ELMIRA, N.Y. — The Oswego State Men’s Golf team traveled to Mark Twain Golf Club in Elmira, N.Y. for the one day Elmira College Invitational. The Lakers would claim the second place finish with an overall team score of a +49 and a 337 stroke total. The field consisted of two teams from the host Elmira, two teams from SUNY Delhi, one from Utica College, and the Lakers to wrap up the 6 team pool. The team coming away with the tournament win was SUNY Delhi’s “A Team” with that entire team landing in the top seven scores, however the other two in those top 7 were from the Oswego State Lakers.
Ryan Fecco a junior was tied for the top score with a 75 (+3) on the day to back up his first team all conference performance from the previous weekend at the Empire 8 Golf Championship. Fecco would go into a playoff with Delhi’s Danny Christy and the Laker would get the job done to take the invitational title. The other Laker was sophomore Christopher Sugar, an Oswego High School graduate in 2019. Sugar was able to place in a tie for fourth with a 78 (+6) on the day. As for the rest of the Oswego State squad, Oliver Wolland and Joseph Pacheco III were in a tie for 20th with 92’s (+20) and Joe Marszalek was shortly behind them with a 93 (+21) in the round.
The final standings were, as mentioned SUNY Delhi (A) taking the top spot, followed by the Lakers with their total of 337. The Broncos would have another team in the top three with their “B” team shooting a 339, Elmira College (A) in 4th with a 348 total. Wrapping up the bottom of the standings was Utica at 5th with a 351 and Elmira College (B) with a 449. Although this will wrap up the Lakers condensed season, with two finishes in the top 3 for team score as well as a tournament individual championship, look for them to be eager for a potential Empire 8 championship next season.
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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
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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
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Baseball takes series against rivals Plattsburgh
Oswego, N.Y. – The Oswego State Lakers found themselves in a weekend set against school rivals the Plattsburgh Cardinals. The Lakers came into the series on a six game SUNYAC win streak, though were on a three game losing streak after taking back-to-back losses to St. John Fisher the previous Saturday and a mid-week loss to Ithaca. Plattsburgh came in on a four game win streak, including a sweep of the New Paltz Hawks.
Game one of the three game set was on Friday, and saw Kieran Finnegan on the bump for the Lakers taking on Kolby Mordecki for the Cardinals. Oswego took the lead scoring the first run in the bottom of the second on a Jelani Hamer steal of home. Connor Gonzalski grabbed the lead in the top of the third on a two run homer. Owen Parliment tied it straight back up with a solo shot in the bottom of the third. Once again Plattsburgh wasn’t letting Oswego keep the lead, Jack Defayette singling and scoring Adam Wein to give a 3-2 lead. After a couple of scoreless frames, the the Lakers finally grabbed the lead back, Jacob Levine hitting a two-run homer for a 4-3 Oswego lead. The game ended with that score line. Kieran Finnegan pitched seven strong innings, giving up the three runs, striking out 10, and walking two. Anthony Van Fossen pitched the final two innings without allowing a runs, striking out three and grabbing a save. Kolby Mordecki also pitched seven, gave up all four runs, struck out 11, and walked three.
Game two was moved to Saturday morning, due to predicted weather later on Saturday. Chris Santis took the mound for Plattsburgh, taking on Alek Conrad for Oswego. Oswego took an early 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first, as Jelani Hamer stole third and then scored on a throwing error by the catcher. In the top of the third, Plattsburgh tied it on a Connor Gonzalski single. The game finally came untied in the sixth. It started with a Jack Defayette two-run double. Two batters later, Adam Wein doubled scoring Defayette, Plattsburgh took a 4-1 lead. The extended their lead to four runs in the eighth on a Nick Cergol RBI single. The Lakers tried to mount a comeback in the bottom of the ninth. With two runners on, Tishawn Featherstone singled scoring both. That brought up the Lakers most dangerous hitter Owen Parliment, who struck out looking to end the game. Chris Santic went 7.2 innings, allowing only one run walking two and striking out five. Adam Veit, who played the first eight innings at shortstop, came in for the ninth, and got the save. For Oswego Alek Conrad went five innings, gave up one run, without giving a walk and striking out three. Larry Citrola was the first out of the bullpen for Oswego, and he gave up three runs, in two-thirds of an inning and got the loss.
Game three of the series was game two of Saturday’s double header. Adam Veit got the start for Plattsburgh after pitching the ninth of the previous game, for Oswego it was freshman Jonah Shearer. This game was a lot different than the other two had been. It started with a five run second inning for Oswego. It started with a Tim Schinto RBI single. Then CJ McCarthy hit a triple that scored two more runs, and then on a throwing error, made it home clearing the bases and giving Oswego a 4-0 lead. A couple batters later, Tishawn Featherstone hit a single, that would score Jelani Hammer. Plattsburgh grabbed a run in the third and fourth innings, making it 5-2. In the bottom of the fourth Oswego put up another three runs to extend it to 8-2. RBIs by McCarthy, Hamer, and Featherstone. After the top of the sixth, a lightning warning put the game into a 30 min delay, and then the weather finally hit and the game was called, Oswego winning 8-2. Jonah Shearer had an excellent start for the Lakers, pitching 5.1 innings, allowing two runs, neither of them earned, walking one, and striking out five. Adam Veit was charged with all eight of Oswego’s runs, six of them were earned. He only struck out one batter and walked one.
The Lakers now head to a home double header against Clarkson on Tuesday with record of 15-15 (8-4 SUNYAC). They are fourth in the SUNYAC.
IMAGE PROVIDED BY ERIN BLANK, WTOP10 PHOTOGRAPHY DEPARTMENT
