OSWEGO, N.Y. — The Lakers Baseball team rolls into Saturday to start the month of May with a doubleheader series against the Fredonia Blue Devils. These two teams are on different ends of the spectrum when it comes to success and failure as Oswego is coming in on a 14 game winning streak after sweeping the University of Rochester successfully at the beginning of this week with scores of 23-7 and 9-4. As for the Blue Devils, the group has struggled this season by not winning a single game in the SUNYAC. The last time the Blue Devils squad won a SUNYAC matchup was April 21st of 2019. Their only wins this season come in the non conference doubleheader with two of their three being in their most recent contest vs Alfred State.
Things look pretty optimistic for the Oswego State Lakers as they have not lost to Fredonia on their home field since the 2011 season. Fredonia has lost 10 of the previous 11 meetings and their last win came in 2018 on a neutral site at Lake Myrtle Park with the Blue Devils edging the Lakers 6-5. However this season has been all Oswego, winning all four of their meetings and the Lakers outscoring the Devils 50-19 in those four matchups.
As Fredonia looks to find their first SUNYAC win in over a year as well as continue their 2 game winning streak, the Lakers will plan to push their streak to 15 games and potentially 16 with a sweep. In the last matchup on April 20th, Oswego State jumped out early with a 5-0 lead after the first inning and would gradually increase their lead as the game went on with a 10-5 victory. All eyes will be on Oswego’s offense who are currently averaging almost 12 runs per game as well as Ryan Weiss who had two home runs, one of them being a grand slam in their last double header against Rochester. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m. for the first game and 3 p.m. for the second at the Laker Baseball Field.
Image Provided by William Rogers, WTOP 10 Photography Department
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Lakers Fall 2-0 to St John Fisher
The Oswego State Lakers faced off against the St. John Fisher Cardinals on Wednesday afternoon. Both teams came into this game after getting shut out at home and were looking to bounce back.
The Cardinals came out flying to start this game as they began the first quarter with a barrage of shots with one hitting the back of the net for Sam Current with just over 3 minutes gone in the first. The Cardinals’ aggressive play allowed them to live in the Lakers’ territory for the remainder of the first quarter.
The Cardinals continued to discover their aggressive playstyle identity in the second quarter, this time on the other side of the ball. They were consistently disrupting passing lanes and intercepting the Lakers’ passes throughout the quarter. This high-speed defensive approach led to just 3 shots for Oswego by halftime which certainly took the pressure off Sophomore goalkeeper Morgan Parrinello who was making her season debut.
The Cardinals kept up the attack coming out of halftime continuing their domination on both sides of the ball. The Lakers were unable to get a shot off in the third while the Cardinals were able to put up a total of nine.
Going into the fourth, the Lakers were still looking at a one-score game due to the outstanding effort of star Sophomore Sam Krautheim who had already tallied up 14 saves heading into the 4th. An early goal by Holly Stuart however seemed to take the remaining wind out of the sails for Oswego as they failed to put up a shot for the second straight quarter.
The Cardinals came into enemy territory today with only seven shots on the season but were able to walk away with a 32-shot performance and dominant 2-0 win over the Lakers. The Cardinals are set to play the Marywood Pacers on Sunday, September 14th while the Lakers face off against the Houghton Highlanders on the 13th.
Written By: Eric Palmeri
Photos By: Jennifer Salie
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Progress Report: Oswego State women’s hockey
OSWEGO, N.Y. — As the fall semester comes to a close, the Oswego State women’s hockey team finishes the first half of their 2021-22 season. The Lakers are 6-2-1 after nine games played and are third in the Northeast Women’s Hockey League (NEWHL). Oswego State posts a 3-0-2-1 record in conference play and trail behind Plattsburgh State and SUNY Cortland. Those two loses come from the two opponents the Lakers are chasing for the conference lead. The Lakers were able to string together a three game win streak heading into Christmas break after defeating SUNY Potsdam, Williams Smith, and SUNY Cortland.
