Oswego State women’s hockey falls just short in non-conference matchup
OSWEGO, N.Y. — The Oswego State women’s hockey team fell short on Sunday in a very close battle against the Utica College Pioneers. This game was the definition of fight to the finish as both teams were hungry for a victory and the final score was 3-2 in favor of the Pioneers. Just 6 minutes into the game freshman Mack Hull was able to strike first for the Lakers giving them a one goal lead. The Watertown native has proved to be an integral part of this team especially on offense. Hull had another opportunity to score late in the second but fell short. Entering the third it was anyone’s game as Utica led two to one. Sophomore Kyleigh Grugin was able to strike in the third tying things up for the Lakers. With just two minutes left on the clock, a deflected puck led to a breakaway opportunity that sealed the 3-2 victory for the Pioneers. This was undoubtedly a fight until the very end and a loss that the Lakers surely won’t forget about anytime soon. The Lakers are set to take on the Plattsburgh State Cardinals this Friday in the Deborah F. Stanley Arena. Puck drops at 3:00 p.m. on WTOP10! The pre game show is set for 2:45 p.m. on twitch.tv/wtop10tv and WTOP 10 will continue to provide coverage of the Oswego State women’s hockey team as the group continues their season.
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A Look Ahead: Oswego State women’s hockey prepares for non-conference contest against Utica College
OSWEGO, N.Y. — On Sunday, the Oswego State women’s hockey team will return home to host non-conference opponent Utica College. The Pioneers will travel west down Interstate-90 to take on the Lakers in the Deborah F. Stanley Arena. The 3:00 p.m. puck drop will feature the Utica College team that currently holds an overall record of 9-2. The team currently is second in the United Collegiate Hockey Conference with an 8-0-0 conference record. On the other side, the Lakers are 6-2-1 heading into the matchup after having four contests cancelled this week due to COVID-19 concerns. Oswego State is also third in the NEWHL conference and has a conference record of 3-2-1.
The Pioneers were supposed to take on number one team in the nation Middlebury College prior to their matchup with Oswego State but the game was postponed most likely due to COVID-19. In terms of the matchup history, the Lakers are 9-15-2 against the Pioneers but Oswego State is currently on a two-game win streak against the non-conference opponent. Their last game was February 8th, 2020 in which the Lakers won 2-1 on the road. While in the national spotlight, the Oswego State Lakers are ranked sixteenth in the pairwise ranking while the Utica College Pioneers are two spots behind them in eighteenth. Faceoffs will be a big part of the contest as both teams head into the contest with a percentage higher than .580. Oswego State forwards Morgan Shines and Rachel Corbett will be essential in the faceoff circles on Sunday. The Lakers offense, led by Ariella Haas and Megan Teachout will need to continue their dominance Sunday afternoon after scoring an average of 3.1 goals a game in the first half of the season.
WTOP 10 will be live on twitch.tv/wtop10tv at 2:45 p.m. prior to puck drop in the Deborah F. Stanley Arena. The student run television station will continue to provide coverage for the Oswego State women’s hockey team as the group continues their 2021-22 season.
Image Provided By Diana Vitale, WTOP 10 Photography Department
Oswego State men’s hockey finishes third in Oswego Hockey Classic
OSWEGO, N.Y. — The Best Western / Clarion Hotel Oswego Hockey Classic wrapped up action on Sunday, January 2nd after the Augsburg University Auggies defeated the Skidmore College Thoroughbred 2-0 in the championship game. In the consolation matchup, the Oswego State men’s hockey team defeated the SUNY Canton Kangaroos for the third time this season with a final score of 3-2.
Saturday Game Recaps
The first match up of the tournament featured the SUNY Canton Kangaroos and the Skidmore College Thoroughbreds, two teams that have not been featured in the USCHO poll. Skidmore College would dominate for sixty minutes, and the game would finish with a 6-0 score line. Skidmore would secure three goals in the first period to get out to a commanding lead. Over the course of the contests, the Thoroughbreds would net three powerplay goals and finish going three for six when on the man advantage. The Kangaroos were unable to record a goal during regulation and would lose the shots battle thirty-three to ten.
