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Women’s hockey breaks winless streak with big win
OSWEGO, N.Y. — The Oswego women’s hockey team got an extra day of preparation and rest for Saturday afternoon’s matchup with Potsdam after Friday’s game got postponed that was supposed to be played against SUNY Canton. The Lakers came in on a three game winless streak, but they snapped that with a dominant 5-0 victory over the Bears for the Teddy Bear Toss game. The first Lakers goal came nine minutes into the first period on the power play, where a shot from Avery Webster would be saved, but the rebound fell to Morgan Shines who put it in the back of the net. The Lakers wouldn’t score again in the first period, but dominated the second period, putting it past the goalie three times. The second goal of the game was off of another rebound, the initial shot was by Megan Teachout, with Ariella Haas cleaning up for her first of three points in the game. Teachout scored the third goal, deking through defenders on a four on four to score a spectacular goal. The third goal of the period came on the power play again, with Mack Hull winning and putting away a scramble in front of the net. The Lakers defense proved their prowess in the second period, shutting down a 5 on 3 situation at one point, and goalie Joanna Hiebert stopping a 2 on 1 break away at another point. Oswego’s final goal came in the third period, on the power play again, Simone Bednarik scored with assists from Chyne Kennedy and Ariella Haas. The Lakers were dominant all game, winning the shot battle 53 to 7, and going 3-4 on the powerplay while keeping Potsdam to 0-5.
The Lakers next game comes against William Smith on Tuesday at the Deborah F. Stanley Arena. Coverage will start 6:45 p.m. on WTOP 10.
IMAGE PROVIDED BY SHELBY PEPLOWSKI, WTOP 10 PHOTOGRAPHY DEPARTMENT
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Oswego’s Men’s Lacrosse Team Set to Begin 2021 Season
OSWEGO, NY — The Oswego State Men’s Lacrosse Team is set to take on SUNY Oneonta on Saturday, March 20th to kick off their 2021 season. This will be the Oswego Men’s Lacrosse team’s first action in over a year due to the pandemic. However, unlike prior seasons, conference play is set to begin earlier than ever before, starting March 26th versus Geneseo. Senior goaltender Kevin O’Donnell understands just how important these early games are to set the tone for the rest of the season.
“With SUNYACs coming up so soon and those being the most important games for our team, the level of expectancy exceeds any other season in my opinion,” O’Donnell said. “Especially with the teams were playing, Morrisville, Oneonta, and then the rest of the SUNY division, it’s important that were on our A-game.”
O’Donnell is now a team captain and is looking to surpass 400 career saves in the coming games.
Being that this is the Lakers first game since March of 2020, it’s important that they eliminate any mistakes or confusion they might have. Head Coach Drew Bezek, who is going into his 7th season on the coaching staff, believes his team needs to master their game plan early on in order to be successful.
“With early season games, it’s always about limiting mistakes and doing what we need to do. A lot of times with the beginning part of the season, you’re not so worried about your competition and what they run. It’s us being super-efficient and consistent at what we’re trying to do.”
Although many things are different this season for the players, coaches, and staff, film sessions and scouting remain an important aspect of Oswego’s success. However, since teams only played a few games in 2020, the Lakers will have to anticipate Oneonta’s game plan based off what they saw from early last year.
Coach Bezek said, “We’ll treat this year similar to the past where for the first game of the year, your kind of going off tendencies from the previous year. We’re not going to know some of their new players, but from the film, we could try to piece together how they run their system.”
The Lakers have won their last four games vs. Oneonta dating back to 2016 and look to extend their win streak to five on Saturday.
Package Aired Thursday 3/18/21 on Nightly News
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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 Webster. Bednarik 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.
IMAGE PROVIDED BY OSWEGO ATHLETICS
