OSWEGO, NY — Men’s Basketball rolled through the New Paltz Hawks Tuesday night as the Lakers won 80-55. Oswego took a commanding lead in the first half as the team scored 54 points compared to the Hawk’s 25. This is thanks to senior Joe Sullivan dropping 20 points due to seven field goals and two three pointers in his twenty two minutes played. Colby Moultrie stepped into the game and secured 12 points in only nine minutes played after netting four three pointers. This is Oswego’s 15th win of the season and ninth conference win to keep the Lakers in fourth place in the SUNYAC standings. The team looks ahead as they travel with Women’s Basketball to Cortland on Saturday for a 4 p.m. tip off.
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Game Recap: Syracuse defeats Oswego
OSWEGO, NY — Thursday evening the Oswego Boys Buccaneers Hockey team faced off against the Syracuse Cougars in a contest played inside the Crisafulli Ice Rink. The Cougars would have no problem with the Buccaneers as the game finished with a 4-0 score in favor of Syracuse. The game would be scoreless heading into the final minutes of the first period before the Cougars added to past Oswego goaltender Brandon Demling. Syracuse would continue to add to their goal total in the second period as the Cougars would tally one more before the end of stanza. Oswego would look to put one up on the scoreboard before the end of the contest but would be unsuccessful as the Cougars finished the season on a high note.
Oswego will head into Friday night’s contest at 7-7 on the season as the Buccaneers welcome Cazenovia into the Crisafulli Ice Rink. Oswego wraps up their season at home with their game against Cazenovia and then Watertown on Saturday. Tomorrow’s game is Senior Night for the Buccaneers as the team honors their seven seniors which includes captain Adam Michalski and injured Ryan Bartlett. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. from Fort Ontario and WNYO will have the game broadcasted over their airwaves. WTOP 10 will continue to cover the Oswego Buccaneers Hockey team until the season concludes on Saturday.
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Lakers Fly Past Cardinals in SUNYAC Tournament Berth
For the 19th straight season, the Oswego State Lakers have clinched the SUNYAC Tournament and what a better way to do it than on Valentine’s day. The Lakers defeated the Cardinals on Friday night during their six point victory thanks to a combined, 43 point effort from seniors Brandon Gartland and Joe Sullivan.
Plattsburgh kept it close throughout the first half while using their best rendition of ‘Anything You Can Do I Can Do Better’. Each time the Lakers grabbed a bucket on one end, the Cardinals always had an answer. Oswego held the lead by four points or less through the first ten minutes of the contest but three minutes later, with an already shallow selection on the bench, Plattsburgh Head Coach Mike Blaine had some decision making to do following the injury of Forward Jeremy Eisenmen. Eisenmen went down hard after crashing the boards and was clutching his left knee. He was able to put pressure on it but would not return to the game.
In his absence, Matt Bernhard, a 5’10” stud off the bench, executed a perfect first half of shooting off the bench. Aside from his one missed free throw, he shot 3-3 from distance and 4-4 from the field ending with 12 of the Cardinals 34 points at halftime.
Brandon Gartland shot five for eight from behind the arc in the first half, good enough to lead the book with 15 points at the break. Joe Sullivan was a vital part of the first half for the Lakers tallying nine free throw attempts and sinking five of them. Sullivan struggled to find his rhythm early on but that would change going into the second half.
General Joe flipped the switch coming out of the locker room scoring 12 of his 21 in the second frame. Sullivan shot 5-13 in the second half and ended with 8 rebounds and 8 assists to add onto his impressive scoring performance. Coach Leone was happy with his big man’s performance.
“Joe plays hard every night,” Leone said. “He’s a senior and he is doing what we would hope seniors do at this point in their senior season. I’m really pleased with the things he did tonight. He deserves it.”
However, Gartland went in the opposite direction having a rather quiet second half. He scored just seven points adding his total to 22 without a single three pointer in after the break. “They were sticking a little tighter to me,” Gartland expressed. “Other people were making plays and we were still scoring.” For what he lacked on the offensive end, he made up for on the defensive end with four steals and a couple big time stops down the stretch.
Plattsburgh got into some foul trouble five minutes into the second half when Erik Salo was charged with his fourth personal. Now with Eisenmen injured and Salo playing restricted and cautious minutes, the only other options off the bench were Marlon Todd and freshman Lamont Hough Jr. who never saw the floor.
With six to go, the Lakers turned on the after-burners going on an 8-2 run in a minute and 28 seconds taking a 69-61 lead with 4:05 remaining. The Cardinals never came back from this lead, falling short to the Lakers 75-69. It came down to protecting the ball tonight and Plattsburgh was not proficient in that category. Averaging 15 turnovers a game, Coach Blaine’s Cardinals exceeded that margin with 16 and 11 of those turnovers came in the second half.
Coach Jason Leone was excited about clinching the SUNYAC tournament for the ninth time in his nine years as the head coach of Oswego State but recognized that there was still work to do following Friday night. “We’re in the playoffs,” Leone expressed. “So now we are in a battle to try and get a home game. Every game has a significant meaning from here on out.” With Potsdam traveling to Laker hall at 4:00 pm for the second game of the back to back, the Lakers have a win under their belt and look to continue their winning ways after Improving to 16-5 on the year.
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Oswego State men’s hockey powers through Red Dragons
OSWEGO, N.Y. — The Oswego State men’s hockey team got their first victory on home ice Friday evening against the Cortland Red Dragons. The Lakers took the a 2-1 win to secure first place in the SUNYAC conference. The Red Dragons and Lakers came into the contest both number one in the standings with four points each. Tonight’s contest was Teal Night and Military Appreciation Night in the Deborah F. Stanley Arena to honor the late Mary Gosek and spread awareness for ovarian cancer.
The Lakers would find themselves in a similar situation in the first period after Cortland forward Trevor Veneklase buried one past netminder Steven Kozikoski on the lone power play of the contest. Captain Ethan Homitz would get credit with the assist as Cortland secured the lead eleven minutes and eighteen seconds into the period. Play would be back and forth the remainder of the stanza but Oswego would trail heading into the second period. So far this season, Oswego has been out scored 8-0 in the first twenty minutes of play.
Oswego would have an answer in the second period with a transition goal from Connor Sleeth assisted by captain Travis Broughman. Sleeth recorded his first goal in an Oswego uniform seven minutes and 23 seconds into the stanza. The two teams would trade shots back and fourth for the remainder of the period.
The third period featured Oswego outshooting Cortland fifteen to eight in the third period. Luca Durante would keep the Red Dragons in the contest until Oswego defenseman Troy Robillard grabbed the puck at the right point and shoot through traffic and tucked one in behind Durante with less than ten minutes remaining in regulation. The unassisted goal would be the game winner as the Lakers held on for their second conference win of the 2021-22 season.
The Lakers hold the lead in the SUNYAC with seven points and a conference record of 2-0-1. Brockport and Geneseo are tied in second with six points each. Cortland falls back to fourth with four points and a record of 1-2-0. After tonight’s contest, Oswego sets their sights on the Brockport Golden Eagles as the Lakers head on the road for another conference match up a week from now. Puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m. in Brockport Friday, November 19th. WTOP 10 will continue to inform viewers on the men’s hockey team and their 2021-22 season.
Image Provided by Diana Vitale, WTOP 10 Photography Department