The top game of day one was the competition between the Oswego State Lakers and the Augsburg University Auggies, a team that is ranked fourth in the USCHO poll. The 2-1 final score was in favor over the team that hails from Minnesota. The Auggies would draw blood in the first period with a powerplay goal off the twig of Patrick O’Connor. The defenseman buried a one timer goal that went past netminder Steven Kozikoski and into the back of the night. Oswego State would answer in the second period just fifty-seven seconds into the stanza. On the powerplay once again, Connor Sleeth got his fourth goal of the 2021-22 season. Tyler Flack and Jackson Arcan would get credited with the assists on the lone Oswego State goal. The go ahead goal would come in the third period from the away team. Jarod Blackowiak would secure his fourth goal of the season on the man advantage with assists from Mason Palmer and Grant Reichenbacher. The Lakers would not be able to find an answer before time expired and their five-game win streak would come to an end. Jack Robbel would get the win in between the pipes for the Auggies with one goal against and twenty-eight total saves. Steven Kozikoski would make a total of twenty-nine saves but give up two goals against while in the net for the Lakers.
Sunday Game Recaps
On Sunday, the 1:00 p.m. match up would be the championship game of the Oswego Hockey Classic. The Skidmore College Thoroughbreds would take on the #4 Augsburg University Auggies. The 2-0 score line would be in favor of the Minnesota team as the Auggies would win the tournament. The team would get off on a hot start as forward Fritz Belisle scored on a back door, tic-tac-toe play. The assists would go to Kyler Yeo and Sweden native Erik Palmqvist. The Auggies would not look back after that. Belisle would snag another before the end of regulation on an empty net goal to put the contest away. The Thoroughbreds were unable to get the puck past Auggies netminder Samuel Vyletelka who made twenty-two saves in the contest and was rewarded the win and shutout.
The consolation game at 4:00 p.m. would feature the Oswego State Lakers and the SUNY Canton Kangaroos, two teams looking to rebound after losses the day before. The Lakers would be the team to rebound after a 3-2 victory and their third win against the Kangaroos this season. Alternate captain Josh LeBlanc would be the first in the goal column with a goal eight minutes into the first period. That one would be assisted by freshman defenseman Ben Addison. Former Laker Jesse Farabee would have an answer four minutes later on the powerplay as the SUNY Canton team would put one past netminder Eric Green. Farabee would have another in the second period but that would come after captain Travis Broughman put the Lakers ahead towards the end of the first period. Connor Sleeth and Jackson Arcan would get the assists on the tally. Transfer Garrett Clegg would put the Lakers ahead four minutes into the second period. The game winner was assisted by sophomores AJ Ryan and Tyler Flack. Green would get the win in between the pipes and have twenty-two saves in the contest.
What’s Ahead
The Lakers would still get three votes in this weeks USCHO poll, released on Monday, January 3rd. The Augsburg University Auggies would remain in fourth after going undefeated in the tournament. Oswego State now turns their sights on Utica College, the third best team in the nation. The non-conference match up is set to take place in Utica on Sunday. Puck drop is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. at the Utica Auditorium. WTOP 10 will continue to provide coverage of the Oswego State men’s hockey team as the group continues their 2021-22 season.
Image Provided By Will 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
Oswego men’s basketball starts 2022 with win
OSWEGO N.Y. — The Oswego State men’s basketball started 2022 where they left off in 2021, winning. They took on the Saint Lawrence Saints at home and won by a score of 74-60. The game started close, 8-7 Saints after four minutes with the Laker Kaleb Cook scoring all seven of their points. The following four minutes saw Oswego take the lead on a 10-0 run. Saint Lawrence would close the gap to 22-18 before a 9-1 run, spurred by Jeremiah Sparks‘s two threes, would extend the lead for the Lakers once more. Some back and forth between the teams saw them go into the half with the Lakers up 38-26. The Lakers shot 38% from the field and 10-12 from the free throw line in the half.
The second half started with another Laker run, 13-5, with threes from Devin Green and Sparks. St. Lawrence would respond with an 11-0 run, but Green closed the scoreless Lakers run with another three and the score would be 54-42. The lakers would use the rest of the second half to extend the lead back to twenty points, 72-52. The final three minutes saw the Lakers close the game out and have a final score of 74-60. This game was Devin Green‘s, he led the Lakers in four stat categories. He had twenty points, shooting 4-7 from three, eight rebounds, and a season high six assists and five steals. Kaleb Cook also had a good night with sixteen of his own points, a respectable 7-13 from the field. Jeremiah Sparks and Julien Crittendon had eleven points each as well. The team shot 42% from the field and 41% from deep while also being lights out at the free throw line, shooting 12-14. The team also out rebounded the Saints 38-22.
The Lakers next game comes on the road against Buffalo State, 4-8 (2-4 SUNYAC), on January 11 at 7:30. The Lakers currently sit at 10-1 (4-0 SUNYAC) and are on a seven game win streak. There are fourteen games left in the season for the Lakers, all games are in conference.
