 10, Jeremiah Sparks had 14, Ahkee Anderson had 10, and Sean Edwards ended up with 11. Oswego moved to19-2,13-1 in SUNYAC.

The Lakers came back on Saturday and had a total opposite game of Friday on Saturday against Oneonta. This game was a full out defensive battle as it was a struggle for both teams. The Lakers came out and  shot 32.4% from the field in the first half and struggled to get anything going. Despite the Lakers shooting at a less efficient standard than usual, the Red Dragons shot the ball at an even less efficient half and Oswego led 30-21 up nine entering the second half. Jeremiah Sparks had nine points in the first half, and Devin Green had seven.

The first eight minutes of the second half was a continuation of the struggle for both teams as both teams kept trading baskets. Finally Jamal Achille hit a big shot to push the Oswego lead to double digits. Just before the halfway mark of the second half, Oneonta bounced back and  hit a three to cut the deficit to nine. The teams continued to trade baskets and the Oneonta went on their own run cutting the lead to six with around five minutes left. Oswego came back with a few big shots over the next two minutes, getting back to a ten point lead, but Oneonta struck right back to cut the lead to four. Green then used his veteran IQ to draw a foul with 1:13 remaining. He sank one of two to make the lead five. Oneonta had their best shot with a fast break layup and Jeremiah Sparks came out of nowhere and had a huge block getting possession back for Oswego. Ahkee Anderson ended the game when he stole the ball away from an Oneonta defender to secure the 58-51 win. Sparks had 15 points in a big performance, Anderson had 12, and Green scored 10.

Oswego extends the streak to 16 and is 20-2,14-1 in the SUNYAC. The men will hostSUNY Cortland next comes to Oswego on Saturday, February 11.

IMAGE PROVIDED BY OSWEGO ATHLETICS

Men’s hockey splits big weekend

BROCKPORT, N.Y. – The Oswego State men’s hockey team had a big weekend that had implications for the final SUNYAC standings picture. A Friday night rematch with the Geneseo Knights, this time on home ice, was followed by a Saturday road game against the Brockport Golden Eagles. The best case scenario would have been taking both games, tying Plattsburgh on points with one less game played than them.

One of the most highly anticipated matches of the season for Oswego States fan was Friday’s matchup with the Knights. The Lakers had taken the first game of the season series in Geneseo, and were looking to sweep the series. Geneseo came out firing though, and quickly put the Lakers on their back foot. Nine minutes into the first period they put one past Schell. The Knights doubled their lead before the end of the period and went into the locker rooms with a 2-0 lead. Geneseo’s Matt Petizian was playing out of his mind through the entire game, in the first period alone he had 17 saves. Schell only had 6.

The Knights extent ended their lead once more in the second. In the eighth minute of the period they fired on past Schell for what was the only goal of the frame. The Lakers put themselves in a tough spot in the final minutes of the second, playing a good chunk of the final five minutes down two men. They did a good job killing off all of the penalties and went in to the break on a mini high. Petizian racked up another 13 saves in the period, while Schell had 12 of his own.

The Lakers made some good changes and took advantage of Geneseo’s sloppy play in the third frame. Matt McQuade finally got the Lakers on the board just before the halfway point of the final period of regulation. The Lakers second goal came just four minutes later, this time on the power play. Daniel Colabufo took advantage of the man-advantage to bring the Lakers within one. It was less than three minutes until the game tying goal. Again on the power play, the puck was bouncing around in a scrum in front of the goal when Connor Sleeth poked it out to a wide open Quinn WarmuthWarmuth buried it past two diving defenders, sending the fan section into raptures. The goal sent the game to OT.  At the end of regulation Matt Petizian, despite giving up the three goals, had raked up 47 to that point. Schell had 21, the total he would end the game at.

In OT, the Lakers found themselves on the man advantage, once more, but couldn’t capitalize. It was Geneseo, in even-strength play, that would get the break-away opportunity, to seal the victory 4-3. Petizian was the star of the game, 53 total saves. Oswego’s Connor Sleeth led the team with eight shots. Seven total Lakers tallied a point, but not one of them more than one point.

After the heartbreaking loss, Oswego had to regroup and head on the road to take on the Brockport Golden Eagles. It was a scoreless first period, again highlighted by the opposing goal tender. Brockport’s Nolan Egbert had 20 saves in the first period, Schell back in net had 11 of his own.

The second period was where the Lakers found their stride from the previous night. Noah Bull found the back of the net first for Oswego, just past the nine-minute mark of the period. He was followed less than two minutes later by Jackson Arcan, this time on the power-play. Brockport was going to go away easily though, they scored a short-handed goal with just over a minute to go in the frame to make it a 2-1 game.

Oswego didn’t take long to recapture the two goal lead they had. Five minutes into the third period Daniel Colabufo found netting for the second time in the weekend, again on the power-play. Oswego scored one more goal to finish the game off, Quinn Warmuth also finding the back of the net for the second time in the weekend. The final score was 4-1. The Lakers out-shot the Golden Eagles 45-32 in the contest. Trent Grimshaw and Alex DiCarlo each had two assists in the game.