So far this season, the Lakers have been led by Ariella Haas and Megan Teachout on offense. So far, the transfer from Elmira College has two goals and seven assists for nine points in her first season with Oswego State. Haas is currently the only Laker that is a point per game. Teachout, Kyleigh Grugin, and Morgan Shines are all tied for lead in goals with each player tallying four. The offense averages 3.1 goals per game with 40.4 shots per game.
On the other side of the puck, the defensive core has averaged only 2.0 goals allowed through nine games played. Defenseman Avery Webster leads the team in blocks with seven and also has four assists. In between the pipes, the goaltender tandem of Joanna Hiebert and Bryn White have done a solid job after starting their first season with the Lakers. Head Coach Mark Digby has given both goaltenders time in games but Hiebert has gotten the majority with six games played. The Michigan native currently posts a 2.30 goals against average with a .875 save percentage. White has less time in net but posts better numbers holding a 1.33 goals against average and a save percentage of .915.
After the break, Oswego State will ring in the new year with a trip to Massachusetts to take on nonconference opponent Amherst College. The January 3rd match up will be the fifth game between these two programs. Amherst currently holds the advantage in the match up history with the Mammoths holding the record 3-1. Oswego will head back to NEWHL play on January 7th when Oswego State heads to Morrisville to take on the Mustangs. WTOP 10 will continue to provide coverage of Oswego State Women’s Hockey as the team continues their 2021-22 season.
Image Provided By Oswego State Athletics
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A Look Ahead: Oswego State men’s hockey prepares for SUNY Canton and SUNY Morrisville
OSWEGO N.Y. — After completing nine games into the season, the Oswego State men’s hockey team finds themselves second in the State University of New York Athletic Conference and trending upward towards the national poll. After starting slow with two losses against Hobart College and Elmira College the opening weekend, the Lakers were able to get back on track going 3-0-1 against SUNYAC opponents. The wins coming against opponents like SUNY Cortland, SUNY Brockport, and SUNY Potsdam. The 2-2 tie against Plattsburgh State was the only fall back during that four games stretch. The Geneseo Ice Knights came to the Deborah F. Stanley Arena on November 20th in anticipated match up. The Lakers would fall 6-1 to the Ice Knights after six unanswered goals over the course of the contest. Although the Lakers out shot the Ice Knights 23-17, Oswego could not find a way around Geneseo netminder Matt Petizian.
The Lakers were able to get back in the win column this past weekend with two wins against the Williams College Ephs. The 3-0 and 3-1 victories put Oswego at 5-3-1 overall record. Underclassmen Shane Bull and Garrett Clegg both had stand out weekends with Bull recording a goal and assist in each contest and Clegg with two goals and one assist. Clegg was named Oswego State Athletics Male Athlete of the Week due to his performances. Junior goaltender Steven Kozikoski has continued to come to form in between the pipes for Oswego State making 50 saves over the course of the two games and only allowing one goal. Kozikoski was named the SUNYAC Prestosports Goaltender of the Week due to his performances in this past weekend’s games.
Junior captain Travis Broughman is tied for the lead in points through the first nine games of the season. The forward has two goals and five assists for seven points in these contests. Connor Sleeth has matched that points total with one goal and six assists. The sophomore forward scored his first career collegiate goal in the Teal Game against Cortland and started the season with a six game point streak. On the defensive side, transfer Troy Robillard leads the team in blocks with a total of twelve. The junior defenseman has also tallied one goal and two assists for three points through his eight games played with the Lakers this season.
Around the SUNYAC
With most teams playing five games or more in the conference, SUNYAC fans have been able to see how the conference is going to shake out this season. Without any shock, the Geneseo Ice Knights lead the pack with a conference record of 4-0-0-0-1 with 13 points. Geneseo’s tie comes against Cortland two weekends ago. Their 13 points are followed up by the Cortland Red Dragons with 11 points. The Red Dragons are coming off a 4-1 win over the Morrisville State Mustangs Wednesday night. The Lakers who sit with 10 points and a conference record of 3-0-1-0-1 hold the third spot. Oswego State’s loss came against Geneseo in the Deborah F. Stanley Arena and their tie against the Plattsburgh State Cardinals on the North Country swing. Plattsburgh State and SUNY Brockport are tied for fourth with nine points. However, the Cardinals have already played seven conference games compared to the five the Golden Eagles have completed. The two teams out west, Buffalo State and Fredonia, both have six points and conference records of 2-0-1-0-0. Rounding out the conference, Morrisville and Potsdam are both looking for their first wins of the season after starting 0-0-5-0-0 and 0-0-6-0-0. As the fall semester finishes up, a similar picture has emerged. Geneseo remains to be the top dog in the conference after winning the SUNYAC Championship in 2019-20, and everyone else is chasing the number one team in the nation.