IMAGE PROVIDED BY SHELBY PEPLOWSKI, WTOP 10 PHOTOGRAPHY DEPARTMENT
A Look Ahead: Oswego State men’s hockey prepares for Oswego Hockey Classic
OSWEGO, N.Y — The Oswego State men’s hockey team heads into the Clarion/Best Western Oswego Hockey Classic on a five game win streak with an overall record of 8-3-1. The tournament welcomes three other teams into the Deborah F. Stanley Arena and Convocation Hall. SUNY Canton, Skidmore College, and nationally ranked #4 Augsburg University will join the Lakers in the tournament this season.
During the 2019-20 season, the Lakers lost to the eventual tournament winners, St. Mary’s Cardinals, in the first round of the tournament. On Saturday, Oswego State would fall to the University of New England Nor’easters 4-3 in the the consolation match up during that year’s tournament.
In this year’s tournament, the Lakers are set to take on the #4 Augsburg University Auggies in the first round Saturday night with puck drop set for 7:00 p.m. on the SUNY Oswego campus. This is the fifth nationally ranked match up for the Oswego State Lakers this season. So far, the Lakers have not beaten a nationally ranked opponent.
The Auggies and Lakers have only met once prior to Saturday night’s game. On January 3rd, 2009, these two teams met for the first time in Oswego during the Oswego Hockey Classic. The Lakers were able to take the 5-2 victory and send the Auggies back to Minnesota after defeating them in the tournament championship game. Oswego State finished 18-8-1 that season and lost to Plattsburgh State in the SUNYAC Championship finals.
Augsburg University travels to New York after dropping two games during the week in Michigan. One of those games was an exhibition contest against the United State U-18 Development team that finished with a score line of 6-1 in favor of the under eighteen team. The second game was against the number one team in the nation, the Adrian College Bulldogs. The Bulldogs defeated the Auggies 5-2 last night to continue to assert their dominance over NCAA Division III men’s hockey. The Auggies still have a 9-2 record heading into this weekend, one of the better records in Division III hockey.
The Saturday afternoon match up has the SUNY Canton Kangaroos facing off against the Skidmore College Thoroughbreds. The 4:00 p.m. puck drop features the SUNY Canton squad that has an overall record of 3-3-1. The Kangaroos has played less games then most due to postponements due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On the other side of the ice, the Thoroughbreds come into the contest with the 6-4-1 record and a 3-3-1 conference record. On Sunday, puck drop is set for 1:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. for the two games. WTOP 10 will have the broadcasts for all four games this weekend in the Deborah F. Stanley Arena.
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Oswego Mens Basketball Takes Woodcliff Hotel and Spa Tournament Title
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — It was a huge week for the Oswego men’s basketball team as they came out victorious in the Woodcliff Hotel and Spa Tournament. They took on Rensselaer Wednesday in their first game of the tournament. The Lakers kept a steady lead the whole game ultimately leading to their victory. Rensselaer were ranked twenty first nationally, though this did not stop the Lakers from getting a W. Senior Brendan Mulson was shot out of a cannon scoring the first seven points for the Lakers. From there the Lakers continued to fight their way through the game leading to their victory. Their lead scores were senior Julian Crittendon with thirteen, Junior Kaleb Cook with twelve, And as aforementioned Brandon Molson with twelve points as well. These three men’s impressive performances on both sides of the ball ultimately lead to a final score of fifty-nine to forty-six. The Lakers would go on to face Fisher the following day for the title.
The Lakers took on the St. John Fisher Cardinals Thursday in a highly competitive games with both teams hungry for a win. Right out of the gate it was a back in forth matchup with both team scoring early. The Lakers then found a rhythm and couldn’t be stopped, going on a seventeen to five run and taking a nineteen point lead at the end of the half. St. John Fisher put up a fight in the second half, outscoring the Lakers forty-five to thirty-nine, however the Lakers early lead was too much for Fisher to bounce back from. Lakers senior Julian Crittendon and Junior Devon Green were forces to be reckoned with, both dropping twenty-two points this game. Both men could not be stopped and we’re huge contributors in this tournament victory.
As this was a great victory for the team, the Lakers cannot get too distracted as they take on Saint Lawrence this Monday in the Max Zeil Gymnasium. Tip off is at 4:00 p.m. on WTOP 10!