After splitting the weekend, but the loss being an OT loss, the Lakers took three points and retained the second place in the SUNYAC they went into the weekend with. Only two points separate the the top three teams, with Oswego sandwiched between Plattsburgh and Geneseo. The top five SUNYAC teams all clinched playoff spots, the rest of the game are all fights for seeding for them. Oswego’s next game is a mid-week matchup with the Morrisville Mustangs, a team they lost to earlier this season, and who are fighting for the final playoff spot in the SUNYAC.

IMAGE PROVIDED BY WTOP10 YOUTUBE

Women’s Hockey Sweeps season series with William Smith

GENEVA, N.Y. – The Oswego State Women’s Hockey team took a trip to Geneva to finish the season series with the William Smith College Herons. The Lakers had beat them on home ice during the Thanksgiving break 5-1. The Herons looked to get their revenge, getting on the board just a minute into the game. The Lakers didn’t let the lead last for too long. Sophia Kyrkostas scored an unassisted goal about half way through the period. William Smith wouldn’t let the tie stand though. With less than three minutes until the break, the Heron’s struck, taking a 2-1 lead into the break. Lexi Levy had two saves for Oswego, while Annie Houser had 13 for William Smith.

In the second period, the Lakers took advantage of a power play opportunity. A hooking penalty against the Herons allowed Simone Bednarik to capitalize in her first game back in action after representing Slovakia in the World University games. Assists came from Amanda Zenstein and Avery WebsterBednarik scored again just 30 seconds until the end of the period, this time unassisted. The second period ended with Oswego up 3-2. Levy stopped another 6 shots while Hauser 14 of her own.

The Lakers controlled the third period as well. Their first goal of the period for the Lakers was another power play goal. Mack Hull buried one for the Lakers fourth of the game. Ashlynn McGrath and Amanda Zenstein both grabbing assisted. The final goal of the game came off the stick Mia Conboy with assists by Sophia Kyrkostas and Rylee Preston. The final score ended up as 5-2. Ashlynn McGrath had a team high with six shots to go with her one assist. Levy had 22 saves in the game, Houser ended with 39. The Lakers were 2-8 on the powerplay in the game.

Oswego has four games left in their season. They have two this coming weekend against SUNY Canton and SUNY Potsdam, both on the road. They now have a record of 12-8-1 (9-4-1 NEWHL). They sit third in the NEWHL with 19 points.

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Women’s basketball split weekend matchups

OSWEGO, NY- The Lakers ended up splitting their games this weekend as they won on Friday against Plattsburgh but lost on Saturday to Potsdam.

The Lakers started off the weekend with an impressive performance against the Plattsburgh Cardinals winning 53-48. The Lakers would lead 12-7 halfway through the first quarter with Sydney Hoefs scoring five points in the first quarter. The second quarter saw the score tied three times with the Lakers leading 33-28 at the half. Chastin Giles would have nine second quarter points. She would lead the Lakers at the half with 11 points. Oswego would go 63.64% in the second quarter and went 66% from the three-point line.

The second half saw the Lakers extend their lead to 40-28 early in the third quarter. The Cardinals would rally at the end of the third to only trail by seven. The Lakers struggled from the field in the third quarter as they were only 26.67% from the field in the quarter. The Lakers would extend their lead to ten early in the fourth as Sydney Hoefs connected on her second three-pointer of the game to give the Lakers a 45-35. A late rally by the Cardinals would fail as the Lakers would hold off Plattsburgh. Hoefs would lead the Lakers on the day with 15 points a season-high for her and Chastin Giles would post a season best 13 points in the game.

The Lakers would then take on the Potsdam Bears on Saturday but would lose 64-33. The Lakers would trail early 4-0 and would trail 19-14 at the end of the first quarter. Sydney Hoefs would lead the Lakers at the end of the first quarter with five points. The Lakers had immense struggles from the field only shooting 28.57% in both the first and second quarter. Potsdam fared from much better from the field shooting 42.86%. Giavanna Principio-White would lead the Lakers at the half with six points. The Bears would lead the Lakers 31-19 at the half.

The second half was a continuation of the first half with more struggles for the Lakers. The Lakers would only shoot 11.11% from the field, their worst shooting % from the field in a quarter this season since their game against Geneseo only January 24th only managing to shoot 13.33%. Oswego managed to only score three points in the third quarter while allowing Potsdam to score 16 more points as the Bears lead by a huge margin 47-22 at the end of the third. The fourth quarter began with Principio-White connecting on a three-pointer but the Lakers still trailed 47-25. Oswego would lose 64-33 to Potsdam which was their eighth straight loss to the Bears and their worst loss to them since they first faced off in 1971.