Around the Nation
After five weeks of the United States College Hockey Online Division III poll, Oswego State fans have been able to see where the Lakers fall compared to the rest of Division III hockey. Throughout the beginning of the season, the Lakers have been receiving two to four votes per week. Compared to the rest of the SUNYAC, Oswego is one of just three teams currently listed in the poll that represent the conference. Geneseo remained at number one for the fourth straight week receiving eighteen first place votes. The Ice Knights have an 8-0-1 record overall and will not face Oswego State until February 5th when the Lakers travel back to Geneseo. SUNY Brockport also has received votes the first five weeks of the season, but has been decreasing in the votes count due to loses the past couple of weeks. The Golden Eagles got four votes this past week after a 2-3 lost to Connecticut College and a 7-1 victory over Chatham University in the Skidmore College tournament.
As the national poll stands right now, Oswego State will play three more teams that find themselves in the national poll. The first being January 1st in the Oswego State Hockey Classic as current #4 Augsburg University takes on the Lakers at 7:00 p.m. in the Deborah F. Stanley Arena. Eight days later, Oswego will travel down Interstate 90 to take on current #3 Utica College in a Sunday afternoon contest on January 9th. This will the second contest between these two non-conference opponents this season after the Pioneers found themselves victorious in a preseason match up in the Deborah F. Stanley Arena. The final nationally ranked opponent will be the SUNYAC match up on February 5th in Geneseo.
A Look Ahead
Heading into this weekend, Oswego State sets their sights on SUNY Canton and then SUNY Morrisville. Friday night, the Lakers will head two and a half hours up north to take on the Kangaroos in a non-conference battle. Canton comes into the match up posting a 2-2-1 record and on a one game losing streak. Recently, the Kangaroos canceled their holiday tournament due to COVID-19 protocols. This will be the second contest these two teams will play this season after SUNY Canton dropped an exhibition match up to the Lakers earlier in October. This game gives Oswego another opportunity to continue their win streak and gain national attention as the season continues on.
On Saturday, the Lakers will head home for another SUNYAC match up in the Deborah F. Stanley Arena. The Morrisville State Mustangs will return to Oswego to add another chapter to the two team’s history books. The last time the Lakers faced the Mustangs, it was a 7-0 victory on February 15th, 2020. The Lakers have won the last seventeen match ups against the Mustangs and have only dropped one game against Morrisville. Special teams will have an impact on Saturday’s match up as the Lakers post a 25.0 percent power play efficiency compared to the Mustang’s penalty kill that is below an 80.0 percent success rate. Morrisville comes to Oswego after losing Wednesday night to Cortland 4-1. Oswego looks to continue their success in the conference as the team chases the top spot in the SUNYAC. Saturday night is also the annual Teddy Bear Toss game for Oswego State men’s hockey. On the first goal, Oswego State fans are asked to throw teddy bears on the ice. If fans can not attend, there is an online donation portal. Click here for the link.
How to Tune In
Hockey Night in Oswego on WTOP 10 kicks off at 6:30 p.m. on Twitch and on campus on Channel 10.2. Oswego State fans can find puck drop at 7:00 p.m. on WTOP 10. WNYO, SUNY Oswego’s radio station, will also be broadcasting the game live on their website and on 88.9 FM.
Image Provided by Shelby Peplowski, WTOP 10 Photography Department
SUNYAC Standings Provided by the SUNYAC website
USCHO Division III National Poll Provided by the USCHO website