Image / Graphic Provided by Oswego State Athletics
Progress Report: Oswego State women’s basketball
OSWEGO, N.Y. — The Oswego State women’s basketball team started the 2021 season off strong, going 3-3 in their first six games with an average margin of victory of 33 points. However, the Lakers suffered from a four-game losing skid to end the fall semester and now sit at 3-7 heading into 2022. Although Oswego is four games under .500, they boast two blowout victories over non-SUNYAC teams in SUNY-Delhi (75-39) and Wells College (73-23).
The Lakers are currently 0-4 in SUNYAC games with losses to SUNY Cortland, Buffalo State, SUNY Brockport and Fredonia. Though they sit one game back from SUNY Plattsburgh and two games back from SUNY Geneseo in the SUNYAC standings.
The Lakers are led by senior guard Danielle Caivana who leads the team in minutes per game (33.0), points per game (15.1) and 3-pointers made (25). Freshman forward Diamond Pickett is having a great start to her collegiate career, averaging close to a double-double with 8.3 points per game and 10.1 rebounds per game. Pickett also leads the team in field goal percentage, shooting 51% from the field. Sophomore forward Caitie Lilly has been the Lakers anchor on the defensive end, racking up 14 blocks thus far in the season, including back-to-back five-block performances versus SUNY Cortland and Buffalo State.
As a team, the Lakers are giving up 60 points per game, their lowest point total allowed since 2017. However, Oswego is only averaging 62.3 points per game, with that average being inflated from their 36 and 50-point victories earlier this season. Although the Lakers are on a losing streak, they’ve been competitive in all of their games thus far, with their biggest losing deficit being just 14 points.
With Oswego sitting at 3-7 entering the new year, they’ll need to be on the winning side of their close contests to have a shot at the SUNYAC playoffs. Luckily for the Lakers, there are more 15 opportunities for them to climb back into contention, with 14 of their next 15 games being against SUNYAC rivals. Oswego’s next game comes against Alfred State College on Monday, Jan. 4. Tip-off is set for 12 p.m. at the Max Ziel Gymnasium.
Photo provided by Shelby Peplowski, WTOP-10 Photography Department
Progress Report: Oswego State men’s basketball
OSWEGO N.Y. — The Oswego State men’s basketball has had a hot start to the season. They boast a 7-1 record and are undefeated in SUNYAC play over four games. The Lakers started their season on a three game win streak. They hosted the Max Ziel Tournament, beating Elmira and Hobart handily to win the whole thing. They followed the tournament with a non-conference win over Clarkson. They finished their early slate of non-conference games with their lone loss against the Nazareth Golden Flyers on November 23 in a nail bitter, they lost by two points. They opened SUNYAC play on November 30, and have won all four games thus far, beating Cortland, Buffalo State, Brockport, and Fredonia.
The team is led by Senior guard Julien Crittendon who has 12.1 points per game, while getting 2.4 rebounds per game and is second on the team is steals per game at 1.6. The team’s leader in steals per game is Freshman Guard Ahkee Anderson at 2.1 per game. Anderson also leads the team in assists at 3.9 while also contributing 8.0 points and 2.6 rebounds. Junior Guard Devin Green is the teams sharpshooter. He is hitting threes at .457% clip, which leads the team. He contributes 8.5 points per game and collects 4.5 rebounds per game. Oswego’s glass cleaner is Sophomore guard Jeremiah Sparks with 7.0 rebounds per game, while also being second on the team in scoring at 11.9. Grad Transfer Brendon Mulson has also made his impact. He averages 9.5 points and 6.8 rebounds per game while being a very efficient .448% from the field shooting.
As a team, the defense is what makes them stand out. They lead the SUNYAC in points against per game at 55.8, a whole 10 points lower than second best Brockport. Against conference foes its an even better 53.3 against per game. The offense is middle of the pack so far. They average 74.0 points per game, which sits them seventh.
Currently, the team sits second in the SUNYAC, behind Geneseo who are 4-3, 3-0 in conference. They have seventeen games remaining in the season. They come out of their eighteen day break in the St. John Fisher Tournament against Rensaeller Polytechnic Institute on December 29. The winner will face the winner of St. John Fisher and Medaille on December 30. RPI currently sits 21 in the most recent men’s basketball rankings, while Oswego received 10 votes. No other SUNYAC team received votes or are ranked. The team has three non-conference games remaining, including the tournament, followed by fourteen games of conference play to finish the season. WTOP 10 will have continuing coverage of all home men’s basketball games throughout the season as the Lakers look to continue their early success.
IMAGE PROVIDED BY SHELBY PEPLOWSKI, WTOP 10 PHOTOGRAPHY DEPARTMENT