The Lakers will host the New Paltz Hawks on Friday, February 3rd at the Max Ziel Gymnasium at 5:30. The Lakers face a Hawks squad who have won 12 games in a row this season and are on of the top two teams SUNYAC . The Lakers will look to end a ten-game losing streak to the Hawks. New Paltz beat Oswego 74-47 this season back on January 21st.

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Mens basketball brings win streak to 14 in dominant weekend

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The Oswego state Lakers kept their hot streak of 14 straight going after two big home wins this weekend in the Max Ziel. The Lakers were met by Plattsburgh state on Friday night where the Cardinals were hoping for revenge from a previous 86-74 loss on December 11th. The Cardinals played tough n the first half and only trailed by two at 27-25 with 7:40 to go in the first half. But over the next five minutes the Lakers would go on a 19-6 run started from senior Devin Green and sophomore Joey Rowback. Oswego shot well from behind the arc in the first half with seven three-pointers from the Lakers as they took a 52-33 at the break.

The Lakers then exploded offensively at the start of the second half as Cartier Bowman started quick with 8 points in the first 5 minutes to bring the Oswego lead to 30. Oswego would then cruise from there and win with a 97-61 win. The Lakers shot 57% from the field in the second half and Jeremiah Sparks would stay hot with 27 points a game after going over the 1,000 point marker. Bowman, Green, Joey Rowback and Ahkee Anderson would also all score double digits in the contest.

Oswego would then move on to Suny Potsdam on Saturday afternoon. The Lakers and Bears started the game matching each others shots  through the first seven minutes of play before the Lakers started to warm up and pull away. Joey Rowback would go on a absolute tear and hit four threes in a night where he ended with 15 points leading the Lakers to a 24 point lead at halftime.  The Lakers shot a incredible 60.3% from the field in the first half of play and out rebounded the Bears by a 22-10 margin.

The Lakers would remain in control through the second half of play, refusing to let the Bears back into the game. Oswego would win their 14th straight and score over 100 points again with a 103-78 win over the Bears. Devin Green led the Lakers with 18 points on the evening, shooting 50% from the field Jamal Achille led the Lakers on the glass with eight rebounds and also pouring in 15 points.

Oswego now improves to 18-2,12-1 SUNYAC and will tip-off against New Paltz on Friday, February 3rd at home in the Max Ziel Gymnasium at 7:30pm.

IMAGE PROVIDED BY OSWEGO ATHLETICS

Men’s hockey losses tough conference matchup

OSWEGO, N.Y. – The Oswego State men’s hockey team took to home ice for their lone game of the weekend on Friday for a SUNYAC matchup with the Cortland Red Dragons. It was the second meeting between the two this season, the Lakers won the last matchup 5-4. Cortland found the scoreboard first. After a tripping call against Oswego’s Ryan Dickinson, the Red Dragons capitalized on the power play. The game remained 1-0 for a good chunk of the first period, both teams putting chances on net, but the goal tenders playing well. Oswego was next to score, tying the game. Connor Gatto was one-on-one with the goalie and made an excellent move to deke around him and have a wide open net behind for the game-tier. The Lakers then took the lead, Tommy Cahill firing one past the goalie for the 2-1 lead, but Cortland wouldn’t let it stand for long. The Red Dragons would tie it again before the end of the first, with less than a minute to go. When the first period finally ended it was 2-2. Cal Schell made seven saves, the Cortland’s goalie, Luca Durante‘s six.

The Second period was more tame than the first. Only one goal found netting, this one in favor of the Red Dragons. Cortland’s second power play goal of the game, on their final power play opportunity. The goal was scored just after the half way mark in the period. Oswego wasted three different power play opportunities of their own, at one point being on a 5-3 for just under a minute. Oswego did have 14 shots on goal in the period, all of them saved by DuranteSchell had another seven saves of his own, to go with the one allowed goal.

The Lakers would re-tie the game early in the third. Alex DiCarlo snuck one by Durante. The Lakers had another two power-play chances in the period that they couldn’t capitalize on, they were an abysmal 0-6 in the game on the powerplay. Despite plenty more chances for each side, neither team would score again, and the game would go to OT. Durante had 17 more saves in the period, Schell amounting another 8.

Overtime didn’t last long, just a minute in Cortland scored a wrap-around goal to win it 4-3. Luca Durante amassed 39 saves in the contest, Schell had 24. Oswego out shot Cortland 42-28, Tommy Cahill leading Oswego in shots with 8. Shane Bull assisted on two goals in the contest.

Oswego is now 8-0-3-1 in the SUNYAC, putting them in second place with 17 points behind Plattsburgh, while also playing one extra game. Their next game is next Friday against the Geneseo Ice Knights in Oswego, the game is themed “Into the Knight”. Puck drop is set for 7:00 P.M. Coverage will start on https://www.youtube.com/@WTOP10TV at 6:30 with Hockey Night in Oswego.

IMAGE PROVIDED BY OSWEGO ATHLETICS

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